Wow

Today ended up being much more busy than I expected. I slept in a little because I was so tired from yesterday, but I was able to get to 1030 Mass at Santa Maria Novella. I will talk more about it a little later.

After Mass I headed over to the Medici Chapels, one of the few places supposed to be open on Sundays. I walked past what I thought was the entrance, but it did not look open, so I kept walking around the building until I got to the Basilica di San Lorenzo. I was able to peek into it, but they were having Mass so we could not go all the way in. Yes, unlike Notre Dame, the Florentines get it right: all active churchs are closed during Mass so people cannot just meander around. The lady working there informed me that the Medici Chapels are closed every other Sunday, and of course this was that Sunday.

Undeterred, I walked toward the Duomo to check out the Duomo Museum. This was more than worth the price of admission. This museum holds the majority of statues for the Duomo, since most of those on the outside now are replicas. By far, the highlight for me was Michelangelo's last pieta, which includes Niccodemus sculpted in his own image. They also have a reliquery with John the Baptist's severed finger. These are just a few of the many beautiful pieces in their collection.

After that, I walked around to the Duomo's Bell Tower and decided to walk up to the top. I read that it is perhaps not as bad a climb as the Duomo Dome, since it is 50 steps less, but that still means it is 414 steps, and believe me you feel them. There are 4 or 5 stops along the way, each one teasing you that you are there, but not quite! The final flight of steps are so tight, it is extremely difficult for two people to squeeze through. But, once on top, the view is worth it. You really can see all of Florence (save some blocked by the Duomo itself), and miles in each direction to the hills surrounding the town. From up there, you can see how the street layouts make sense, of course when you are down among them, like last night, they are slightly more complicated.

After that hike, I decided to treat myself to lunch at a local gelato shop Grom, which was highlighted in my tour book. I can definitely tell why. I had to ask what their Flavor of the Day was, it was something like cream, yogurt, fig, and something else. He asked me if I wanted to taste it, who was I to say no? It was surprisingly good, since none of the individual flavors appealed to me. Once I saw the Extreme Dark Chocolate, however, I could have no other. I hardly think I have ever spent a more worthy 2 Euro. I may just have to stop by Grom again to taste some of the other flavors (I am especially intrigued by Apple).

Sufficently decadent, I decided to head back to Santa Maria Novella to visit as a tourist. This church is even more beautiful when I got to see the detail than I first imagined. I was very glad to have my book which included a tour of the church. Unfortunately they do not allow photos inside, but I can say with great conviction that no words, or images, can begin to describe this piece of art. The frescos are amazing, especially three walls to a side sanctuary depicting Dante's Paradise, Purgatory, and Hell. Now, I understand and respect people who differ with my religious beliefs, but I truly feel that places like Santa Maria Novella are proof positive of God, because He is the only reason for such beauty. Renaissance Florence must have been an amazing place to live.

After that, I decided to head back to the house (only a couple blocks away) and rest for a little while before venturing out again.

Rested, I decided to take the Renaissance Walk from Rick Steve's podcast that I had downloaded to my iphone. This walk starts with the Duomo and Baptistry, walks down Via dei Calzaiuoli to the Piazza della Signoria, past the Uffizi Gallery to Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River. The tour had a good mix of Renaissance history while pointing out the highlights along the way.

One of the highlights is the Orsam-michele, a grainery transformed into a church. The inside includes a huge altar built to fit inside the space perfectly (again, photos not allowed inside). As the tour guide says, seeing a piece of art like that can only be truly appreciated in the space where it was made to be housed, museums cannot convey the true power of the image as a whole.

The Piazza della Signoria includes the Medici's palace (Palazzio Vecchio) and was a popular spot for nearly anything during the Renaissance, including beheadings and pyres. More famously, it was the original location of Michelangelo's David, guarding the entrance to the palace. A replica stands there today. There are a number of other statues in the square, including a Neptune fountain, a three-in-one sculpture of a Roman stealing a wife from a husband, and Perseus beheading Medusa.

The courtyard for the Uffizi includes statues in the recesses of the pillars of some of the most famous Florentines, including Donatello, Michelangelo, Amerigo Vespucci, and Galileo. I then had my first view of the Arno, at this point a nice, peacefully flowing river. The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge spanning the Arno in Florence. It was famously saved by a Nazi General in WWII, who was ordered to destroy all the bridges, but could not make himself destroy this piece of history. It used to be lined by merchents like tanners, but more recently it has become the place for gold and silver shops.

My tour ended on the other side of the Arno, and I had no plans from there. I saw a number of signs for points of interest, so I somewhat randomly decided to walk towards the Santo Spirito. I was infinitely glad I did. I was able to walk in, though it would soon close in preparation for Mass (again, no photos). The tour book said the only real piece of note in this church was a crucifix sculpted and painted by an 18-year old Michelangelo, but I hardly felt that justified it. Again, the church itself was an amazing piece of art, with numerous side altars and tombs along the walls. And of course the crucifix was worth an extra mention, especially considering the age at which he made it and the amazing detail spent on a piece intended for high up the top of the altar where no one would be able to see the detail.

Recharged, I decided to venture further west toward the San Frediano gate, the original Roman gate and wall. It was impressive, though I did not linger long in a somewhat questionable neighbor. On the way back, I stopped in Santa Maria del Carmine, but the rosary was being prayed so I did not want to desturb. I also stopped in a pizzeria/ristorante Tratorria Pizzeria Dante, which was suggested by my tour book. I decided to try the ham pizza. It was quite good, though I was surprised when they served as a whole pie, no slices, so I had to eat it with knife and fork.

At this point it was getting late and dark and I was somewhat exhausted, so I walked back to the house via the Duomo (I have not quite got the hang of the city, so I have to use landmarks to guide me). I was happy to be able to talk to most of the fam on Skype, and now I need to look ahead to tomorrow and figure out where I have to go for research. It should be an interesting first venture into the archives. Ciao!