Blog #17 – Firenze At Last

So now we come to our much anticipated visit to Firenze (the city we call Florence), the birthplace of the Renaissance and some of the world’s greatest art treasures.  We made reservations for October 6th to visit the Uffizi Gallery where we saw Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, Adoration of the Magi, and Allegory of Spring and works by other masters such as Leonardo da Vince, Michelangelo, and Rubens.  We also made reservations for Oct 7th to visit the Academie to see Michelangelo’s most famous sculpture David, and some of his unfinished pieces including the four Slaves. 

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and Giotto's Bell Tower as seen from the Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the Arno River.



A view of Florence from Giotto's Bell Tower.  I climbed 414 steps for this view.




We also saw the Palestrina Pietà in the Academie, which had been attributed to Michelangelo, but is now believed to have been created by another artist. Michelangelo is known to have created three versions of the Pietà (Italian for "pity").  The most famous Pietà is the one that we saw in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican (1499).  He also created the Florentine Pietà (1557), which is in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence and the Rondanini Pietà (1564), which is in Milan.  We had a chance to see the Florentine Pietà, but chose to see other sites instead.

The Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River in Florence.

Sandy on the Ponte Vecchio with the many jewelry shops.

After visiting the Academie, we wandered over to the Medici Chapels and saw some of Michelangelo’s other celebrated sculptures such as Dawn and Dusk above the tomb of Giuliano di Nemours and Day and Night above the tomb of Lorenzo the Magnificent in the Sacristy.  The Princes Chapel, the other Medici Chapel, is an amazing building with a grandiose interior.

A view of Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo.

Alas, we cannot show you any pictures of the art treasures described above for each of these locations have a "No Cameras" rule and security guards who enforce the rule.  We can however show you pictures of the statue of David, since there are two copies, which are almost as famous as the original in the Academie (no pictures of the original please).  The first copy is made of marble and is located outside of the Palazzo Vecchio.  There is also a bronze copy of David in the Piazzale Michelangelo located on the other side of the Arno River on a hill overlooking Florence.

A bronze copy of David located in the Piazzale Michelangelo.

The other famous sites of Florence that we saw were the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Baptistery with the famous Gates of Paradise by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Ponte Vecchio.  We took a bus tour of the city and sat on the top level where we could snap lots of photos.

The Palazzo Vecchio

Replica of the statue of David on the left and statue of Hercules and Cacus on the right at the entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio. 

The Hop-On Hop-Off City Bus Tour.

A photo I took of myself from the top of Giotto's Bell Tower with the Cathedral Dome in the background.  I am wearing a Canada-Italy friendship pin on my shirt lapel.

The front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

One of the doors on the Cathedral.

The painting above the door.

Sandy in front of the church of Santa Maria Novella.

The only dinner we ate out in Tuscany we ordered Steak Florentine because everyone kept telling us that we had to try this meal.  Not having eaten a good steak for some time, it was nice to have, but in my opinion did not compare to the Grade A Alberta beef that we get in Canada.

A sidewalk chalk artist creates a copy of Venus from Boticelli's painting "The Birth of Venus", which is located in the Uffizi Gallery close by.  Unfortunately her work will only last as long as it doesn't rain.

A sign warning shoppers that it is illegal to by fake goods from the immigrants and gypsies selling "Gucci" purses and "Seiko" watches on the street.  You can get a big fine just for buying these goods.

A street market in Florence.  It is OK to buy from the stalls, but not from people walking around or with their goods spread out on a sheet on the sidewalk.