Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy is a fantastic city that has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. It is also home to art from paintings to statues. One infamous statue in particular. Let’s take a look!
Florence is one of those towns that you can spend a bit of time in and learn a great many things about art, religion, great food and wonderful humans. We spent only a couple of days there and, hindsight being what it is, I wish I had worked our time out differently to spend more time here. There was a particular art gallery that we didn’t get a chance to see that had the statue of David, by Michelangelo, a 17ft. x 6.5 ft. magnificent specimen of art and religion. In the grand scheme of things, the line was so long to get in that we felt if we stood all that time in line then we would be missing out on other things to see. So, I’ll let you savor the view the of Florence. from a particular perch we stood on that I’ll review in just a bit, and imagine yourself way back in the first centuries of this world and how, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” comes to mind when you see some of these magnificent structures and what it took to build them. Florence has one in particular that I’ll share in a bit.
Outside of the museum, that houses the original statue of David, lies a covered space, and has several statues from different times in history. The one to the right, Perseus with Medusa’s head in-hand after defeating her. This particular statue was created in 1554. The art that you can take advantage of, and free throughout the city, like in the open air, “Museum,” that housed this and many others.
Another very cool sculpture is this one of Hercules killing a Centaur. Finished in 1599 and sculpted out of a single block of marble, this is further representation of the meaningful sculptures you’ll find in Florence. Not withstanding…
David. Within the same square, a smaller version of David was placed for those to enjoy outside of the museum where the original is housed. Art and religion go hand in hand, within Italy, and Florence is no exception. If you’re an art buff, this is the place for you! If you’re into history, art, architecture, religion, great rustic food and beverage…you gotta see Italy! Don’t walk…RUN…who knows how long parts of Venice will remain above sea level?! There is definitely allot to see and most likely it won’t all get seen in one trip. Plan the best trip you possible with the time you have allotted and see what you can, I’m sure whatever you choose to see will have an impact on your life in some way.
If there is any one thing to link to the city of Florence, it is Duomodi Firenze, formerly Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or, Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, now Florence Cathedral. There have been movies, television mini-series and the like, made with this structure as a key element. This cathedral took 100 years to build and involved quite a bit of controversy in its time. But the history and how it was built is fascinating and looking at it, from the outside and inside, you can imagine the toil, blood, sweat and tears…and death that had to be endured in the building of this beautiful structure. Read about it, the making of the dome in particular was an engineering marvel for its time. One thing is for sure, the Romans back in their day, they new how to build things that lasted. They were pioneers in so many things that I cannot possibly list it all here. There are too many, but you should research a few of them before you go, just to put you in the mindset of how things were done back in the day in Italy.
In the photo above, the left side of the cathedral, is the cathedral’s bell tower. There are 2 places in the city of Florence that can provide you with wonderful vistas of the entire city. The first is the top of the dome of Florence Cathedral, which you can climb up to via many, many steps. The second, the top of the bell tower of Florence Cathedral. My wife and I decided on this view for a few reasons. One, I wanted to photograph a city-scape with the dome of Florence Cathedral in it. Two, by the time we thought about going to the top of the dome, the line was miles long. There was a line for the bell tower but very quick moving. And, I’ve never climbed a bell tower for anything before, so there you have it.
Another shot of the city of Florence. Not a bad view to be had anywhere on top of that bell tower. There is so much more to share, but I think that you can get a fairly decent idea of what there is to see and experience in Florence.
The city and its structures, the food, the people…everything, you have to go to Florence and experience what that city has to offer. There’s so much that I cannot possibly give it all to you. Probably because I haven’t experienced it all myself, but I do so look forward to the day where my wife and I can go back for another visit.
Next time, I’ll wrap things up with Rome and the vicinity around that city. Until then, be and travel well!
