Florence 
Florence
|
Today, Florence is a vibrant city of 356,000 people. They are avid fans
of the ACF Fiorentina, formerly Associazione Calcio Fiorentina, an
Italian football (soccer) team based in Florence. |
We
arrived
in Florence
on the Eurostar from Rome on Saturday, June 21, 2003. The train left
Rome
around 40 minutes late, however, the trip was very smooth. We got a
chance
to enjoy the Italian countryside during the hour and half trip. We
arrived
in Florence, or as it's called in Italy, Firenze. After leaving the
Santa
Maria Novella Train Station, we walked along the Via dei Panzini toward
the Duomo. The Duomo is the most recognized landmark in Florence and
it's
dome dominates the skyline. It's hard to get lost in Florence, all you
have to do is head for the dome.
This is a hard building to get a good photograph of. If you want to include the Bell Tower on the right in the picture, you cut out the dome. You can't back up any further because the Baptistery will block the shot. So, this is the best I could get.
Construction
of the cathedral began in
1296, under the design of architect Arnolfo di Cambio and would take
140
years to complete. Construction stopped in 1302, when di Cambio died.
Work
resumed in 1334, under a new architect, Giotto. However, Giotto, spent
most of his time (he died only three years later) on the bell tower
next
to the cathedral. Construction was halted in 1348, the year the Black
Death
decimated the population of Europe. Work then continued until 1375,
when it
was for the most part finished. Except that is for the giant dome on
top.
In 1420,
architect
Filippo
Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446) won the contest to construct the dome. It
would
take only 14 years and was the largest since the Pantheon in Rome.
Brunelleschi's
dome became the model for domes to follow, like St. Peter's basilica in
Rome. When Michelangelo set out to build the dome of St. Peter's, he
used
the Duomo as his inspiration. He stated, "I will make her
sister...bigger,
but not more beautiful." You may have noticed in this photo, or the one
at the top, that the space between the tiled dome and the marble is
bare with just bricks. This part of the dome was never finished. The
balustrade designed by Baccio d'Agnolo and carried out on only one side
of the octagon (in the back) did not meet with the approval of
Michelangelo who, calling it "a cage for crickets", decreed its final
condemnation. So, it has been bare ever since.
The "Cupolone" or great cupola (as the
Florentines have called it ever since) was completed in 1434. Two years
later the lantern was placed in position (taking it from 298 to 375
feet in total height). The decorations in the lantern were finished by
1446, when Michelangelo was on his deathbed. The finishing
touches included the application of the decorations in the lantern in
1461 and the positioning of the great copper sphere on the top in 1474.
Cast in Verrocchio's workshop and raised up by a machine that was built
with the help of Leonardo da Vinci, the ball fell off after being
struck by lightning on July 17, 1600 and was replaced two years later
by an even larger one. A marble plaque commemorating the event is
visible on a paving stone in the square behind the Cathedral.
The Duomo
was
consecrated
by Pope Eugene IV on March 25th (the Florentine New Year) 1436. It is
the
third largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter's in Rome and St.
Paul's in London. The finished dome, with the lantern on top, is 375
feet
high. You can climb to the top, it's only 463 steps (St. Paul's
Cathedral
in London is 627 steps to the top and Debbie and I made that one). We
didn't
climb this one, however, we did climb the bell tower next to it.
The exterior of the cathedral is in white Carrara, green Prato and red Siena marble giving it a very colorful appearance. Construction began on the facade of the cathedral much later in 1876 and took ten years to complete. Some people, including myself, think the colorful facade is spectacular. Others have been more derisive toward it, actually calling it a 'cathedral in pajamas'. There was a long line to get in when we arrived that morning, so we didn't go inside. When we returned later in the day to climb the Bell Tower, the line was gone so we went in to find a place for Mom to sit down. She wasn't doing any climbing.
Brunelleschi died in 1446 and was buried in the Duomo. However, the location of his tomb was lost and only re-discovered in 1972. Here we are at the top of the Bell Tower with the dome in the background.
The
belltower of the
Duomo,
one of the most beautiful in Italy, was an (extremely costly) invention
of genius by Giotto which was created more as a decorative monument
than
a functional one. It is not connected to the cathedral, but is a few
feet
from the right of the facade. Construction began in 1334 and was
completed
in 1359 (long after Giotto's death). It is 277 feet high and 47 feet
wide
at any of it's sides. There are large windows all the way up that light
the tower and you get a view on the way up. On top, there is a terrace
with incredible views of the city
and the dome on the cathedral. For the price of €6, you can walk to
the top. Debbie and I paid the fee and climbed to the top - all 414
steps!
