Travel: Florence, Italy (Firenze)

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Florence is a city made for walking since all the major sights are relatively close to each other.  Of course, everyone else in the world wants to stroll those historic streets so wear your money belt, grab a gelato and enjoy.  Nancy

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Florence (October 2003)

By Nancy Kamp

Photos by Cary Kamp

click on the photos to enlarge them

For tourists, everything Florentine centers around the Duomo [dome] of Santa Maria del Fiori Cathedral.  Filippo Brunelleschi built his dome to cover the gaping hole in the middle of the church that no one else could figure out how to span.  Inside the dome is the huge painting, Last Judgment.

http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Florence_Cathedral.html

 

Duomo

cathedral interior below the Duomo

interior of the Duomo

Last Judgment

   

tomb relief within the cathedral - downstairs in the crypt

 
The cathedral itself, like several other churches we saw in Florence - and we did not come close to seeing them all, has a distinctive green and white marble façade.   
   

exterior of the Duomo

main entry of the Duomo

   

sculptures on the façade

sculpture detail

   
The adjacent bell tower, Giotto's (Giotto di Bondone)  Campanile, has the best views in the city.  

Campanile

view from Campanile of the Gothic Church of Santa Croce with its distinctive Star of David-esque stained glass window - Santa Croce contains the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo

http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/xpiazza.htm

   
The cathedral's Baptisery is best known for Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze doors, though these have been replaced by copies.  The original doors are in the nearby Museo dell Opera del Duomo, which is stuffed with masterpieces AND is open on Mondays.

San francisco's Grace Cathedral sports copies of the doors.  photo

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/G/ghiberti/gates_of_paradise.jpg.html

Baptistery from the front of the Duomo with copies of Ghiberti's doors

detail of Ghiberti's doors

   

  lesser doors

With contributions from native sons like Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci and so many more, Florence is one of great art repositories of the world.

I was most impressed with Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners (Quattro Prigioni) who seem to flow out the marble.  These four statues, along with his original David, are located in the Galleria dell' Accademia for which you must make advance reservations(Ask your hotel to do this when you confirm your room reservation.)

We walked up to the entrance of the Uffizi and were admitted after a short wait.  I heard a ticket taker tell someone there was a three day wait for entrance reservations at the door.  And this was in October.

Other sights that require reservations are the Bargello - which contains a prison and Donatello's bronze David, the Medici Chapels (Cappelli dei Medici with two Medici family tombs), and the Pitti Palace (details below).  Minor sights often sell same day tickets for major ones.

The Uffizi Gallery, for which you must make advance reservations - ask your hotel to do this when you confirm your room reservation, has an unbelievable collection of Renaissance paintings and other treasures.  I was blown away by Botticelli's The Birth of Venus.

our own Aphrodite Jewelry Collection

13th century (?) crucifixion painting, Uffizi Gallery
   

bust of Emperor Claudius, Uffizi Gallery

bust of Emperor Nero, Uffizi Gallery

click here photos from the remains of Nero's Roman palace, the Golden House (please scroll down)

   

exterior views of the Uffizi, the oldest art gallery in the world, which was built by the Medicis

   

statue of artist Leonardo da Vinci on the Uffizi façade

statue of Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, a handbook on politics, on the Uffizi façade

Just down the street  and a bit from the Uffizi Gallery is the shopping warren on the Ponte Vecchio, literally the "old bridge."  It dates from 1345 and contains jewelry store after store. 

Ponte Vecchio

Cross the Ponte Vecchio to reach the Palazzo Pitti.  Luca Pitti got to keep his name on this one, but it was acquired by the Medici family and stuffed with treasures.  It features a throne room, a costume museum and several art galleries.

The Boboli Gardens grace the hill behind the Pitti.  They include a fort, Forte di Belvedere, an amphitheater and formal Renaissance hedge gardens.

Pitti Palace exterior

Pitti Palace courtyard

   

Pitti Palace from the Boboli Gardens

   

obelisk in Boboli Gardens

detail of obelisk base with turtle

The Piazza della Signoria is located in the city center.  It was the initial location for Michelangelo's David.  You can still see a copy in the square along with other original sculptures and the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace), a Medici home that houses Donatello's Judith and Holofernes.

Savonarola, the art hating monk, was burned alive in the piazza, which is named in honor of the Signoria, the supreme executive council of the Republic of Florence, that was at its finest when led by Lozenzo di Medici.

http://www.mega.it/eng/egui/monu/signo.htm

Piazza della Signoria

Loggia dei Lanzi scuptures at the Piazza della Signoria

Unless you move there, you won't be able to experience, let alone savor, all Florence has to offer.  We recommend doing your homework with a good guidebook and a few art books so you will know what sights will mean the most to you.

 

Restaurants - Cary fell in love with the soup at IL Magnifico Lorenzo Ristorante so we ate there two nights in a row.  I didn't care since I discovered chocolate gelato with hazelnuts in a shop with less than polite help somewhere near the Uffizi.  My receipt lists several addresses so I believe the ristorante is part of a chain - and honestly not worth seeking out.  Gelato is good anywhere. 

 

Hotels - We stayed at the one star Hotel Perseo and would do so again.  The staff is friendly and speaks English, the room and bathroom were clean if cramped, an excellent breakfast was included, there was an ATM across the street and the lounge area offered inexpensive wine and a computer terminal where I could check my e-mail.  The hotel is only a short walk to the train station or to the Duomo, which you can glimpse from the street, the Via de Cerretani. 

http://www.hotelperseo.it/

 

Shopping - The shops of Florence are full of luxury and delight.  Take lots of money for gold, leather and ceramic purchases.

Bellaitalia - Gifts from Italy

I bought socks and heat rash medicine that didn't work because I had an allergy to the dye in my socks rather than a heat rash - DO NOT travel with brand new, unwashed socks.  

 

More Info

http://www.arca.net/tourism/florence/arthisto.htm

http://www.learner.org/exhibits/renaissance/florence.html

 

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Best Travel Sites:

Cheaptickets.com

Travel Deals at Orbitz

 

Guidebooks

Biography Book Reviews
History Book Reviews
Historical Fiction Book Reviews

Mini Book Review List

 

DVDs

2003

romance set all over Italy

 

1999

semi-true World War II homage to British pig-headedness with an incredible cast

 

book

series about life and food in Tuscany

 

 

 

 

I read tons of books on Tuscany - before and after our trip. 

My favorite guidebook was the DK Eyewitness Series.  The Knopf Guide for Florence was informative, but printed on weird paper so I don't recommend it.

If you just want to enjoy Tuscany from home, take a look at The Most Beautiful Villages in Tuscany.  It's just what the name implies.  Nancy

If a book you're looking for is out of print, click on any link to Amazon Books Home Page, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, or Alibris to find out if it is available as a used book.

Guidebooks Biography Book Reviews
History Book Reviews
Historical Fiction Book Reviews

Mini Book Review List

I thoroughly enjoyed the PBS special, Empires, the Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance.  It's a good before or after your trip film.

The Last Valley is a Michael Caine / Omar Sharif war movie set in Germany during the Thirty Years War.  While the time period is a little late for the glory of the Renaissance, it's nice to remember not everyone lived in palaces and wore silk, let alone survived the twisted history of Europe. 

1971  2003

For something completely different, you may want to catch Maggie Smith in My House in Umbria.  There is less Italy than one would like, but it's still a cast member in this story of contrasts between ugliness and beauty.  I thought it was exceptional.  Nancy

  

 Tom Tierney paper dolls for the collector in all of us.

   

 

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