Florence, Pisa and Siena
Frenzy in Firenze
Sarah relaxes in our room.The building was a monastery about 500 years ago, then a private residence. It became a hotel circa 1950.
Just above Sarah's head, you can see the bottom of a Gothic arch. Our room had two arches and a very tall ceiling.
We came to Florence (Firenze) for the art and did we get a load of art. Buildings are full of it. Art is in the street. Art students are everywhere.
Il Duomo (lit.: The house) dominates the city.Il Duomo has the first dome built since Roman times.
For more photos of Il Duomo, the Baptistry and bell tower click here.
The Medicis were very wealthy and powerful. They were patrons of the arts and used art to impress customers in their various enterprises. Their uffizi (office) was a large building with corridors lined with art. The office building is now the Uffizi Gallery and people order timed tickets months in advance. Business is slow now; we walked up and went in, no line.
Also, no photography is permitted inside. You'll just have to imagine what the best of the likes of Raphael, Leonardo, Botticelli and Donatello looks like (or click on the link above).
On the Uffizi Loggia, Medusa gets it in the neck.
You couldn't see the Gothic arches in the photo of our hotel room, but you can see Gothic arches here.
Ponte Vecchio
An enclosed passageway allowed the Medicis to go from their ufizzi to their palazzo across the Arno on the Ponte Vecchio. Once lined with butcher shops, etc; the Ponte Vecchio is now lined with high-end jewelry shops.
Also in Florence is the Accademia which has Michelangelo's David and some other stuff. Again, no photos permitted.
Nearby (everything is nearby) is the Bargello, a former police station and jail, which also has many fine pieces of art including Donatello's David, the first major nude statue of the Renaissance. Some say that this is the "Gay David."
After several days of looking at art, we took some side trips: Pisa and Siena.
Florence is even smaller than Rome, so we were easily able to walk to all of the sights. Sarah got us a hotel near the train terminal, so it was a snap to make our side trips and relocate to Venice.
Leaning towards Pisa
You know what that is and probably know more about it than you want, so I'm not going to bother to tell you anything, I'm just happy that it didn't fall while I was standing on the wrong side.
Just in case you want to know more and see better photos of the tower and other buildings on the Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), click on the blue link.
Medieval Siena
Siena is one of Europe's last remaining medieval towns. We wandered the narrow streets, browsed the shops and just soaked in the atmosphere. We visited the home of St. Catherine. She was beheaded. We saw her head (and thumb).
There were no museums in Siena that we wanted to see [imagine Allen's sigh of relief here], but we did visit the Siena synagogue.
Il Duomo (lit.: The house) dominates the city.Il Duomo has the first dome built since Roman times.For more photos of Il Duomo, the Baptistry and bell tower click here.
The Medicis were very wealthy and powerful. They were patrons of the arts and used art to impress customers in their various enterprises. Their uffizi (office) was a large building with corridors lined with art. The office building is now the Uffizi Gallery and people order timed tickets months in advance. Business is slow now; we walked up and went in, no line.
Also, no photography is permitted inside. You'll just have to imagine what the best of the likes of Raphael, Leonardo, Botticelli and Donatello looks like (or click on the link above).
On the Uffizi Loggia, Medusa gets it in the neck.
You couldn't see the Gothic arches in the photo of our hotel room, but you can see Gothic arches here.
Ponte VecchioAn enclosed passageway allowed the Medicis to go from their ufizzi to their palazzo across the Arno on the Ponte Vecchio. Once lined with butcher shops, etc; the Ponte Vecchio is now lined with high-end jewelry shops.
Also in Florence is the Accademia which has Michelangelo's David and some other stuff. Again, no photos permitted.
Nearby (everything is nearby) is the Bargello, a former police station and jail, which also has many fine pieces of art including Donatello's David, the first major nude statue of the Renaissance. Some say that this is the "Gay David."
After several days of looking at art, we took some side trips: Pisa and Siena.
Florence is even smaller than Rome, so we were easily able to walk to all of the sights. Sarah got us a hotel near the train terminal, so it was a snap to make our side trips and relocate to Venice.
Leaning towards Pisa
You know what that is and probably know more about it than you want, so I'm not going to bother to tell you anything, I'm just happy that it didn't fall while I was standing on the wrong side.
Just in case you want to know more and see better photos of the tower and other buildings on the Piazza dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles), click on the blue link.
Medieval Siena
Siena is one of Europe's last remaining medieval towns. We wandered the narrow streets, browsed the shops and just soaked in the atmosphere. We visited the home of St. Catherine. She was beheaded. We saw her head (and thumb).There were no museums in Siena that we wanted to see [imagine Allen's sigh of relief here], but we did visit the Siena synagogue.
posted by Allen and Sarah at 3:35 PM
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