We left Mom inside the Duomo, where she could sit in the cool air. Unfortunately, while we were climbing the Bell Tower, they were closing the cathedral. When we went down to the street, we found Mom relaxing on the front steps of the Duomo. The inside of the cathedral is not as impressive as the outside. The inside is still pretty empty since the flood of 1966 damaged much of the artwork. Since then, the artwork is kept in the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo (behind the cathedral). You can climb up into the dome, but since we already climbed the bell tower, we passed on this. If you want to go up the 463 steps (49 steps more then the tower), it will also cost you €6.
Across from the front
of the cathedral, in the center of the square, is the Baptistery. It
was
built on the site of a Roman temple to the god of war, Mars (who else
would
a bunch of retired Roman soldiers dedicate their temple to). The
foundations
of the first Baptistery of San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist is the
patron
saint of Florence), dated from around the 4th to 5th century, was built
on top of these ancient buildings. It has an octagonal shape. New doors
were built in the early part of the 15th century. The famous "Doors of
Paradise", designed by the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti (photo at left),
were finished in
1424. In 1972, between the Baptistery and the Duomo, they have
unearthed
numerous Medieval tombs.
We were not
able to
get
to the Santa
Croce Church. Many famous people of the Renaissance are interred
here. It's hard to believe that I didn't get to see some famous graves,
but time was limited. The most famous of all, Michelangelo, is buried
here along with
fellow
sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti (Baptistery bronze doors), Renaissance
author,
Niccolo Machiavelli (creator of hard-ball politics who wrote The
Prince),
Poet Vittorio Alfieri along with Physicist/Astronomer Galileo Galilei
(who
was allowed in many years after he died). There is also a memorial
dedicated
to Dante Alighieri. He's not here (I have included an interesting story
about his body after he died below), he was banished from Florence in
1302,
and died in exile in Ravenna, Italy 19 years later, bitter and lonely
man. (here is a site
with a picture of all of the famous people's tombs)
We walked around Florence. The city is
very different from Rome. It is a much more European city while Rome is
such a large metropolis. What I mean by that is that Florence reminded
us of many of the smaller cities we have seen in Europe. This is
probably why Debbie liked Florence more then Rome. Mom on the
other hand loved Rome (of course, my mother loves New York City also).
Mom was interested in some Italian dishware so we looked in a couple of
shops. We strolled down the Via Ricasoli toward the Galleria dell'
Accademia (Accademia Museum). This is where the statue David is displayed. We didn't plan
on visiting because of the time schedule, and if we did, the long line
surely would have dissuaded us. There are so many reminders of Medieval
Europe and
the Renaissance as we walked around the streets. I took a photograph of
this door (right) because I found it very interesting. Not quite Ghiberti's Baptistery bronze doors, but somehow, I could see Dante knocking on
it.
Before going to the Uffizi
museum,
we walked around the square next to the museum called the Piazza
della Signoria (right). The Piazza della Signoria has been the
political heart of the city from the Middle Ages to the present day. It
is a singular urbanistic creation that began taking shape from 1268
onwards, when the Guelph party gained control of the city again and
decided to raze the houses of their Ghibelline rivals to the ground.
The first to be destroyed were the towers belonging to the Foraboschi
and the Uberti families, in spite of the fact that the head of the
family (the famous Farinata celebrated by Dante in his Comedy),
had defended the city from destruction after its army had been
disastrously defeated at the battle of Montaperti in 1260 by the
Ghibelline coalition led by Siena. In the end 36 houses were demolished
which explains the unusual "L" shape of the square and why the
buildings around it are unaligned, all that remained after the city's
enemies had all been "wiped out" (nothing was ever to be built on the
site again).
It is the largest square in the city and
contains a lot
of artwork. In the square is a statue of Neptune
(photo at right) in the center of a fountain. In the center of the
square is a bronze statue of Cosimo de' Medici on horseback (seen in
photo above). The south side of the square is bordered by the Uffizi Museum and the
west
side by the Palazzo Vecchio. In 1301, it was from this square that
Dante was sent
into exile (a plaque on one of the walls of the Uffizi commemorates the event).
