Florence
|
|
First trip for 2006 was to Florence - a beautiful place. We flew BA into Pisa then took an express bus to Florence - a nice way to see a bit of the Tuscan countryside on the way in. |
As we got here earlier than expected on day 1 we decided to wander around a bit and get a feel for the place. |
|
It has a really nice atmosphere - very relaxed and welcoming. The afternoon sun (yes - there was some despite the forecast!) made the colours glow. |
|
|
|
We decided to have a look at the duomo (cathedral), campanile (bell tower) and battistero (baptistry) - they were amazing. Imagine walking round the corner and seeing this:
|
|
|
The decoration on the buildings was magnificent and incredibly detailed. The cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore and the dome is one of the main landmarks of Florence. It is huge! - one of the largest cathedrals in Christendom reflecting how wealthy Florence was when it was built. I don't know how high the belltower is but it's very tall (perhaps we'll find out if we climb it!). |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
I can't really describe how the cathedral makes you feel - almost in awe of it somehow. The amount of work and care that has gone into it is incredible. We visited the inside later so please see the Day 3 photos below. |
|
|
|
|
| |
| On the opposite side of the square was the golden door of the baptistry - known as the Gates of Paradise - showing scenes from the Old Testament. |
|
|
|
Having gazed at these buildings for quite some time (then had a delicious ice-cream in a nearby cafe) it was starting to get a bit dark so time to head back to the hotel. We took a detour via San Lorenzo and admired all the geometric shapes that make up that building. |
|
We went back to San Lorenzo on Day 3 and also visited the Medici Chapel behind it. Unfortunately no photos were allowed so you'll just have to imagine the paintings by Donatella, Lippi et al and the Michelangelo architecture. |
|
|
Day 2 and we decided to follow a self-guided walk from our book. We started by walking along the side of the River Arno. It was a lovely day - not too cold with a mix of clouds and sun. |
|
Our walk took us past the Uffizi Gallery but we didn't go inside. I think it would take a full day (at least) to do the gallery justice and we simply didn't have the time, especially as the weather was good. Perhaps we'll go inside next time we visit. |
|
|
|
I imagine any dry day spent in Florence would include plenty of wandering about and detours to admire the general feel of the city - it's really friendly and has a Sunday feel about it even on Saturdays! |
|
|
|
|
|
There were plenty of cafes around so Jonathon enjoyed plenty of Italian coffee (delicious apparently!)
Anyway, back on the tour and up into the hills to Piazzale Michelangelo where we enjoyed wonderful views over the city.
|
This one shows the Tuscan Hills in the background and we are looking north east over the city. |
This one shows Ponte Vecchio and looking north west. |
Finally, the duomo just catching the sun and showing the wonderful cloud formations. |
Jonathon spent ages waiting for the sun to come around to hit the top of the cathedral, bell tower etc. whilst I enjoyed listening to an open air concert by L'Inspirazione - a violinist (Marina) and a bayan player (Gennadiy), both from Kiev. A real highlight of today as the music added to the overall atmosphere of the city from on high. |
|
|
|
Finally we had to leave the beautiful music behind (having bought a CD to remind us of the moment) and head back down to the city. We called in to look at the amazing frescoes at the Cappella Brancacci. The frescoes are the combined work of three artists - Masolino who began the work, Filippino Lippi and Masaccio. Masaccio is still considered a major influence on the way people are depicted as he captured their emotions and movement more than any other artist of his era. |
|
Whilst most of the frescoes depict the life of St. Peter, the fresco on the right depicts Adam and Eve being evicted from Eden. There is one of them on the opposite wall as well in happier (ie. pre-apple) times. It's incredible to think that pictures painted in the 15th century could survive so well and seem so fresh even today. |
|
|
The Cappella Brancacci is in Santa Maria del Carmine church. The chapel takes its name from the merchant who commissioned the work.
Onward and back to the city centre via Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge). It's full of jewellery shops (both sides) and very busy but the oldest bridge in Florence, having been there since 1345, and a tourist "must do". The centre photo shows the backs of some of the shops.
|
| |
|
|
Our final stop for today was the Piazza del Signoria, the centre of Florence's civic activity and a square full of statues and interesting buildings.
