The Duomo of Florence:
Wow! Today
was another epic day, this time exploring the center of the Italian Renaissance
that is Florence, Italy. With tons of sightseeing to do with little time, we
woke up fairly early and skipped breakfast to get out the door. The weather was
a little iffy this morning, but we walked over to the Santa Maria Novella
church right near our hostel and explored inside the first of the many
noteworthy churches in Firenze. On the outside, facing the train station, is a
large bell tower and yellow bricks in interesting architecture. Walking around
to the front, visitors are greeted with the massive marble façade that makes
the other side seem very lackluster. Inside, the church is filled with Christian
frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries covering
seemingly every single wall and ceiling nook. Unfortunately we were not allowed
to take pictures inside, but we were able to inside more churches later in the
day.
The Facade and Bell Tower of the Santa Maria Novella Church:
Next we
made our way over to the Duomo, the massive church that stands as the city
center. The piazza surrounding the Duomo is always packed with tourists, and
there was a long line to do nearly everything touristy in that area. Giotto’s
Bell Tower stands next to the Duomo and its baptistery and visitors can climb
to the top of it if they please. The baptistery also has some of the most
beautiful doors I have ever seen, cast in gold and bronze, depicting major
events in the history of Christianity and its founders. We headed inside the
Duomo first, as it was the only location without a line at the time. Inside the
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, as the Duomo is really called, the church is
one of the biggest I have ever seen. Brilliant marble work on the floors
immediately catches the eye, as do the enormous stained glass windows in all
directions. The massive dome that gives the cathedral its name is also painted
on the inside. It is a lesser known version of the Last Judgment of Sistine
Chapel fame, however the scale and detail is just as incredible. We wandered
around the sacred halls before grabbing some Lasagna and Proscuitto and Melon
and waiting in the long line to go to the top of the dome.
Florence, and the San Lorenzo Church from Atop the Duomo:
We waited
for what seemed like two hours in line, in the rain, before finally getting to
climb the dome. What a workout! Four hundred and sixty-three steps later we
finally took in the view from the highest spot in Florence. Although it was a
foggy and rainy day, we could still see all of Florence’s beauty in every
direction. It seems as though the city has not changed since its height in the
Italian Renaissance. Beautiful colors and tile rooftops stretch in all
directions, and immaculate churches sprouted up every few blocks. We took in
the scenery (and rest) for about a half hour before making our way back down to
head to the next church, the Santa Croce church.
Santa Croce Church:
Santa Croce
was being worked on while we were there, so we did not get to see the main
altar in its usual beauty, but the church offers tons of frescoes and
sculptures all over anyways. We got to see some works by Donatello and Raphael
before heading to the back of the nave where the church’s history has been
cemented. In a row are the final resting places of Galileo, Michelangelo, Niccolo
Machiavelli, and Dante Alighieri. Talk about an impressive lineup! Michelangelo
even designed his own tomb before he passed away. It is pretty impressive to
stand and admire the tombs of four of the most influential men in the history
of Italy and the world.
The Tomb of Galileo Galilei:
As the rain
finally lifted we made our way over to the Ponte Vecchio. As the story goes, Hitler
destroyed every bridge in the city of Florence during World War II, but refused
to bomb the Ponte Vecchio as it was just too beautiful. It just may be one of
the most photographed bridges in the world, as tiny shops line both sides of
the bridge as it crosses the Arno River. We took some photos and wandered
around the shops before walking back across the whole city to reach the
Galleria dell’ Academia before it closed.
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge:
The
Galleria dell’ Academia is one of the major art museums in Florence, and more
importantly, home of Michelangelo’s David.
The David is one of the most
recognizable and famous sculptures in the world, and it stands tall over its
visitors and the other artwork in the museum. As we were on a bit of a speed
run, I did not take in much of the other art in the museum, but did manage to
snap some sneaky pictures of the David
under the eyes of the security guards before the museum closed. Another funny
note, there are three David sculptures in the city of Florence, but only one
(this one) is the real famous one.
Michelangelo's David:
For dinner
we found an awesome pizzeria called La Divina Osteria. I ate some Bruschetta, Fiorentino
Pizza with salami and roasted peppers on it, and enjoyed some Vernaccia di San
Gimignano white wine from the nearby city of San Gimignano. We spent a lot of
time at this beautiful restaurant…I believe Bertuccis is perpetually failing at
trying to look like this place. We also managed to find an awesome brewery pub
called Birrificio Artigianale Mostodolce where we drank a bunch of local brewed
beer before heading back to sleep. We vowed that we would return to the brewery
the next night, but for tonight we were wiped and ready to sightsee some more
tomorrow.
The Last Judgement Inside the Duomo:
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