Meandering Snapdragon: Firenze, Where the Beauty Is

The title, "Where the Beauty is" references a song from the Operatic musical, "The Light in the Piazza" when a girl from North Carolina visits Florence. Though having nothing to do with my visit, I enjoy the play and the title is fitting!

____

Beginning life as a Roman settlement for retired and veteran army officers, Florence (then Fluentia) has held a steadfast place in history since its birth in the 1st century BCE. Best known as the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence (or Firenze in Italian) is a small but densely populated city in the heart f Tuscany that attracts more than a million tourists annually. Arguably on my top 5 list of places to visit (repeatedly), Florence is guaranteed to capture your attention with little effort.

Though I had an unexpected delay the night before and missed my train, it ended up being a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to arrive in Florence at 6am the next morning - 8 hours before I had to meet Lorenzo in Castelfiorentino!

So, welcome to Florence, let's take a tour!

I left the Santa Maria Novella train station, with my bags stowed there, to begin my Florentine morning. Not bothering to look at a map or ask for the direction of the Duomo I walked in what seemed like the correct direction. Thank goodness I was right because I had a lot I wanted to see!

I began my tour walking by the Medid Chapel (Cappelle Mediciee) and the Medici Library. The Medici family of Florence is, beyond a doubt, the most important line to come from this region of Italy. Beginning their fame as bankers, the Medici resided over the Medici bank which became the most influential and largest bank in Europe during the 15th century. Begun by Giovanni de Medici, it was his son, Cosimo that brought the bank and family to its famous height. The Medici were private citizens and remained so, despite their political affluence and influence. The family produced 4 popes and 2 queen regents - Catherine and Marie - of France. Thanks to the Medici family and Florence's place as a trade state and the Renaissance, the city was built up quite nicely!

Medici Chapel was added to San Lorenzo to honor the Medici family.

The cathedral of Florence is called the Santa Maria del Fiore. It was built upon the ruin of an older church and you can see the original remains in the crypt. You may have heard it referred to as the "it duomo" and may not have known it had another name! The cathedral was designed and built by Arnolfo di Cambio and begun at the end of the 13th century. The dome, for which it is most famous, was designed and built by Filippo Brunelleschi and was not started until the 15th century. Brunelleschi had to jump through a lot of hoops to get his dome his way. Brunelleschi took his inspiration from the Roman Pantheon (built by Neri), but because there were no proven ways to support a dome of its size, and the way Neri had achieved it (with timber frames) was not available in Florence, Brunelleschi faced obstacles that nearly beat his dome.

Il Duomo

Thankfully he succeeded and even though it was Neri who first designed and solved such structure problems hundreds of years previous, people have heard the name "Brunelleschi" but not "Neri".

You can climb to the top of the dome, the bell tower (campanile), and visit the cathedral, baptistery, and the Duomo museum so be sure to set aside plenty of time!
Cool things to note/see:
- the interior of the dome is a large fresco (covers the whole dome) of the last judgement
- the cathedral is the 4th largest in the world (after St. Peters in Rome, St Pauls in London, and the Duomo in Milan)
- the floor inside the cathedral is all mosaic
- the facades are a mix of green, pink, and white marble
- the baptistery doors, designed and carved by Ghiberti are named the "gates of paradise". Visit them in the museum and ask about the competition ... or read an awesome book called "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King!
- the best view of Florence and the Florentine hills is from the top of either the tower or the dome (but you should see both!)

West facade

Campanile

Baptistery from the campanile. It may not look so appealing from here, but this piazza is the most frequented and famous in the region. Try to arrive early in the morning or suffer crowds of students, tourists, and busy Florentine's!

View of the cathedral from the campanile!

Of course there are many other beautiful and important churches in Florence and many of them sport similar multi-colored marble facades. When walking about Florence be sure to include the Santa Croce and the San Miniato al Monte to your list! The Santa Croce, also built by di Cambio, is home to the tombs of Michelangeo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Dante...but Dante's is empty! There is a memorial, though, for Dante.

West facade of the Santa Croce

San Miniato is located up on a hill (hence the 'al monte' which actually means 'mountain') across the river Arno that offers a spectacular view of Florence. Be sure to wander about the cemetery there that is home to famous and well-off men with impressive tombs (the author of Pinocchio, for instance).

West facade of San Miniato al Monte

Sitting in the shade of a tree with the city to my right and the facade to my left!