The Palazzo (or Palace) was once the home
of the Medici
family, it now houses Florentine art and history. Most
guide books say it's really not worth going into. Though they recommend
to step into the courtyard just inside the door to feel the essence of
the Medici's. While
we
were there, the palace was covered in scaffolding while they do repairs
to the
exterior. While I am sure that is important to keep the building in the
best of shape, it is annoying to photographers who are looking to take
it's picture.
There is a plaque on the ground in the
piazza, in front
of the Palazzo commemorating
the spot where the
Dominican friar,
Girolamo
Savonarola, was burned at the stake. When
he was in power, he and his followers collected and publicly burned
thousands of objects like works of art, books, mirrors and musical
instruments. This has been called the "Bonfire of the Vanities." Next to the entrance of the Palazzo is a
replica of the statue of David
by
Michelangelo. THE actual statue of David
stood on this spot from 1873
to recently. Currently it is located in the Academia
Museum
which we didn't get into that day (after all, we were only in Florence
for 10 hours).
As in most of the world football (or what we
call soccer)
is the most popular sport in Florence. Their top professional football
team is (ACF Fiorentina). Their team colors are purple and
white (their home jersey is almost solid purple) giving them the
nickname i Viola (the purple
ones). ACF Fiorentina currently play
in Serie A (the top level) of the Lega
Nazionale Professionisti.
They currently play in the 47,282 seat Stadio
Artemio Franchi (originally called the "Comunale").
The stadium was built in 1936 and was the site of four games of the
1990 FIFA World Cup including two USA games (both loses) and
Argentina's victory over Yugoslavia on penalty kicks in the
quarter-finals.ACF Fiorentina was founded in 1926 with the merger of two other clubs, Libertas and Club Sportivo Firenze. The club won its first trophy in 1939-40 with the Coppa Italia and its first scudetto (Italian championship) in 1955-1956. This gave them their first appearence in the second ever European Cup (fore-runner of the current UEFA Champions League - a prestigious championship of the most successful football clubs in Europe which was inaugurated in 1955). ACF Fiorentina advanced all the way to the finals before losing to defending champion Real Madrid 2-0 in the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid. Over the next four seasons, they were runner-ups in Serie A. ACF Fiorentina won the Coppa Italia and the Mitropa Cup in 1966 and were league champions again in the 1968-1969 season. This gave them their second appearence in the European Cup. They won four games, but ultimatly lost in the semi-finals to Celtic FC of Glascow. In 1974 they won the Anglo-Italian Cup. Success in the Coppa Italia was repeated in 1975, but from then until the late 1990's the club found itself in the doldrums, culminating in a relagation to one year in Serie B (second division). Upon return to Serie A, the club again proved able in the cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia again in 1996 and 2000 and the Italian SuperCoppa. In 1999-2000, they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the second time, advancing to the Second Stage before being eliminated.  2001
heralded major changes for ACF Fiorentina as the terrible state of
the club's finances forced them into bankruptcy which caused them to be
refused a place
in Serie B for the 2002-2003 season, and as a result, effectively
ceased to exist. The club was promptly re-established in
August 2002 as Florentia Viola with a new owner and was admitted into
Serie C2, the fourth tier of Italian football. The only player to
remain at the club as they began their new life was midfielder Angelo
Di Livio (photo at right), nicknamed soldatino
(little soldier),
whose commitment to the cause of resurrecting the club further endeared
him to the fans. Helped by Di Livio (who retired in 2005), the club won
it's division which began it's two-year accent back to Serie A (they
actually skipped over Serie C1 (third tier) and were admitted into
Serie B (second tier). The club also
bought back the right to use the Fiorentina name and the famous purple
shirt
design, and re-incorporated itself as ACF Fiorentina. The club's unusual double promotion was not without controversy, with some suggesting that Fiorentina did not deserve it; however, the club remained in Serie B and managed to finish the 2003-2004 season in sixth place. This achievement to play for a position in Serie A which they achieved. In their first season back in Serie A, the club struggled at first but inproved during the 2005-06 season earning 4th place in the Serie A with 74 points. The combination of Jorgensen, Fiore and key marksman Luca Toni with Frey in goal has proved to be dominant with Toni himself having scored an amazing 31 goals in just 34 appearances, the first player to pass the 30 goal mark since Antonio Valentin Angelillo in the 1958/59 season - which has seen him claim the European Golden Boot. However, Fiorentina faced relegation to Serie B due to their involvement in the 2006 Serie A match fixing scandal and given a 12 point penalty. However, on appeal, the team was reinstated to the Serie A. The team did however lose their UEFA Champions League 2006-07 place, likely denting the team's traditionally shakey finances |
Galleria degli Uffizi
We had a
1:00 o'clock
appointment at the Uffizi
Gallery (pronounced: oo-FEEDZ-ee). I called the
museum the day before from Rome and made the appointment. It only cost
an extra €1.55, but you can avoid waiting in the long lines. 
