Our travel mates for the next two weeks: Elizabeth, Laura, Dan, & Charlie, posing here in the Bargello
We came through Florence last October and loved it: beautiful architecture, fantastic museums, even great running along the Arno. So when our friends Dan & Laura wanted to travel in Italy this year, there was no question that we’d come back. I mean, it’s Florence.
There’s not much new to say about the city; it didn’t change a lot in the last eight months. A big change for us, though, is that we were a lot more active with the Germains than we were on our own. We can be kind of lazy as we’re traveling around and don’t always get to all the tourist sites one should. And not that rarely we fail to make reservations in advance for key places like Da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan. When traveling with friends, though, who need to cram more stuff in on a time-limited vacation, we step it up a notch.
A view of Florence from atop the campanile
And so it was in Florence. Some of it we saw last year – the Duomo, the Baptistry, the Uffizi – but the big highlight for us was the the Grand Museum of the Duomo, something Dan bought tickets for before he left the States. Wow – what a tragedy that we’d missed it last year. Chock full of great art, along with a full-scale replica of the medieval facade of the Duomo before it was renovated in the 16th century renaissance style. Very cool.
And then there was that David guy. Again, one of those things for which you need to get tickets in advance. So we had tickets in advance. Mark & I have seen him before; we were here in 1995 and we’d both been there years before we met. Still, it’s a danged impressive piece that I probably enjoyed even a little more this time having just read Irving Stone’s biographical novel of Michelangelo, The Agony and the Ecstasy.
David
There was one noticeable difference in Florence: while there are a lot of tourists in Florence in October, there are A LOT of tourists in July. Oh my God. The historic core of the city is a pretty small area and there were just thousands and thousands of tourists everywhere. Next time we come here, we’ll do it off season.
We’re traveling with the Germains for two weeks; from Florence we go to Bologna, Venice, and Rome. So without a lot new to say about the city, here are a bunch of pictures.
Charlie and Laura, pretending they like each other
The Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River in evening light
The Bargello, the oldest public building in Florence and at one time a prison, houses a wonderful collection of statues and is probably my favorite spot in Florence. This Bacchus was done by a young Michelangelo and was in fact rejected by the Cardinal who commissioned it. After all, Greek gods are supposed to be GODS, not dissipated, louche drunks.
Here’s Verrocchio’s David, also in the Bargello. Not quite as masculine as Michelangelo’s.
Laura in front of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in the Uffizi
Meanwhile, over in the Grand Museum of the Duomo was this grand Mary Magdalene – living as a saintly hermit after the crucifixion – by Donatello. It looked so modern it was hard to believe it was well over 500 years old.
So good she needed a close-up
This colorful painting, also in the Grand Museum, was by Domenico Ghirlandaio, Michelangelo’s first art teacher
Laura & Mark in front of the original doors to the Baptistry of St. John, now kept in the Grand Museum. Created by Lorenzo Ghiberti in the early 15th century, Michelangelo called them the Gates of Paradise.
The Baptistry, dating from the early 12th century, is the oldest part of the cathedral complex. This is the ceiling, clearly Byzantine, with no signs yet of the Renaissance to come.
With both the Duomo and the bell tower, there was a lot of climbing to be done. Here are Dan and Elizabeth far above the city.
And me and Mark
Looking down on the Duomo from the bell tower
A view of the cathedral while climbing up the bell tower
And finally, shortly before getting to Florence we discovered that our old friend Karen – from way back in our DC days – was going to be in Florence on her honeymoon the same time we would be there. So we took MA & Karen to dinner to celebrate. Thanks Facebook!