2018 Italy Vacation - Day 3: Duomo, Baptistry, Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo

Day 3 - continued...

After the our tour of the Uffizi Gallery and the Galileo Museum, we continued north toward the Duomo.  Italy was World Cup crazy and many of the bars and cafe's were trying to draw patrons by advertising the schedule of the games.  It was not uncommon, day and night, to see masses of people stopped to gawk at big screen TVs perched at the entrance of cafes.  In the evenings, national T-shirts, colors, and face paint were in full effect.  

We had stuff to do so we just got a gelato and powered through.  Buon appetito!

Arriving at the Duomo, it's really too much to comprehend.  So big!  Florence's Gothic cathedral, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, has the third longest naive in Christendom (built in 1420  BTW).  It's covered with pink, green, and white Tuscan marble.  So big!  There's no way to fit its enormity into a single picture!

And did I mention the bronze doors?  Good lord!  The intricacy in design, the carvings in the stone and casting of the metal doors.  Simply amazing.

 

Climbing the Duomo dome is very popular so you have to reserve tickets (15 euros) at a specified time so that the number  of people trying to climb doesn't exceed the viewing area at the top of the dome and also so that the majority of people are all heading up and down the narrow steps at the same time.  There's not a lot of room for two-way travel.  We had tickets to climb the Dome at 2:30. 

There was a little bit of a fiasco at the start.  Even though you have a reserved ticket (we purchased ours in advance), you have to wait in line just prior to your appointed time.  When we got to the front of the line, we found out we had a voucher, not a ticket and that we had to go to the Firenze office to exchange the voucher we printed out at home for a real ticket.  Once we did that, we were allowed to return to the head of the line, but again were rebuffed because we didn't have one of the email messages that stated the entrance time.  Luckily, we were able to pull up all the email confirmation documents on our phones, and were able to show the entrance guards the paperwork they were looking for and we were able to proceed. 

Once inside, you make a quick left turn, and immediately start climbing the 463 steps to the top.  It starts out narrow and steep...

... and gets narrower and steeper!

About half way up, you pop out on a narrow catwalk, high above the alter, that circles the dome and you get your first close-up view of the Giorgio Vasari painting of the Last Judgement s on the inside of the dome.  Heavenly!

The feats of engineering and artistic talent that went into crafting this wonder is mind boggling!  Unfortunately, with the bustle of the dome climbers, and the narrow confines of the catwalk, from this perch, there's not much time to leisurely take in dome in all its wonder.  

Continuing on, you finally emerge at the top of the dome where a small terrace allows for some amazing views of the Florence and the countryside beyond.

 The cathedral's Campanile, aka Giotto's Tower, in the bottom left...

The hills of Fiesole in the background (below)...

Descending the steps was easy and after the rush of climbing the dome, it was time to take our time enjoying the inside of the Duomo.  The alter is octagonal, like the Baptistery, and is simple (compared to some others), but magnificent.

 Looking up from the alter, the Brunelleschi dome and Vasari artwork take on a commanding presence.

 Looking towards the back of the nave, it's huge - 500 feet long and 300 feet wide!  Above the main entrance is a clock painted by Paolo Ucello in 1443 that still works.

 It was getting late, but we took a quick spin of the crypt, with its misc historical fragments of an earlier church, Santa Reparta, that was on this spot since the fall of Rome in A.D. 500.  I like this marble slab with the wild boar on it.  Cinghiale!  

The bookstore was closed, so we emerged from the church, retrieved my pocket knife that was forfeited at the door to security, at went in search of a respite.  We stopped at a cafe and Kathi got an aperol spritz before returning to our apartment to regroup.

We had read, and been advised by our world traveling friends, that we should not miss the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo.  So we grabbed our guidebook and headed out for the 20 minute walk across the Arno that would take us to our destination. 

We crossed the Ponte Alle Grazie and passed the Torre San Niccolo before starting our climb up the steps, through the lovely Parco Comunali di Campeggio and reaching the the terrace of the Piazzale Michelangelo.
 

 There were all kinds of vendors selling food and drinks and souvenirs to service the hoards of sunset revelers.  It reminded me of Key West.  Even with all the people, the vibe was chill.  We took up residence on large set of steps at the west end of the terrace and enjoyed the sun-warmed stone on our bottoms.   Here are some of the views from our vantage point looking over the city of Florence in the background.  As the sun set, it was cool to see the Arno "catch fire" with the reflection of the setting sun.    

In no particular order... 

 
 

  

  

 

 
 

 

Kathi captured the photographer...

  We headed out, trying to beat the crowds down the hill.  Likewise, we walked some of the side streets of the Oltrarno and came across a few tiny street-side cafes.  Only one table wide, there was barely enough room for cars to pass.  This would never happen in the US and this is exactly what we love about Italy!

We were famished not having a proper lunch (the most important Italian meal of the day).  So we just found one with an empty table, ordered the house rosso and some pasta to feed our soul.  No Rick Steves, no reviews... it was marvelous!