They do
this in most of the famous museums around Italy, except in Rome. It's
really worth it to avoid standing in lines that can make you wait for
hours. So we
decided to have lunch before we went in. We bought some panini
sandwiches at a
store in the Palazzo Vecchio and ate in front of the museum. The
sandwiches
were very good, and I was able to get some more Italian beer (I look
like I enjoyed it, don't I). Look at Debbie pretending she is drinking
a beer (actually, I put her up to it, as usual).
After
having our
sandwiches,
we strolled over to
the museum. We had a little trouble at first
finding
the entrance. They are not much for informational signs here. However,
we did find it and went in. The cost is not much, €8 for the ticket
plus the extra €1,55. The Uffizi Gallery has the greatest collection
of Italian paintings anywhere. It features works by Giotto (builder of
the Bell Tower), Leonardo, Raphael, Rubens, Michelangelo and
Botticelli.
They only let a certain amount of people in at a time, so it's a very
good
idea to call ahead and book an appointment.
Construction of Uffizi Palace began in 1560
by Duke Cosimo I dei Medici as an
administrative center for Florence. It was for the 13 magistrates (thus
the name 'Uffizi' - don't ask me, I really don't know). The palace, and
now the museum, is situated between
the Signoria Palace and the Arno River. Cosmo died 11 years later in
1571 and the building still wasn't done yet (they must of had the same
contractor that Debbie and I had). Cosmo's son, Francesco I, kept at it
and it was completed ten years later in 1581. Francesco, who was into
science, set up laboratories on the second floor. Gradually, they
started compiling works of art on the second floor for display making
the Uffizi one of the world's first art museums.
In front of the museum are a number of
statues in an open vaulted gallery called the Loggia dei Lanzi. We had
lunch in front of it above. Pictured at right is a 18-foot bronze
masterpiece of Perseus and
Medusa created by the famous Florence goldsmith Benvenuto
Cellini. It took Cellini nine years to complete it. In 1554, when he
finished it, the statue was exhibited under the Loggia and was
immediately acclaimed by the whole city.
The Uffizi
Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) is
u-shaped and is only on one floor. You don't have to walk much, which
is easier on U feetzi (sorry about that). After climbing a lot of
stairs, you
come
to
the gallery on the top floor. You follow a tour that goes through the
art
in chronological order. I thought this was very interesting, seeing how
art progressed through history. At left is one of their paintings, a
somewhat gruesome scene in Judith
Beheading Holofernes, painted by Artemisia Gentileschi around
1621.
Realism in paintings (three-dimensional) developed during the Renaissance. In the first room, you can see pre-Renaissance paintings and how the artists were struggling with the concept of 3-D (a few of them lost the struggle). Pre-Renaissance art almost always featured religious themes and the artist Giotto was no different. There are a number of Madonna paintings in the first couple of rooms. Giotto is considered the first of the great artists (along with designing impressive bell towers). He made great strides toward realism. After his death from the plague in 1337, the world went back to 2-D paintings for over a hundred years.
The next
set of rooms
take you into the Early Renaissance (around mid-15th century) with
works
by Uccello, Fra Filippo Lippi and Pollaiolo. Realism is much more
evident
and the Madonna's are disappearing. The latter part of the 15th century
was when the Renaissance was at it's height in Florence. This is
evident
in the next room full of Botticelli's. Some of his more famous works
are
here, like the Allegory
of Spring, Adoration
of the Magi
and the Birth of Venus. Created around 1485, Botticelli's Birth of
Venus (Nascita
di Venere in Italian), also known by it's cute nickname
"Venus
on the half-shell", is considered by many as the purest expression of
Renaissance
beauty.
From the Piazza della
Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery, we walked down to the Arno River.
About a block away from the
Uffizi is the Ponte
Vecchio (Old Bridge or il Pontevecchio in Italian). This is the
oldest bridge in Florence which crosses the Arno at its widest point.
