My last post for this trip is about Florence. I took the train up to Florence from Rome, and on the high-speed train it's only about an hour and a half ride. Again, you can check times for the rail system at
www.virail.it. Given my short time in Italy it was actually kind of nice to be able to see more of the country through the windows of the train on the ride up, so I'd recommend taking a train ride at some point in your own trip. As I mention in the first post on
Planning and Tips for Travel, you'll want to download Rick Steves' audio tours and maps before you go. I hadn't planned on having time for the short trip to Florence, so I didn't do it beforehand, but we wish I had. I've got the links here for your convenience -
Florence is commonly referred to as the "birthplace of the Renaissance," and given its massive wealth (due largely to rich families like the Medicis) it had many arts patrons who could finance some massive projects. For more on the history of Florence, check out
Lonely Planet's article. My time in Florence was brief, so I didn't do half of the things we wanted to do, but it was still a great time. I did see the beautiful and architectural masterpiece built by Brunelleschi.
National Geographic did a story on the dome's history, which is fascinating, given that the city built the massive church before the technology existed to create a dome that would cover such a great expanse. With rain falling into the cathedral, it is certainly true in the case of the Duomo that "necessity is the mother of invention," and in 1420 the designer Brunelleschi proposed a nested two-dome design which the church fathers cautiously commissioned. When climbing to the top you get an idea of just how massive of a project it must have been, and you realize when seeing the frescoed ceiling up close just how large the paintings are.
 |
| Up close picture of one of the faces in the dome. This guy's head is about as big as me. |
 |
| The Last Judgment fresco. Check out this blog for more on the artwork inside the cupola. |
 |
| There are over 400 steps to get to the top, so eat your Wheaties the morning you prepare to visit. |
 |
View from the top...
|
 |
| Makes you feel like the Assassin from Assassin's Creed 2... I admit I'm a fan. If you are too check out this video juxtaposing Assassin's Creed 2 segments with the real shots of the city. The game designers really did an amazing job. |
After the Duomo, I walked over to see the Baptistry of St. John's, which is right in front of the Duomo. This is a must-see, and be sure to check out the famous doors of the Baptistry. Although they're copies now, Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise" depicts 10 Old Testament stories.
 |
| The scenes are 3D. |
Once inside you have to sit down and look up a lot at all of the scenes. Be sure to grab a pamphlet inside the doors on the left so you know what is being depicted on the ceiling's beautiful (and sometimes terrifying) mosaics.
 |
| Small chapel altar inside the Baptistry. |
 |
| The mosaic of Christ is amazing as he sits in judgment of the world. To his left you can see a terrifying image of hell. |
 |
| A look up into the dome. For a good description of the different scenes depicted, check out the Web Gallery of Art. |
 |
| Some statues inside the Baptistry. |
 |
| Check out the terrifying image of hell on the bottom row... Here's a brief description of what's happening. |
After that we walked through some shops and visited some of the street market vendors on our way over to the famous Ponte Vecchio, which is a stone bridge lined with shops. You can read a brief history of the bridge on
Lonely Planet's review. Today it's pretty much entirely gold shops, so if you're in the market for a watch or some jewelry, this is definitely a stop you'll want to make.
 |
| View from the bridge overlooking the Arno river. |
 |
| The bridge is pretty crowded... watch for pickpockets. |
After that we walked around and shopped for a while. I got some shoes and a chess board. Florence is known for its gold, leather, and many fashion stores. If you're into shopping this is your place. Check out this
Conde Nast Traveller article on where to shop if that's the case for you.
 |
| Apparently waffles are a thing in Florence. I had never had gelato sandwiched in between two waffles before. Check... |
 |
| Gotta have Florentine steak in Florence, right? I found a good restaurant that I reviewed here. |
 |
| I don't really have anyplace to put this, but we happened to walk by this nondescript apartment after walking through the Ponte Vecchio and found that this is the apartment where Dostoevsky wrote one of my favorite novels, The Idiot. I wouldn't have noticed had I not seen another person taking a picture of it! |
The last stop before heading home was to the
Palazzo Medici Riccardi, which after serving as a personal residence for members of the Medici family and the Riccardi family, then briefly the capital of Italy after the unification of Italy, is now a museum and sometimes a meeting place for city leaders.
It was definitely one of my favorite stops, although I only stumbled upon it after walking by it and figuring we should see something related to the famous banking family. It has a lot of classical work and some very intriguing modern art pieces as well, which (in spite of my lack of interest in modern art) I found to be pretty cool. Inside you can see the famous Chapel of the Magi by Bennozzo Gozzoli (no pictures allowed, sorry) which is a beautiful Renaissance frescoed chapel that is definitely worth visiting. You can see some of the fresco walls
here though. There's also a really neat interactive simulation set up outside the chapel which is set up kind of like a Wii where you can point to different parts of the fresco and listen to explanations of what is being depicted on that part of the painting.
Here are some of the highlights from the visit -
 |
| Cool ceramic art piece depicting the Tower of Babel. |
 |
| "Kiss" by Xu Hong-fei. This was part of a traveling exhibit at the museum that was pretty cool. It's part of his "Chubby Charms" series, which have traveled around the world. Here's an article from when they were in London. |
 |
| There are also some classic pieces and some really valuable stuff as well, like this (purple marble again) basin... |
 |
| I loved this golfing one... it's called Good Job. |
 |
| And this one too... apparently I share a love of golfing and motorcycle riding with the Chubby Charms... |
 |
| ...and cycling. The sculptures just make you feel joy. |
 |
| Lots of classical statues to see here as well. |
 |
| There is a great hall on the first floor overlooking the garden that was frescoed by Luca Giordano. On the ceiling is the Apotheosis of Medici. Apparently they thought very highly of themselves... pun intended. |
 |
| It's easier to snap a picture of the description of the Galleria than explain it. |
 |
| A scene from the Galleria. |
 |
| Council meetings are still held from time to time in the tapestry room. |
 |
| See? |
 |
| Shot of The Apotheosis of the Medici from underneath the fresco. |
While you're there, don't miss peaking inside the salon on the first floor, where negotiations between Charles VIII and the Florentine elite took place after the Medici family ceded this palace to him, resulting in the family's banishment from Florence for the shame of stooping to his demands. After Charles VIII's demands became too great and he threatened that the city would be sacked once he called for his trumpets to sound, Senator Pier Capponi supposedly said "If you sound your trumpets we shall toll our bells!" The Florentine leaders then vacated the negotiations, prompting Charles to call them back into the salon, as he didn't want to risk the revolt of the entire city. Read more about the history of the encounter and what happened at the Province of Florence's website.
The stay was too short, and these are of course just a few things to do. While admittedly a terrible thing to miss, I didn't make it to see Michelangelo's famous David sculpture in the Galleria dell Academia. The line was simply too long and I didn't make it there in time to get through the line. There were many other things I didn't have time to do, which you can research on Lonely Planet ahead of time. Still, I enjoyed the experience and it was a nice day trip. I took the last train back to Rome and headed to my favorite restaurant again, Tema, back in Rome.
 |
| Relaxing in the streets of Rome after our day trip. |
I hope you enjoyed reading about my trip to Italy. If this is the first post you've checked out, there are four other posts you can check out as well. If you go there, please share your experiences with us.
Thanks for reading!
Italy - Planning and Tips for Travel
Italy - Minturno
Italy - Rome
Italy - Vatican City
