Footing it Through Florence

Florence was a brief, but beautiful stay! With many Marvelous museums, magnificent monasteries and awesome architecture it was a feast for the eyes!

Our first day was very full and plenty satisfying! With the aim of taking things relatively easily due to the continued heat wave, we went to spots that allowed us to largely stay inside. First we made sure to visit the Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral, because how could one pass up seeing The Duomo! I am certainly glad we didn’t, it was monumental in every sense of the world, waiting to enter while being dwarfed by the walls and towers really allowed one to take in and appreciate all of the intricate detailing that went into the stonework. The spiraled columns with their geometric mosaics and the floral motifs throughout the rest of the facade were incredibly intricate.

The interior was just as magnificent! Soaring groin vaulted ceilings towered overhead, supported on massive columns to create an interior arcade reminiscent of walking beneath a row of trees whose crowns connected in a cohesive canopy. Stained glass windows shone in the midday sun, casting various illuminated frescos in a radiant glow. Lest I forget, the interior of the dome was marvelous! Lit by a central oculus and flanked in an octagonal drum of windows below, the various registers depicting scenes in each register inspired by the divine comedy seemed to spring to life in the space. Had Dante, relegated to the halfway point along the nave, still cared for Florentine politics after exile he may have even appreciated the gesture, despite his bad blood with the city itself.

Beneath the main sanctuary, we were treated to a quick walkthrough of the Santa Reparta, where old mosaics and weathered sarcophagi await, surrounded by many relics, models, and potential pilgrims. It was interesting to see the various layers of construction the made up the foundation of the great walls on had seen outside, as well as the various tools used to create the mosaics that lay underfoot. Toward the back of the Reparta was a color coded 3d map that helped visitors place themselves in location and time relative to the various sacking and reconstruction efforts of the cathedral.

Following our time in the Cathedral proper, we visited the nearby baptistery and later the accompanying museum! The baptistery itself was small and under active renovation, but was still a beautiful, if brief exploration. Gilded mosaic tiles twinkled underneath barrel vaulted arches as they caught the light from clearstory windows, or those set in walls beneath them.

The Museum was a wonderful walkthrough. By that point we had been on our feet for a good chunk of the day, so we primarily focused on what seemed most presently interesting to engage with in any moment. Even if, unfortunately, that meant not spending as much time in any given section or glossing over some areas. From beautiful doors, to Brunelleshi’s models there was a great deal to see. To my own interest, we even found illuminated choir scores, but may have missed any potential manuscripts of the same persuasion.

The rest of our time spent in Florence consisted of a great deal of walking over the next few days. My architectural vibe senses were tingling when I saw what I thought was a Medici construction, which I had been correct about (it was a section of the Vasari Corridor). Where upon following we literally stumbled into David and his surrounding sculpture gardens before going across The Ponte Vecchio. We looked at jewelry and imagined how nice it would look on us, but it was EXPENSIVE so we didn’t get any. Though we did enjoy the sights and found some time-pieces that would make wonderful reference for a project I am working on!

The next day saw a slower start as we were shaking off some lingering heat exhaustion, as we were leaving the hostel to get breakfast we overheard a local yelling from across the street (potentially at us) who was upset about tourists being present and maintaining the local economy, but we ignored him and continued on to have a wonderful day. Though, I can understand how frustrating it would be to always have strangers in and out of your neighborhood.

After a wonderful breakfast we hiked to Michelangelo’s Overlook and the attached rose gardens and got a magnificent view of all of Florence and the surrounding area! It being quite the hike we called it a day after that and we came back to the hostel so that my travel partner could do some writing and I could update everyone about Rome while we still had some energy! Florence was a wonderful trip, with wonderful views and on a whole a very pleasant atmosphere! The next few stops were rather rough on the heat front still and I have fallen behind on my posts, but I look forward to catching up with everyone soon!