The square includes the Palazzo Vecchio which was the seat of local government. We visited the inside of this building on Day 3 - see below for photos.
|
|
|
|
|
As I mentioned, there are a lot of statues here including a copy of Michelangelo's David and a statue of Neptune - this latter is nicknamed Il Biancone (the Fat White One) and stands in the middle of Ammannati's Neptune fountain. |
|
|
|
|
The Loggia della Signoria can also be found in this square with more statues (the Uffizi Gallery is just behind here). The statues on the right include Perseus holding up Medusa's severed head and the Rape of the Sabines - I thought they were a bit gruesome to include!
|
|
Once again we lost the light so wandered back to the hotel to sort out the photos etc and get some rest ready for tomorrow's adventures. |
Day 3 arrived and so did the rain. Thankfully most of our plans for today were inside visits so on with our raincoats and off we went. |
|
First stop Palazzo Vecchio. This building was amazing with gilded ceilings, magnificent frescoes, dramatic lighting in the main hall and lots more besides. Here's a few photos to give you a taste of what we enjoyed. |
|
|
|
|
The image on the left is part of a ceiling, the one on the right is a wall painting. On the row below it's the other way round! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
We took plenty of time looking around as there were loads of rooms to look at - each one as spectacular as the one before it. By the end it was almost overpowering and we felt a bit overloaded but we wouldn't have missed it for the world. |
Back into the rain to let our heads clear before heading off to Palazzo Medici-Ricardi. The main attraction of this palace is the Cappella dei Magi - a tiny chapel with yet more amazing frescoes (and another photo ban so you'll have to visit their website if you want to see them!) |
|
The guide book describes this palace as "austere" - not sure that we agree with that description on the inside, the outside is somewhat imposing though so perhaps that's what they mean. |
|
We entered through the strangely named Courtyard of the Mules (not a single donkey in sight when we were there), went down the Portraits Corridor and into Michelozzo's Courtyard (picture on the right).
The statue in the courtyard is "Orpheus charming Cerberus with his music"
|
|
To the rear of the courtyard was a small(ish) garden, all neatly laid out in geometric shapes - a welcome bit of greenery. |
|
Up on the first floor (other than the chapel - see above) were the Room of Bas-reliefs, Luca Giordano's Gallery and the Room of the Four Seasons, the latter so called because of the tapestries that adorn the walls. |
|
The Room of Bas-reliefs houses a painting of Madonna with Child by Filippo Lippi.
Luca Giordano's Gallery is gaudy in the extreme. It's main colour is gold and the images down the right hand side are painted on mirrors so they reflect the gold even more! However, whatever you think of the ornate walls, the Giordano ceiling is wonderful.
|
|
|
|
|
Lunch time and we treated ourselves to delicious food at B-Gallo in the Piazza del Duomo while we waited for the cathedral to be opened to tourists. We can definitely recommend the Tagliata B-Gallo (steak and salad) and the Bistecca alla Fiorentina (also steak and salad with chips this time and cooked slightly differently). |
|
Although very ornate on the outside (as shown above), the inside of the duomo was described as quite plain - we thought is was still well worth a visit. The decoration in the cupola is anything but plain but is fenced off so you can't get directly underneath it for photo purposes! |
|
The clock (right) is at the opposite end to the altar and looks very imposing. |
|
There was some lovely stained glass to admire as well. |
|
|
That was it for our time at the cathedral - we were sad to say goodbye but that first sighting of it will be an everlasting memory.
Next stop was San Lorenzo and Cappella Medicee (via the restaurant to collect the things Jonathon had left behind!). As mentioned above, no photos allowed here so your imagination will have to do the work (or you could visit the website). Our final stop for the day was the Santa Maria Novella.
|
|
Said to be one of Florence's most important buildings, this church has a Gothic lower half and a Renaissance upper half. Again, some fantastic works of art to admire (but not photograph). |
|
It also boasted some lovely stained glass windows. |
|
|
The end of Day 3 arrived and off we went back to the hotel to pack ready for departure in the morning.
Day 4 was spent either travelling or in Pisa which was also a lovely place. We had a quick stroll around admiring the general prettiness of the town whilst avoiding the students (there seemed to be hundreds of them).
|
|
|
|
|
|
We enjoyed a leisurely sitting-outside lunch (we did seem to eat rather a lot (and rather well) this weekend) and then wandered up to see the leaning tower. We didn't climb it as there were already far too many people clambering about on it and we didn't have enough time to explore that and the inside of the duomo and the battistero. |
|
|
The duomo seemed quite plain after the ornate nature of the one in Florence - still very nice to look at though and much more decorated/ornate inside. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There was a traditional pulpit and a very modern one. The difference in styles can be seen in these 2 photos (yes, I know it's an altar table on the right not a pulpit!) |
|
|
|
|
|
A final glimpse at the duomo and across the square to the battistero. This building looks round but is, in fact, hexagonal. |
|
|
|
As you can see, it's pretty ornate on the outside ... |
|
|
... and relatively plain on the inside. |
|
|
|
Finally it was time to stroll back across the river to the station to go back to the airport (5 minute train journey) and home to London. |
|
We had a great weekend and can easily see why people get hooked on Tuscany with its friendly people, lovely cities, beautiful scenery and interesting history. One day we'll be back (all being well) to explore some more.
|
| |
|
|