The Bridge on this spot dates back to Roman <>times, when it was
made of wood, and has often been re-built. After the massive flooding
of 1333, it was re-constructed in stone with a double row of shops. The
current bridge dates back to 1565. This famous Florentine
bridge (pictured at left and below) is still full of small shops which
house
gold and jewelry shops on
both
sides of the span. You can see the three central vaults of the Ponte
Vecchio and the backs of the shops held by wooden rafters. The photo at
left is looking west.
In the center of the
bridge you can see the Benvenuto Cellini Monument which was erected in 1900.
Cellini is the most famous Florentine goldsmith and sculptor. He did the Perseus and Medusa statue in the Loggia
dei Lanzi, outside the Uffizi
(photo above). You can see the monument at right with a pigeon on his
head and a couple of tourists below.
There is a tile
covered
enclosed passageway, called the Vasari Corridor,
coming out of the museum and
across the Arno River (seen in the photo below). This is a fortified
escape route 
that connects the
Palace Vecchio through the Uffizi over the
Arno to the fortified Pitti
Palace on the other side of the river. In 1565, Cosimo I de Medici had Giorgio Vasari build the
famous "Vasari corridor". This way the
Medici's could escape in
times of attack (it
happened sometimes back in the day).
The passageway is open by request only and you have to
pay €8. We didn't. To enforce the
prestige of the bridge itself, in 1593, Cosimo prohibited butchers from
selling there. Their place was immediately taken over by gold merchants
who are still there today. The picture at left
was looking east and was taken from the Uffizi Museum.
Dante Alighieri lived
in Florence (here is a great
website
on Dante) from his birth in 1265 until he was exiled in 1303. He
never
returned to Florence. His real first name was Durante, Dante was kind
of
a nick-name. On a side street in Florence, you can visit his home. We
walked
and looked at the outside, but the interior museum
was closed the day we were there.
|
After many years of exile from his home city of Florence, Dante died in
Ravenna, Italy in 1321 and was buried in San Pier Maggiore’s
Church (today called San Francisco or St. Francis). Shortly after his
death,
the city of Florence, who had exiled him 18 years earlier, asked that
his
body be re-interred in Florence. The people of Ravenna rightfully
refused. About 150 years later, they asked again. This time they had
the support of
Pope Leo X (who by strange coincidence was from Florence). It was tough
to say no, when the pope wanted Dante moved. So the citizens of Ravenna
told the people of Florence to come and get him. |
We
started getting hungry and looked for a place to have
dinner. Of course, being in Florence, the problem is not if we could
find one, but which one do we choose. We were very lucky to discover a
smaller out of the way restaurant at Via de Tavolini 12, off Via
Calzaioli halfway between the Uffizi and the cathedral. Mom, Debbie and
I were really looking forward to some Tuscany food and the Ristorante
Paoli (left) looked like the place (we never did find out
why they have a different name above the door.) We had to wait until
7 PM when they opened for dinner. We were the first people in there for
dinner so we 
were
able to
get a table. They had reservations, but since
we would be leaving before 9 PM, they gave us a good table. The
interior
is outstanding. It has vaulted ceilings and frescos on the walls. What
I thought were coat hooks running down the walls turned out to be old
candle holders from the days before electricity (you can some of the
decorations in the photo at right and below - the candle-holders are
above the
family shields).
I think he was
trying to fatten us up. They bring out the
appetizers and salads on a cart next to the
table. They mix the salads
right there in front of you. The waiter wanted us to try everything.
Dinner was exceptional. Debbie had the veal Milanese while Mom had
the risotto. Of course, I knew this guy wasn't going to let
us leave without dessert, which also comes out on a cart. As you can
see by Debbie's expression (she had something with lots of chocolate),
we all
enjoyed our dinner and desert. My desert had a lot of strawberries and
custard. Of course, I finished it off with coffee. Looks like I got
some sun, too.
Links: The Florence Art Guide
Go to Top
Their were villages on this site during the Iron Age and later by
Etruscans.
However, the foundation of Florence date back to the Roman Republic
when
it was founded in 59 BC as Florentia by Julius Caesar as a place for
retired
Roman soldiers. 
Florence rebounded and continued to grow with powerful guilds
controlling
the city. However, the poor, who felt exploited by the rich merchants
and
bankers, helped 
A group of people from Florence showed up to collect the 150 year
old corpse. When they got there, to their surprise (and only theirs),
the tomb was empty.
The people of Ravenna said the tomb must have been robbed or perhaps
Dante
had himself come back from the dead in order to continue
his roaming around. Needless to say, the people of Florence went home
empty
handed (with the good citizens of Ravenna snickering behind their
backs).