28 Oct 2009
The trip north to Florence wasn't as spectacular as coming into Rome from France. Florence is in the middle of Italy and I was traveling in the valleys mostly. It was a beautiful day, none the less.
I never got a GPS system for the car and have been relying on Mapquest and a map. Mapquest drives me nuts due to listing every little curve in a road. And if one doesn't have a compass, getting started is hard to do if you don't know where north, northeast is.
After getting lost, I pulled onto a via to find a free hotspot for the internet which is easy to find in a large city. I mapquested once again which landed me in the center of Old Florence where the roads are even more narrow than those in Paris. There goes another curb swiped. That poor front left tire. It now has a slow leak to which I have to add air, every couple of days.
I ended up stuffing some clothes and my toiletries into a backpack that I had enough insight to purchase in Rome, expecting this to happen in Venice and not Florence! While leaving both the car and the suitcase from hell in a parking garage, I walked about a mile to my hotel which is in a wonderful location, right in the heart of old Florence.
For dinner, I ate a large bowl of mussels, clams and crabs in garlic butter and pork chops basted in garlic with a mushroom sauce in a little Italian restaurant around the corner. Mama Mia, I was in heaven! And after drinking a couple of glasses of red wine, I was ready to hit the streets.
I've always admired old churches for their architecture, aesthetics and beauty. The following shots are of two basilicas just around the corner from my hotel.
The first: The Bascilica di San Lorenzo, which was the original Florence Cathedral as shown in the shots below, was consecrated in 395 AD. During the Renaissance, a larger monastic complex was added, part of which was built from designs of Michelangelo and funded by the Medici family. Most all of the principal members of the Medici family are entombed within the Bascilica.
The next is the present day Florence Cathedral, Duomo or The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which had construction begin in 1296 and finally was completed structurally in 1436.
I'm hoping that cameras are allowed inside of the Basilica. The artwork on the exterior of the building is radiant. I'd love to capture the art on the inside of the Cathedral which I assume is as glorious as that on the outside. We shall see as I will be going inside, tomorrow.
And finally, the requisite covert and not so covert non nude shots...
29 Oct 2009
It's time now for exploration. Along with the Basilica, the old city center and the Piazzale Michelangelo were on the agenda for today.
To my surprise and delight, cameras were allowed to be taken into the Cathedral and used accordingly. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore's exterior is ornamented with sculpture and mosaics by Italian artists Donatello, Nanni di Banco and Domenico Ghirlandaio as shown below from a photo taken last night.
The following photographs are of the mosaics found in the lunettes above the three main portals in the front of the Basilica that were designed by Niccolò Barabino.
The charity among the founders of Florentine philanthropic institutions
Christ enthroned with Mary and John the Baptist
Florentine artisans, merchants and humanists
Within the interior of the Basilica is a plethora of frescos, stained glass windows (44 in all), a colossal 24 hour clock with fresco portraits of the four evangelists in each corner and other religious artifacts.
The dome of the cathedral, which is the largest masonry dome in the world, is adorned with a fresco on its interior walls representing the Last Judgement that was initiated by Giorgio Vasari in 1568 and completed by Federico Zuccari in 1579.
The height of the inner surface of the dome that displays this massive fresco is 295 feet or 90 meters from the basilica floor, to its crest. The artwork encompasses 38,750 sq. ft. or 3,600 meters squared.
Shown below are two of the 44 stained glass windows that collectively were the works of the greatest Florentine artists of their time: Donatello, Lorenzo Ghiberti, Paolo Uccello and Andrea del Castagno..
Dante and the Divine Comedy by Domenico di Michelino (1465)
Equestrian statue of Niccolò da Tolentino by Andrea del Castagno (1456)
Colored marble floor attributed to Baccio d'Agnolo and Francesco da Sangallo (1520-26).
One-handed liturgical clock showing 24 hours of hora italica (Italian time) with sunset being at 24 hours. This timetable was used till the 18th century.
Finishing up for now, look below for a few more from the nave of the basilica and a parting shot from the Piazza Duomo...
Florence's Finest
Next up... Santa Reparata, the old city center and the Piazzale Michelangelo Click Here
