NOTE: I’m certain you’ve noticed that I have not been posting daily. My main focus has always been to enjoy our vacation. After a day of exploring it was time to relax and go to bed, not write. As a result, I only covered about half of our trip before returning home on Tuesday, June 7th. Despite the fact my ramblings will not be in real time, I have decided to keep writing. My daily notes and photos should allow me to recreate our days in Italy fairly accurately. So the Italian adventure continues even though we are safely home.
This is our last day in Florence and we have it entirely to ourselves. Another beautiful day of blue skies, but also increasing temperatures. Today will be in the upper 80’s. We enjoyed another pleasant breakfast in our hotel’s outdoor dining area. It was then time for another walk into town where we once again crossed the Ponte Vecchio. We have a 10:30 AM Brunelleschi Pass that allows us to climb the Duomo, visit the Baptistry, Campanile, and Museo e Santa Reparata.
Another Note: It just occurred to me that when I was in Italy 50 years ago the Ponte Vecchio was full of expensive gift shops. Today all the stores appear to be high end jewelers. The crowds are still there, but the vibe is quite different.
It was smart purchasing tickets in advance in order to avoid long lines, but, as usual, we had a bit of a problem finding the correct line to stand in. There is a line for purchasing tickets, and multiple lines based on the time of your Skip the Line ticket. Signage was terrible, if it even existed, so we relied on fellow line waiters to verify we were in the right place.
When it came time for us to start our climb, Dan decided he better not go ahead with it. I thought I’d give climbing the 463 steps a try. Three quarters of the way up, I got a closeup of the dome’s artwork. Huge images of hell loomed over my head, which was a bit unsettling. Since I was concentrating on the climb, however, I didn’t spend much time admiring Brunelleschi’s dome within a dome. When completed in 1436, the it was a true wonder, and became the model for domes to follow from St. Peter’s to the U.S. Capitol.
While not the quickest climber in the group, I did make it to the top. The views overlooking Florence were lovely, but I didn’t have much time to admire the views as the stay up top was timed. Going down was an easier, but dizzier experience. Lots of narrow stairways going around and around. It was relief to reach the ground.
After finding Dan, we paid a quick visit inside the duomo. Compared to other churches, it is more impressive on the outside than inside. Ghiberti’s bronze panel doors on the Baptistry, however, are impressive. The originals are safely kept inside the Duomo Museum.
Just as was done for the design of the dome, a competition was held to find the best artist to create the North doors of the Baptistry. Ghiberti won over Donatello and Brunelleschi. Panels on the huge door depict 28 scenes from the New Testament. It was so well received Ghiberti was asked to do the East door. That door, the Gates of Paradise, was even more spectacular. These panels tell stories from the Old Testament, and include his self portrait and that of his son.
What amazed people at the time of the doors creation was their depth of perspective, as well as realism. Ghiberti was the illegitimate son of a goldsmith and spent more than 50 years creating the two sets of Baptistry doors. The job required a large workshop of artists and artisans. Each panel is bronze with a layer of gold on top.
If you are wondering about the other Baptistry door, the South door was made 70 years before Ghiberti and depicts the life of Saint John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence. Created by Andrea Pisano in the 1330’s they are static and devoid of perspective. One can easily see how Ghiberti’s efforts are far superior.
Along with relics and lots of other incredible pieces of art in the Duomo Museum, Donatello’s Mary Magdalene stood out. Made of wood, the sculpture depicts an emaciated woman praying to be forgiven. It is striking in its detail. Frankly it was difficult to look at since the subject appeared to be in so much pain. In addition, there is another version of the Pieta sculpted by an 80 year old Michelangelo. It was meant to be part of his own tomb. The body of Christ is supported by Mary, Magdalene and Nicodemus. It shows an intimacy between mother and son. The face of Nicodemus, the converted Pharisee, is Michelangelo himself.
Before leaving for Italy we read the Wall Street Journal reported that there was a special exhibit of Donatello’s work at the Museum del Bargello. Since we were walking right past that museum, we decided to take a look. Donatello was born in Florence in 1388 and was an apprentice at Lorenzo Ghiberti’s workshop. The special exhibit allowed us to see several of his works that had been brought together for the first time. Most interesting to us was his somewhat effeminate bronze statue of David. What was with the odd hat? Quite a different take than Michelangelo’s version.
Then it was back to Santa Croce, and this time we went inside. It is a beautiful edifice, and is one of Florence’s largest and oldest churches. It was designed by Arnoldo di Cambio in 1290 A.D. He also designed the Duomo in Florence. It is the final resting spot for many famous Florentines including Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante, and Rossini. Galileo’s remains were not interred in Santa Croce until years after his death. As most people know he was considered a heretic simply because he believed the earth revolved around the sun. His last years had been lived under house arrest.
Located behind Santa Croce is the Scuola del Cuoio, also known as the Florence Leather School. The school was established after WWII to train a new generation of leather crafts people. Today it is still a school, but also provides a place for artisans to create unique leather goods of the highest quality.
After hours of walking in the sun we should have called it quits and headed back to our hotel. But no, not us. We had heard of the beautiful Boboli and Bardini gardens at Pitti Palace. Besides they were located on our side of the Arno River. It wasn’t until after we paid to enter that we discovered that the gardens required a major uphill climb and energy we simply did not have. We made it up part of the way, found a shady spot and sat for a while. Finally using some common sense we decided to leave.
Our friends Terry and Paul had raved about a restaurant just around the corner from us. So after washing up and relaxing we headed out to find Del Bricco Hosteria. Arriving at 7:00 PM, when many restaurants first open for dinner, was a lucky move. We were one of two couples they let in without reservations. The veal stew was absolutely delicious, the house wine quite wonderful and the tiramisu divine. It was a fulfilling way to complete our Florence marathon day. Tomorrow we head to Milan for the start of our Tauck tour, Italia Bellissima.
BY THE WAY WITH WENDY & DAN 