To reward our long walk to and from Piazzale Michelangelo, we indulged in some late-night gelato.  We earned it!

Back at the Relais Signoria, we hastily washed clothes, ducked under the covers, and dreamed of Florence.

2018 Italy Vacation - Day 3: Uffizi Gallery, Galileo Museum

Day 3 - Florence

I got up early to walk the City before the hoards got out.  I was on the street at 6 am and was all alone in the sleeping city.  It was nice to be able to view the sculpture terrace next to the Palazzo Vecchio with only the street sweepers to contend with...

 Outside the Palazzo Vecchio....

 Such beautiful doors throughout Firenze...

 

 

The image below shows the Via Proconsolo,  on the way to the Bargello on the right.  I loved the juxtaposition of the new and old.  The rising sun was kissing the tower of the Badia Fiorentina Monastero.

Inside the courtyard of the monastery, the tower was blooming in the early morning light.

 Here is just a glimpse of the courtyard - too much for the camera to capture....

 I loved the craftsmanship in the wooden doors and the ancient depiction of dolphins.

Here's the doorway to the Bargello - we will see you tomorrow.

On to the Duomo... No crowds in the early morning light.

... and circling back to the Pizza Signorina.

I picked up Kathi and at 8:15 we headed approximately 50 meters to the doorsteps of the Uffizi Gallery - the oldest museum in modern Europe - built in 1581.  With our Firenze cards we got in a special line and were whisked inside within minutes of the 8:30 opening.  We made a B-line to Botticelli's Birth of Venus and took our time admiring the beauty of this painting with only one other person present.

The expression on her face is mesmerizing and exudes calm and peace.

After our nearly private viewing of Botticelli's Birth of Venus, we strolled around the rest of the Uffizi.  Traffic was light first thing in the morning.  The halls of the Medici's private art gallery were lined with busts and sculptures and each ceiling panel was painted with exquisite detail.  It's hard to imagine the wealth, at that time, that produced this former private collection.

 This is a view of the south wing of the second floor where ancient roman sculptures line the hall and "grotesque" style frescos adorn the ceiling.  Mind boggling....

One of the many busts that line the hall...

Hunting of the wild boar - Cinghiale!

Amazing detail in the stone carvings...

More views of the corridors and their splendid ceiling frescos.

The Tribuna of the Uffizi...

 The lantern (dome ceiling above) of the Tribuna room of the Uffizi.

 The second corridor, facing the Arno River...

 

 Always look up...

 "Grotesque" ceiling decoration, taking their name from the grotto decorations in Rome and in fashion in the 1500s, also showing the coats of arms of the Medici family in the corners.

 The elliptical Cabinet of Miniatures room - originally designed to hold gemstones, cameos, exotic items, and other semi-precious stones. 

The Niobe Room, designed in Neoclassic style by Gaspare Paoletti - designed to display a famous group of Roman statues acquired in 1583 by Ferdinando de' Medici after they were discovered in a vineyard in Lateran.

After touring the second floor, it was time for a break for our eyes, our brains, and our stomachs!  Thankfully, the Uffizi has a lovely outdoor cafe on the second floor so we got a table and had a cappuccino and croissant before tackling the first floor galleries.

 The first floor galleries are dedicated to the collection of artwork from the 15th Century and on.  Here are some of my favorite pieces...


Madonna of the Goldfinch by Raphael (1505)

 Madonna of the Magnificat by Sandro Botticelli (1483)

 The Annunciation by Simone Martini and Lippo Memmi (1333)

 The Gaddi Torso - from the 2nd Century B.C.

The Pontassieve Madonna by Beato Angelico (1435)

Medusa by Caravaggio (1596)

Cesare Dandini ?

Musician Angel by Rosso Florentino (1521)

Here are some of Kathi's favorites.


 Madonna of Humility with Angels (1415-20) by Nicola Da Guardiagrele

Leda and the Swan by ????

 The Virgin Adoring the Christ Child by Correggio (1524-1526)

 Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation (1472)

 Adoration of the Christ Child by Gherardo delle Notti (1620)

 By the time we got to the first floor, the crowds were massive with pushy tour groups in full effect.  We were so grateful for having the Firenze card and getting in early to view the collections without too much traffic.

After exiting the Uffizi, we made a short loop around the back and entered the Medici Galileo Museum (no entrance fee with the Firenze card).  Patrons of the arts and protectors of science, the collection was begun by Cosimo I de' Medici in 1519.  Math was recognized as a new instrument of war and mathematical instruments were symbols of his power.  

The museum was chock full of globes, chronographs, navigation charts, telescopes, and mapping instruments, but the museum cases did not allow for too much close inspection which I would have liked.     

The Uffizi Gallery and the Galileo Museum represented a chock full morning.  Exiting into the sunlight once again, we stocked up with some sparkling mineral water and hit the bricks on our way to the Duomo - all covered in the next blog post.