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Firenze
Thanks to Florence I’m now a proud owner of some pretty european Pumas. I could only say no to an alternative to my dirty/smelly Nikes for so long, especially after camping in the rain… Here they be
We arrived around dinner time after the drive from San Gimignano, to the tune of Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore”. Although we weren’t in Napoli, it still felt appropriate. We waited a bit in the piazza by our hotel while our professor got the valet and room keys set up. We had enough time to figure out we were two blocks from one of the most famous dome’s in architectural history, and there was a clear consensus among the group that this would probably be a good trip. After dinner we went out to meet and grab a drink with Kyle’s friend from home (one of the many Americans we met studying there), then checked out the nightlife. My roommates and I woke up early the next morning to see what all the fuss was over Brunelleschi’s Dome.
The fuss was precisely this… Brunelleschi won a competition to design and construct the dome in 1436, and it remains the largest brick dome ever. It’s built up to about 375ft on stone, wood, and masonry, and you can actually walk up steps between the exterior and interior shell of the dome to the top. It was very revealing to walk through and see the coursing of the bricks and the progression of rings from stone to wood towards the viewing point at the lantern. Here’s the view from the cornice, where the dome starts…
It may have taken the trip to the museum afterwards to get a better understanding of it, but it was absolutely worth seeing for myself, because I was rewarded with this beautiful view of Florence…
“It’s breathtaking - I suggest you try it.” Austin Powers aside, definitely go into the Duomo. When you’re about ready to head down, go across the street to the museum and see the competition drawings and model entries. There’s also a wealth of preserved or recreated building art and sculptures; a few of which done by Michelangelo and Donatello. Real sweet. All the ninja turtles were influenced at one point in their career during the progression of the Italian Renaissance, but we saw more of Rafael and Leonardo (da Vinci) in Rome. On that note,
we saw a copy of Michelangelo’s David at the Palazzo Vecchio. If not the Duomo, this guy (or this guy’s wiener), has become an icon for the city of Florence. They have postcards, boxers, hats, bags, and dinner plates with him on them, usually with some cheesy font exclaiming “WOW DAVID!” right nearby… It must be kind of awkward for a dude from Florence to meet ladies abroad, always getting the “statue question”, but who knows? Go see it to say you saw it, but don’t spend the extra money and time in line to see the real deal, unless you’re a girl that needs some sort of odd validation.
This is Ponte Vecchio, part of the shopping strip. It’s full of souvenirs, art dealers, and jewelers, like you find at any major city. The only difference is the goods are on display in cantilevered shops on a bridge that is over a thousand years old. There’s a ton of locks latched around the railings on and near the bridge for all the nostalgic couples to come back and remember that one time in Florence… barf
One of our last visits of architectural significance was the Basilica of Santa Croce, and it’s cloisters. Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo are all buried there, so you know it’s a big deal. Brunelleschi, the same guy that did the Duomo, built the Pazzi Chapel that accompanies Santa Croce, along with the surrounding elegant cloisters. At first glance it looks pretty plain, but going through the procession around the square, you discover the little moves in sectional construction that enhance the quality of the space. Brunelleschi was a boss.
Of the things we saw that I couldn’t take pictures of, I’d recommend the Galileo museum. I wish I could have spent more time there, but for what I saw, it was an extensive collection of the instruments, experiments and things that make young kids want to become scientists. I have a whole new appreciation for quality and precision in architecture after seeing the hand tools they used to measure everything. Literally EVERYTHING from the cosmos and time, to the land and seas, to electric current, to the human body. The Renaissance was full of extremely smart and curious people, and seeing the development of their work in practice is real inspiring.
