Mayflower
Rom.8:33
"Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth."
umbrella
April Showers Bring May Flowers
Chess: "Shielding" "Mayflower"
This
was our first full day in Florence. We started out the day by heading
to the Accademia Gallery where the David lives. Wow he's a big guy!
There were people yelling at everyone "NO FOTO" but I had Dom block my
view so I could get a picture of his face. I just love his expression.
The gallery also has four other Michelangelo pieces that were
incomplete. These where the four giants that he was doing for Pope
Julius II's tomb but died before he could finish them. They are almost
more amazing to see than the David because you can see Michelangelo in
the process of a sculpture. You can see all the chisel marks and how he
dug the figure right out of the marble. It was really amazing to see.
After the amazing David we went to the Duomo which the the cathedral of Florence (Duomo=Cathedral in Italian I learned). We checked out the baptistery that sits right in front. The baptistery is outside the church because you couldn't go in the cathedral until you where baptized. (Apparently just in Florence because I didn't see any others like that.) The babtistry doors where the famous part. The doors by Ghiberti were said to have begun the renaissance. The set of doors on it now are just a copy and the originals are in the Duomo Museum....we settled for the copy.
Next was the fun part. We decided to climb to the top of the Dome. I think it was about 490 stairs to the top through tiny staircases that got smaller as you went higher. Before you actually started to climb up the Dome you came out on the inside of the church at the base of the dome and looke up and saw all the crazy paintings, then it took you back into a tiny door and up in between the inside and outside structure of the dome itself. What a great lesson on the structure of a dome! The view from the top was amazing. (just look at the pictures!)
After we made it back down to earth we headed for San Lorenzo complex which houses the Medici chapel that Michelangelo designed and did four tombs inside, as well as the library and famous staircase he disigned as well. If you hadn't noticed I was zoning in on a lot of michelangleo and I was doing that for a reason. I had just finished the biographical novel The Agony and the Extacy about his life and art, and It made it that much more facinating to see all of his sculpture, paintings, and architecture becuase I knew exactly what I was looking at and the story behind it. Anyways, the Medici Chapel was impressive but again "NO FOTO!" I don't know what was with these people. If you want to see what we saw just look up Medici Chapel and you will see it. It was Michelangelo's first shot at architecture and he sure had his own ideas about it.
I tried to sneak into the Library without a ticket (We were getting a little sick of paying 6-9 euro a piece for everything we did!) but no luck. I did peek around the guard standing in the doorway and saw what I really wanted to see-Michelangelo's staircase. Again look it up, they are the most beautiful stairs ever in my opinion.
Heading out we ran into the Leather Markets around San Lorenzo which are famous for...well...leather. I really wanted something from there and I spotted a jacket that I liked. The Italian guy was telling me all about how its a copy of a Versace and whatever else. I'm pretty sure Versace doesn't have anything like that but, hey, he's the Italian. It fit perfect so Dom got it for me, my first souvenir!
Hunger struck so we stopped at a restaurant and had pasta! I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was really really really good! Dom had some kind of fettuccine. The service wasn't great but the food made up for it.
Later we went back to the Piazza della Signoria as a big rain storm hit. We were equipped with umbrellas and cameras and it was pretty funny to see everyone run under the big sheltered area. It was the first time we had seen the piazza without anyone in it. Sure enough those street vendors where out there selling umbrellas in a flash. When the rain stopped a little we went back the the Ponte Vecchio and found wedding rings. They were perfect. Then we headed back to the room to crash after our first crazy day.
After the amazing David we went to the Duomo which the the cathedral of Florence (Duomo=Cathedral in Italian I learned). We checked out the baptistery that sits right in front. The baptistery is outside the church because you couldn't go in the cathedral until you where baptized. (Apparently just in Florence because I didn't see any others like that.) The babtistry doors where the famous part. The doors by Ghiberti were said to have begun the renaissance. The set of doors on it now are just a copy and the originals are in the Duomo Museum....we settled for the copy.
Next was the fun part. We decided to climb to the top of the Dome. I think it was about 490 stairs to the top through tiny staircases that got smaller as you went higher. Before you actually started to climb up the Dome you came out on the inside of the church at the base of the dome and looke up and saw all the crazy paintings, then it took you back into a tiny door and up in between the inside and outside structure of the dome itself. What a great lesson on the structure of a dome! The view from the top was amazing. (just look at the pictures!)
After we made it back down to earth we headed for San Lorenzo complex which houses the Medici chapel that Michelangelo designed and did four tombs inside, as well as the library and famous staircase he disigned as well. If you hadn't noticed I was zoning in on a lot of michelangleo and I was doing that for a reason. I had just finished the biographical novel The Agony and the Extacy about his life and art, and It made it that much more facinating to see all of his sculpture, paintings, and architecture becuase I knew exactly what I was looking at and the story behind it. Anyways, the Medici Chapel was impressive but again "NO FOTO!" I don't know what was with these people. If you want to see what we saw just look up Medici Chapel and you will see it. It was Michelangelo's first shot at architecture and he sure had his own ideas about it.
I tried to sneak into the Library without a ticket (We were getting a little sick of paying 6-9 euro a piece for everything we did!) but no luck. I did peek around the guard standing in the doorway and saw what I really wanted to see-Michelangelo's staircase. Again look it up, they are the most beautiful stairs ever in my opinion.
Heading out we ran into the Leather Markets around San Lorenzo which are famous for...well...leather. I really wanted something from there and I spotted a jacket that I liked. The Italian guy was telling me all about how its a copy of a Versace and whatever else. I'm pretty sure Versace doesn't have anything like that but, hey, he's the Italian. It fit perfect so Dom got it for me, my first souvenir!
Hunger struck so we stopped at a restaurant and had pasta! I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was really really really good! Dom had some kind of fettuccine. The service wasn't great but the food made up for it.
Later we went back to the Piazza della Signoria as a big rain storm hit. We were equipped with umbrellas and cameras and it was pretty funny to see everyone run under the big sheltered area. It was the first time we had seen the piazza without anyone in it. Sure enough those street vendors where out there selling umbrellas in a flash. When the rain stopped a little we went back the the Ponte Vecchio and found wedding rings. They were perfect. Then we headed back to the room to crash after our first crazy day.
Source: Travel Advisor
Brooke (?)
Bárbara Bermudo
