Florence, or Firenze, as its called in Italy (speaking of, why are names of countries different in different languages? For easiness' sake, the names should be the same in every language... in my humble opinion.), is overflowing with eye-candy. Actually, the city itself is not so beautiful, not ugly by any means, but not spectacularly good-looking. The real glitz of Florence is inside the churches and museums. Though I should mention the outside of the Duomo is, without a doubt, outrageously sumptuous. It's covered in white, green and pink marble and draped in statuary, so much so that its hard to even see what the statues are. The babtistry right next door is clad in the same decor as the Duomo, only it also has some very famous gilded doors. These are the babtistry doors made by Ghiberti. These golden iron doors, depicting carved Biblical scenes, were christened the "gates of paradise" by Michaelangelo, and they really do live up to their nickname!
Speaking of Michelangelo, we feel a little as though we know him personally. I mean, we've seen oodles of his work, even his unfinished work, we've met his artist friends, been to one his fave restaurants, gone to his house, and visited his grave. So will all due respect to the man, I think I can call him Mike now. So, of all Mike's sculptural work, my favorites are probably his lesser known Day and Night and Dawn and Dusk. They are housed in the Medici Chapel which was conveniently located right across the street from us. Which also made it so that we got there early, and got to see these phenomenal statues (as well as the Medici crypt- which was really cool) relatively alone. No wait in line, no crowds, just us and Mike's sculpteral masterpieces.
Also really amazing, was the Uffizi Gallery. Honestly, my face hurt afterword. There were just far too many jaw dropping moments and eye-dazzeling pieces. By far, the best, most beautiful work, was that by Botticceli. Again, his was art that I studied in college, not only for its visual appeal, but its cultural impact. In fact, as much as I love religious art, after seeing hundreds of Marys and Bimbi and Crucified Christs, it was a welcome break to see a different theme. I'm fairly certain Boticceli's contemporaries silently felt the same way. Let me just say, standing in front of his Birth of Venus and La Primavera, I was incredibly enraptured. For those precious minutes in front of his work, I felt as though the crowds were not even there, sweaty and jockeying for a better view.
Florence itself was a nice city, no racing mopeds or dodgy taxis, but swollen with camera-toting spectators. But, this was what we expected. We had the priveledge, and also the inconveniance, of staying right in the center of town. It was great for getting around, but not so great given the hordes of college partiers that passed below our apartment all night long. Oh well, again, this was what we expected and just part of travel. However, the entire time we were in Florence, we felt a palpable gloom hovering, like a shadow on our periphery. We realized, for the first time on our trip, we were homesick. Not to say we were ready to pack up and head home, but its remarkable that all the worlds most precious and rare sights cannot replace the most precious things of all: family, friends, community...trees. Sadly, with all the beauty Florence held, it was a city of cobblestones, statues and old buildings, devoid of trees and green spaces. I really did miss those glimpses of God's works of art amidst all the handiwork of men.
To wrap up (sorry I get so long winded), Florence held many delights, and I'm happy we went, but it wasn't so hard to say goodbye.
We are on our way! See you tomorrow!
ReplyDelete