My day started off at the Basilica di Santa Croce, the burial place for Galileo, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and many others. The church has a lot of work being done so much of the interior was covered by scaffolding, but it was still a beautiful place.
Basilica di Santa Croce.
Stained glass and frescoes.
I'd like to see all this move when a key goes in the lock!
Michelangelo's simple little tribute.
Portion of a painting in the little cathedral museum.
It's amazing how quickly it starts to feel quite normal to walk on streets that look like this.
When I walked through the Piazza della Signoria I cringed at the massive, nude fountain statue of Neptune. I know some people can appreciate nudes for the art, but I can only do that to a certain extent and then I'm just embarrassed. It feels like I just walked in on a guy getting out of the shower and I want to laugh and duck out of there as quickly as possible. A couple of women from Tennessee were taking each other's photos in front of the fountain so I offered to shoot a photo of them together. I meet a lot of people this way and it's often the only conversations I have in a day (my family laughs when I talk to them on the phone because I often chatter on and on, but it's only because I so rarely have a chance to talk to people so my words come tumbling out). Charlesetta, on the right in the photo below, runs a group tour company for international travel so she gave me her website and I've given her the link to my blog. (Hi Charlie, if you read this!) I decided to include a photo of these adorable women to give an example of the fun people I get to meet. I should keep track of the nationalities of people I photograph. So far it's been several Americans, a few Belgians, an Indian couple from England who were on their honeymoon, a few Argentineans, a Chinese couple, a Spanish family, English, Scottish, Canadian, Italian, and lots of people who didn't speak a word of English or Spanish so I have no idea where they're from.
Two from Tennessee!
I love how the pigeons consider the famous fountain statues to simply be a comfy place to perch.My first museum was the Galleria degli Uffizi, a massive collection of art mostly collected by the Medici family (photography is forbidden). Some of the exhibits were closed for maintenance, but it was still amazing to see so many famous pieces. My knowledge of the history of art is limited so I wasn't able to appreciate the pieces in depth, but I still appreciated the beauty.
I wandered along narrow streets to reach the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore; this is the home of the big dome so famous in photos of the Florence skyline. Entrance is free so I explored the building and admired the incredible ceiling of the dome from the floor of the cathedral because I couldn't bear the thought of spending eight euros to gain closer access to the dome. Nearby are the octagonal Battistero, a seventh century building with the facade added between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, and the Campanile, a bell tower.
Battistero, Cathedral, and Campanile.
Ceiling in the cathedral dome.(Clicking on the photo should provide a large version for detail.)
A tour book I borrowed from the library recommended stopping by Perche No!... (it means, “Why Not!...”), a shop selling gelato near the Piazza del Duomo. As I tried to get my bearings in the streets I was surprised to find myself outside the shop without trying. Seemed like a little touch of destiny so I figured it was a good reason to grab some lunch and dessert. I went to a nearby shop for focaccia with cheese, bruschetta and arugula and another with cheese, tomatoes and basil. They were sort of like triangular sandwiches (the focaccia is more like a really delicious, dense, white biscuit than the fluffy bread focaccia from the grocery store in Canada) heated in a big, brick oven. Simple but delicious. I headed back to Perche No!..., supposedly a favourite of the American soldiers when Florence was liberated during World War II, and perused their selection of gelato. An Italian girl was in the shop and she said she's had gelato all over Florence and theirs is the best – natural ingredients and a good price. For four euros they packed five flavours into a cup. I'm not too proud to admit that I went back again later in the afternoon. It was my first time having gelato in Italy and I waited until the end of my trip on purpose because I knew I would just keep buying it as I travelled around if I tried it at the beginning of my time here. I can't even remember all the flavours I tried. My favourites were strawberry, tiramisu, cookies-and-cream (with shavings of chocolate mixed in), coffee, and the chocolate flavour was strong enough to satisfy any chocoholic. Good stuff.
First time having gelato in Italy!I was expecting the Galleria dell' Accademia to be a larger gallery, but I did find it really interesting to see the details of the paintings on display. Before and after photos of restoration work that had been carried out or images of scans showing the layers of paint and how the artist had changed the image. It's definitely more of a teaching gallery and I really appreciated the details. The major showpiece of the Accademia is Michelangelo's David (1504). You round a corner and enter a long gallery with sculptures along the sides and facing you at the end of the hallway is a really huge, white, shiny, naked man on a pedestal. I got the biggest smirk and wanted to let loose with a grin and maybe a guffaw but it felt more like the atmosphere at a library; not a place where sarcastic laughter would be appreciated. People standing around with awestruck expressions. A tour guide speaking to a group of college students in French. People sitting on benches around the statue with serious faces. I wanted to elbow somebody and hiss, “Doesn't it seem weird to you that he's completely naked? Sure, Saul's armour didn't fit him, but I really don't think David would have faced Goliath starkers.”
My reaction to seeing the famous statue in person came out in shocked humour about the situation, but I was mostly embarrassed for David; it felt disrespectful to show him nude. My feet were aching so I found a bench where I could rest and view David from an angle where his nakedness wasn't quite so... obtrusive. I wanted to be able to look over the non-graphic details and appreciate the art of what I was seeing. I found it fascinating to look at the muscles and the mastery it takes to know exactly how much to carve to get it to look so amazing. How does a person take a block of marble and start chipping away and know when enough is enough? It was incredible to think that Michelangelo's hands touched what I was looking at. Photos were forbidden but I had to sneak a shot of his face just for proof that I was really there (me and the numerous other people who pulled out their cameras... they got yelled at but I sort of hid behind a pillar).
David.The other Michelangelo sculptures that line the hall in front of David were a series titled Prisoners (1505). I loved the style, called non finito (unfinished), where the sculptures look like they're trying to escape the confines of the block of marble.
I guess I like things that leave room for the imagination. I prefer ruins to city streets, forests and fields to formal gardens, and non finito Prisoners versus the explicit David.
As I was wandering the city streets I passed a construction area and a guy up on some scaffolding whistled a cat call. I smirked and looked up to see if it was aimed at me. It was. Oh yeah – a little piece of the Italian charm aimed my way. Yes, I know it was from a construction worker so it's really nothing to be proud of and can't technically be classified as “charm”, but I'll take it. Oh, and when I gave a second glance it yielded a double-take, a lean out of a store entrance, and a loaded-tone, “Ciao!” (“Hello!”) in Rome. These guys seriously react to the slightest provocation. Way too easy and a lot of fun when you want some entertainment.
By this time the day had worn on to about 4:00 p.m. and I was done. My brain had seen enough art and the thought of paying for a ticket to another museum, gallery or church didn't appeal to me. I wandered down the streets to view the outside of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, ventured briefly into the convent courtyard, and headed to the river.
I walked along the Arno River between the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge covered with shops seen in the photo above, and past the Ponte alle Grazie, and walked up Viale della Giovane Italia to return to where my car was parked. (I'm including the Italian for people like my Dad who love those details.)
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