When we opened our eyes after a long coach ride, it was late afternoon and we were in the city of Flencence. This is from where the whole Renaissance movement was started. The wealthy Medici family ruled over the principality of Florence for around 350 years. They were the patrons of Art, they were the ones who supported famous artists like Michealangelo and Leonardo da Vinci!
We were at the Piazzale Michealangelo, one of my favourite part of the tour…this was the place where I know that we get a professional group photo done of all the bus members. Our original bus driver Franco was missing as was Grant our Vietnamese man from Australia whose refuses to pose for photos. For 15 days we were like one whole family and this group photo is a cherished memory of our trip.
This high point had a superb view of the whole of Florence city. Its main attraction was the bronze statue of David with a sling shot over his shoulder- this is supposed to be the perfect depiction of the body of man! We had seen the original marble statue of David by Michealangelo last time, but being a Monday that Galleria Dell Academia was closed.
Our bus was parked at the Piazza Piave and we had a nice walk along the Arno river. Its left bank had residences of the wealthy, its architectural style was later copied by many. We met our local guide at the Santa Croce square and marvelled from outside at the Gothic church that contains the tomb of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli.
The visit to the Peruzzi leather showroom was a waste of time, though I intented to buy, I did not find a genuine Italian handbag that was reasonably priced. Most of the branded ones were around 400 Euros. One of the Medici daughters Catherine was married into French Royalty, she was exposed to the essential scented oils of France, and she introduced the concept of perfumed leather when she had scented leather gloves made for herself!
We then walked upto the Piazza Della Signoria which was the heart of the political and social life of Florence. The main building is the Palazzo Vecchio completed in 1332 AD. Its big bell used to summon citizens to public meetings here. A frieze over the Palace entrance is inscribed with the words -Christ is King. The crossed keys on the shield of the top floor represent Medici papal rule.
There are many statues here to commemorate the city’s historical events. Ammanati’s Fontanna di Nettuno was a fountain built of the Roman Sea God surrounded by water nymphs, to commemorate naval victories. The Marzocco is a copy of the heraldic lion of Florence carved originally by Donatello. This symbol of Florence is even depicted on the official coat of arms. Even the original marble statue of David had stood in this square before it was moved to the indoor museum.
The Loggia dei Lanzi was designed by Orcagna in 1382 to shelter some more statues of Roman emperors. I was impressed by 2 statues facing the square- the bronze statue of Perseus beheading Meduca. This was done by Cellini in 1554. Another marble statue of the rape of the Sabine women showed writhing figures carved out of one block of marble by Giambologna in 1583.
We could not go to the nearby Uffici gallery as it was closed on Mondays. This is Italy’s greatest art gallery, housing many famous paintings of the Renaissance period. The famous paintings of Boticelli-‘the birth of Venus’ and ‘the Primevera’ are in this gallery. One good thing is that no vehicles are allowed in this part of Florence, though the cobblestoned streets are filled with people.
We walked in the via dei Calzaiuoli the city’s liveliest street. We passed by the Orsan Michele-the niche carvings of this church depicted the patron saints of trade guilds. At the square of the Piazza Del Duomo I wait to look at the stunned expression of the children, this richly decorated marble Duomo is Europe’s 4th largest church! The huge orange tiled dome by Brubelleschi was built without scaffolding in 1463. The outer shell is supported by a thicker inner shell that acts as a platform for it. The neo Gothic marble facade and the bell tower is decorated with white, green and pink Tuscan marble. The East end chapel has 3 apses crowned with smaller copies of the dome.
Opposite to the Duomo was the Baptistry, one of the oldest buildings of Florence dating back to the 4th century. In the 15th century after a big competetion, Ghiberti was chosen to make another set of East doors. There are 10 panels showing different scenes from the Bible like- Adam and Eve being expelled from Eden, Cain murdering his brother Abel, Drunkeness of Noah, Joseph being sold to slavery, Moses receiving the 10 Commandments, Solomon and the Queen of Sheeba, etc. These are replicas and the originals are kept in the Duomo museum.
Two youngsters sitting on a bench in the Piazza di Giovanni square were openly kissing and nobody cared a damn. I had seen this only in movies and I was urged by my family to move on! We purchased some more souvenirs at a small stall.
From here we parted ways. Girish went in search of a supermarket, Siddharth wanted to see some more architectural marvels like the Medici House and Shringar and me went shopping. Last time I had brought a nice lace top at the via dei Cerretan but this time I found it filled with very stylish expensive stores.
Girish phoned us and we walked backwards to the San Lorenzo square that was filled with small stalls. Shringar did not like a single item from here and refused to buy anything at all.
At 7 p.m. We made our way back to our meeting point. After we crossed the Duomo we got into the small criss crossing bye-lanes. I was window shopping and couldn’t walk fast, Shringar went ahead. The small lanes were quite confusing, we almost got lost and I kept asking for directions and finally reached the Santa Croce square.
It reminded me of the tension we had the last time we were in Florence and we had decided to go to Pisa on our own. Five years ago too, we had a lot of anxiety as we walked on the lonely road searching for our hotel at night. This time I was a bit relieved when son called to say that he had found husband (who was not mugged as I feared but just terribly lost like us). Thank You God for keeping all of us safe! Florence will always be memorable for me!
So what place made you smile today?
Be thankful for the places that make you smile!
Recent Comments