Taken on my trip in 2005, this shows part of the monumental cemetery at San Miniato

Walking from the Duomo I first found myself walking with purpose toward the Uffizi gallery, which is my favorite museum. Ever. Before arriving there, though, I came into the Piazza della Signoria and to the Palazzo Vecchio.

The Palazzo Vecchio is a famous symbol of Florence. Originally (and still) the seat of the city government, the Palazzo has seen many changes but remained the center of the city. Today there is a museum inside, as well. "Palazzo Vecchio" means "old Palace or castle"

The Piazza della Signoria is one of the most famous meeting places for locals and tourists. In summer there are festivals and concerts here (which I've seen first hand - very easy to loose people!) but that day (around 7:30am) the piazza was peaceful and echoing with my boot heels.

For me, the best part of the Piazza is the Loggia dei Lanzi (or Loggia della Signoria) which today is an open air gallery that houses Hellenistic style Renaissance sculptures. Originally the closed off colonnade was used for ceremonies but now it is an introduction to the adjoining Uffizi gallery.

This is Hercules and the centaur, Nessus. Sculpted by Giovanni da Bologna in 1599.

The loggia holds mostly sculptures of Roman and Greek mythology and history. The bronze in the middle is Perseus holding the head of Medusa. The two lions in the bottom right that flank the stairs into the loggia are the Medici Lions. The lion furthest right in this photo was sculpted in Roman times and restored in the 16th century while the other was originally sculpted in 1598.

Look Roman? It's not! This is the lion from the end of the 16th century sculpted by Flaminio Vacca

Walking between the loggia and the Palazzo Vecchio (straight and to the right from the lion above) you come into the Uffizi gallery courtyard. The courtyard is lined with sculptures of famous and influential Italians from Dante to Machiavelli. Inside, the Uffizi houses works mostly from the 12th to 17th centuries and its focus in Renaissance. With works from Michelangelo, Botticelli, Giotto, and of course Leonardo da Vinci, the Uffizi is a must see! Beware it could take you all day - the lines at the Uffizi are tremendous and daunting for a day traveler short on time so try to schedule a day just for the Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signori, Uffizi, and the Ponte Vecchio!

From a sunny summer day in 2005, you can see that the Uffizi gallery encloses its courtyard on three side. The halls are long with statuary leading into smaller rooms for paintings and artful reflection. Straight ahead to the Arno and Ponte Vecchio!

The Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) connects the Piazza della Republica and Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti. As it stands today, the bridge was built in 1345 after being destroyed by flooding. Amazingly it was the only bridge not destroyed by the Germans in WWII. The bridge is lined with shops - and in 1593 it was declared that only goldsmiths could house their shops on the bridge and today it is the same! I mentioned the Palazzo Pitti because the Medici, that ruling family of Florence, moved their residence to Pitti in the 16th century and they had a private walkway, called the "corridoio Vasariano", built above the gold shops so they would not have to walk with the people they ruled.

Ponte Vecchio. The small square windows above is where the Medici had their private walkway. The gold shops hang over the Arno selling their wares. A bustling and crowded bridge, it is worth the walk even if you (like me) have no interest in the wares.

Across the Arno sits the newer residence of the Medici, the Palazzo Pitti (or Pitti Palace). Looking almost French with its grounds, the core of the palace was originally built for the banker, Luca Pitti. It later served as the seat of the Medici and the Duchy of Tuscany. Even later it was used by Napolean!

Il Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio as seen from the Palazzo Pitti

The Palazzo Pitti from its grounds. The grounds of the Pitti are large and open with a pond and fountains, and a grotto! This photo was taken from the Boboli garden that extends behind the palazzo.

The grotto by Buontalenti which is in the Boboli garden. To the left of the grotto (sadly not in this photo) is the door that leads to the Vasari Corridor!

Florence has windy alleys with numerous piazzas, churches, and historical sites. These sites are just the main attractions that I was able to see on my morning (and later an afternoon) while waiting for a train.

The food in Florence is, of course, excellent, but try to avoid eating in places like the Duomo plazza if you want the best fare. Beyond gelato, I went to the markets for dried fruits and local olives, cheeses, and snacks to get me through my time there!

If you are a paper/journal lover be sure to go into an Il Papiro where they are famous for their handmade paper and journals - the most famous are the marbleized journals!