Upon exiting the train we were herded over to meet our local guides. We were shuffled in with Anna Maria, a friendly, funny older Italian woman who was a little irreverent at times and extremely knowledgeable — we got a real kick out of her.
The first “sight” outside the station is the Church of Santa Maria Novella which, if I’m remembering correctly, is the one with the unfinished façade. Michaelangelo was commissioned to design the church, but was put on another project before the final marble was placed on the front.
We then passed by the Church of San Lorenzo and the Medici chapels. The Medicis were big shots in Florence and had a hand in much of the art and life of the city.
The Academy of Fine Arts started as a place where art students could learn from and copy the masters. Today, even with the many artists represented, it is a tribute to Michaelangelo. In addition to four unfinished statues of “prisoners breaking free,” this is the place to find the original statue of David. No pictures were allowed, but we have shots of the copy coming later.
Anna Maria shared this Michaelangelo quote with us… When asked how he was able to create such striking sculptures, he responded that, “God places the sculpture in the stone. I just take pieces away to reveal it.” - I love that! David is so lifelike that you almost feel as though he could climb down off the pedestal and walk out the door. Everything from his facial expression to the way Michaelangelo sculpted the veins in his neck and hands really puts into perspective that art like this doesn’t happen much anymore.
We then walked on to admire Giotto’s Tower on il Duomo (the cathedral) in the center of town. It is right across from St. John’s Bapistry, which features the aptly named “Gates of Paradise” depicting various stories from scripture.
[church]
[baptistry & gates]
All this led us into the Palazzo Signoria where we saw the copy of David and several other statues that tried to reach his level, but—according to the people of Florence—fell short.
The palace-looking structure is now functioning as Florence’s city hall, I believe. Here are some great pics from inside:
We had lunch on the Palazzo Signoria before taking advantage of our free time. We would have visited the Uffizi museum (where you’ll find Botticelli originals), but the line was SO LONG. Instead, we walked along the river and then over to the Church of Santa Croce where Michaelangelo and Dante (of Divine Comedy fame) are buried. No pics allowed inside, but I love the couple of shots we got of Celeste in the garden.
In addition to checking out local artists and leather goods, we picked up our second helpings of gelato this trip and then swung by Dante’s house to pay our respects.
By the time we were back on the train, the week was definitely catching up with me and when we got back to Rome, we decided not to go out to eat but instead, Celeste went over to the local grocery store and we had a lovely dinner of bread, cheese, prosciutto and Chianti on our hotel room patio. Perfect!
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