Interesting Italy! (Florence/Firenze)
November 2009
Our last night in Italy was spent in the beautiful city of Florence! If there is one word to describe Florence, it’s ART! Art galleries, priceless works of art, sculptures, even the architecture and the streets exude a classy feeling of art. The beauty of Florence and all its art is from its deep and long history and culture. Florence truly set itself apart from the crowded and dirty feeling of Rome and the uneasy feeling I had in Venice (we were sinking!). In our Trafalgar European Cavalcade tour, Florence was the location that best showed us the beauty of Italy.
Before we entered the city, we passed by Piazzale Michelangelo where a copy of some of Michelangelo’s work are displayed. There is a terrace at the edge of the square where you can see a panoramic view of the city of Florence below.
Statue of David in Piazzale Michelangelo
David has the best butt of all the sculptures… according to our tour guide who considers David as her boyfriend :P
We then entered the city proper, taking a stroll along the tight streets and entering into the world of art! We went into a couple of museums most notably the Accademia Gallery featuring whom else but the maestro Michelangelo. Our very knowledgeable and attractive tour guide told us about the works and some snippets of the artist’s life. Her love for art and her boyfriend, David, showed in the way she passionately conducts her tours. By the way, her boyfriend David is actually the masterpiece of Michelangelo; sculpted from a bad piece of marble that was neglected for 25 years! Michelangelo forms masterpieces that he carves out from plain blocks of marble. He says that the sculptures are already inside the marble, and he is only helping them get out. He works with no guide nor plaster model to copy; only by instinct and talent!
One of the first living quarters of the maestro Michelangelo
We passed by other points of interest such as the Piazza della Signoria, where the Palazzo Vecchio (town hall) can be found; in front of which is the original position of Michelangelo’s David. A replica now stands in the original’s place.
We also passed by Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo), the dome of this cathedral is an architectural wonder. Architects and engineers today can only make a good guess on how the Florentines built the massive dome of this cathedral. It was tough to take photos of this cathedral as the streets beside it are narrow and buildings crowd the view as well. The front is wider but there were hundreds of tourists in the area!
Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo) Dome
Our Florentine tour guide is wondering why the architecturally flawed Leaning Tower of Pisa is getting so much attention compared to the architecturally amazing dome of the Florence Cathedral.
Florentine leather is famous as well as expensive! The pricey stores were too much for us, so my wife found the outdoor stalls that sold at 1/3 the price with no brand but still of excellent leather and quality.
Florentine Leather
If I had a chance to return to Italy, Florence will be the first place on my list. The afternoon and night spent there was definitely not enough! There is so much more to see and experience in this beautiful city. Living here would probably be a delight! A wonderful mix of the city life (convenience and fast pace), and the history, culture and art.
For other photos of Florence/Firenze, Italy click here
For other blog entries of Italy:
For other photos and blog entries of other places we went to in the European Cavalcade Trafalgar Tour, please click here
0 comments:
Post a Comment