Travel Journal - Florence ¦ Firenze

Rome

Florence

Sorrento

Pompeii

Travel Tips

ah Firenze
Home of the Renaissance, the Medici, Dante,
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Botticelli.

There is a magic essence about this city, especially for an artist. Every building seems to have treasures that I have studied or heard about and twice as many treasures that are new to me. There is nothing like a little knowledge to make me realize how little I know.

I definitely lost track of days in Florence. Amazingly enough, I did not get lost in that city. I found all of the places with the help of a guidebook and decent map. Of course with a landmark like Duomo, I spend very little time lost.

I haven´t been to so many churches in my life and I wanted to see more. I bought a small souvenir (Venus Itaia my Canoza) which is in the Pitti, for L5,000. Every time I look at it I am back in Florence for a moment.

The Best Part

Sitting in a cool café sipping te freddo and watching people. Groups crowded in front of the Gates of Paradise.

Students sitting on the steps of Duomo, mothers pushing baby strollers, lost tourists checking their maps and searching for street signs, pedestrians and scooters somehow avoiding collisions, couples strolling with the men laden with packages and lovers holding hands arms, shoulders, waists moving in rhythm with each other as if no one else existed. There were a lot of things around to make one smile.

I must mention that keeping up with this journal was tricky. I fell madly in love with this city. Putting down my camera long enough to pick up a pen didn't happen very often.

My first night in Florence, I found a perfectly charming Tratoria where the risotto with spinach and cheese was quite tasty.

oops

I wrote this around 8pm, started falling asleep so I went to bed. At 2am I looked at my clock and thought the battery had died since I imagined seeing light through my window. So I checked my watch ­ 7:30. I went flying around the room. I scheduled the Museo del academio at 8am. 10 minutes later I was out the door headed down the steps when I realized that my watch was upside down. It really was 2am. After a good laugh I went back to sleep.

Articles

• Bernini
• Bosch

Florence ¦The Sites

The Medici Riccardi Palazzo and the street vendors. The tombs of Santa Croce­ Michelangelo, Gallileo, Rossini, onto Piaza Santa Marie Nuova, SS Annunziata, San Marco Santa Maria Novella and stumbled upon another unexpected treat ( I seem to do that a lot!). Santa Maria Novella and Massaccio´s Holy Trinity. It was a bit of a walk but well worth it. Palazzo Vecchio and Bargello, Cappella Medici and Museo del Duomo.
Unfortunately Giotto Cross was out for restoration. Piazzi Strozzi, Column of Abundance, Orsanmichele, Dante´s house did help soften the blow.

The Palazzo Vecchio

The director of the restoration started a conversation and ended up giving me the deluxe tour. The original home of the Medici and what a place! The ceilings have amazing paintings, the walls are covered with great art paintings that are doors and secret stairwells, an alchemy room and closed passage that goes to the Arno Rover. I saw Vasari´s Perseus and Andromeda in a private room and Donatello´s Judith and Hermes. We also went to the top, what a view. Then he showed me the restoration process of the enormous tapestries. Great fun.

Academia

Houses Michelangelo´s slaves, Pieta and David; and Tree of Life, Pontormo and a marvelous room full of statues. Too much fun.

Duomo

I did climb this magnificent Brunelleschi creation and what a view! And what a climb. 463 steps and 80 degrees with humidity, even my eyelids were sweaty. Santa Croce, and Santa Novella.

Uffizi

Long huge halls of side by side paintings, statues and 45 rooms of some of the greatest art of all time. My art textbook covers a ton of pictures from the Uffizi.

Seeing Botticelli´s Birth of Venus was spectacular. but I wasn´t prepared for an entire room of his work and Cimabue, Ducchio, Leonardo da Vinci´s Adoration of the Magi and and and and and . The book I bought is the only way to remember any of the rooms.

The Bargello

Donatello and della Rubio where the main attractions including David, St. George, Giambologna's Mercury and a ton more! I met an older gentleman who was interested in my photographing and he turned out to be a specialist of medieval art. So he talked of iconography and Susan of the Bath.

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