2018 Italy Vacation - Day 4, Florence: Bargello, Mercado Centrale

I got up early and made coffee using the small range top in the apartment and the supplied Bialetti espresso pot.  That and a couple of welcome basket toast biscuits with jam fueled my morning wake up.  

As we crossed the Piazza Signorina we passed the military assigned to keep the peace.  They seemed jovial enough, but were armed and ready to go if the sh**t hit the fan.

At 8:30 we were outside the Bargello Museum, waiting for its magnificent doors to open.  I was excited to see the sculpture inside and, in particular, the winged-mercury - Mercurio!

The building sits on the Palazzo del Podesta and is one of the oldest in Florence.  It was built in the 13th century, shortly after Florence won its independence from the Marquisate of Tuscany. 

 

The building was fortified to protect it from attack, and the interior was restored many times following fire, flood, attacks, and looting.

The sun still wasn't high in the sky, so it cast a lot of shadow on the inner courtyard.  We were two of a handful of patrons there at the opening so we got to experience all its wonders in relative solitude.

The walls of the courtyard are decorated with the coats of arms of the "Podesta", a foreigner from a friendly city, who occupied the building and administered justice for the people.  

 In 1574, at the end of the reign of Cosimo I de' Medici, all the judicial magistrates moved to other quarters and the building became a fortress where the "Bargello", the chief of police, his agents, and spies, brought, interrogated, and imprisoned criminals.

The Bargello served as a prison until 1865 when it was established as a national museum coinciding with the unification of Italy, and when Florence briefly served as the capital of Italy.  The Bargello took on its identity as a museum of sculpture and decorative arts at the end of the 19th century and went on to become one of the most important of its kind in the world.

The courtyard was built between 1280 and 1285, and is one of the most striking examples of medieval architecture in Florence.

Fisher Boy by Vincenzo Gemito

 

Ocean by Giambologna

A Roman sarcophagus with molded dolphin cornice from the 2nd Century A.D.

From the courtyard, we moved on to the sixteenth century sculpture room featuring pieces by Michelangelo.  For me, the reason for coming to the Bargello was the Flying Mercury by Giambologna (1578). 

No photographs of mine could do the sculpture justice or capture all the detail of the head at the base blowing a puff of wind on which Mercury stands.  I don’t know where it comes from, but I loved all the sculpture.  The Donatello sculpture of the young David gets a lot of fanfare, but Mercurio was still my favorite.  

Here are some of the others I liked.

 Florence Triumphant over Pisa by Giambologna (1580)

and Base of the Perseus Statue by Benvenuto Celini (1553)

We proceeded up to the second floor Loggia (in the far right of this picture...

Five round-headed arches supported by stone pillars were carved with capitals overlook the courtyard where people would gather to hear the Podesta speak.  Later, after the prison cells were removed, the arches, which had been walled off, were once again revealed.  Since 1930, the Loggia has been the home of many sculptures by Giambologna, relief carvings, and some coats of arms of the former Podesta.  

(on the right) Jason by Pietro Francavilla (1589)

 

Architecture by Giambologna (1570)

Next, we toured the Donatello Room - the old Audience Room where Dante was sentenced to death in absentia in 1302 and sent into exile for life. 

Between 1886 and 1887, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of his birth, the salon was dedicated to Donatello, and it has remained devoted to his works.

David by Donatello (1440)

Next we visited the Carrand Room, the gallery above the courtyard portico, that dates back to the late fourteenth century and is aka the "Room of the Duke of Athens".  Louis Carrand was an antiquarian and collector from Lyon and he bequeathed all the items in the room to the Bargello.

 

The decorative arts in Carrand's collection attained an importance that put it on par with other European institutions such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Musee de Cluny.

Aside from all the artwork at eye level, the building's ceilings were always an amazement.


 Next, we visited the Chapel and Sacristy, built in the 14th century.  Only traces of the original frescoes remain - deteriorated from the time the building served as a prison. The chapel was refurbished in 1865 for the museum's opening with wooden stalls and the inlaid wood lectern from the church of San Miniato al Monte made by Bernardo della Cecca (1493).

In the Room of Ivories, I liked this Carved Casket with Scenes From Romances

 In the Fourteenth Century Room, my favorite was this Renaissance sculpture Madonna of Mercy (Madonna of Misericordia)

Even with all that, we skipped the Maiolica Room, the Armoury,the Giovanni della Robbia Room, the Andrea della Robbia Room, the Rooms of Baroque Sculpture and Medals, and somehow I missed the Room of Small Bronzes :(  Still a full morning!

After the Bargello, we stopped at an “ Eatily” where we got a cappuccino and croissant to fuel our travels.  

The birds scavenging for crumbs were fearless and we had fun watching them gain confidence to come in close.

Onward we marched to check out the San Lorenzo market in the Piazza del Mercado Centrale - the open air market near the Medici-Riccardi Palace.  

 On the way, Kathi stopped to recycle....

And we spied more Blub street art!

 And marveled at the street fruit stands....

and took note of the major modes of transportation (other than walking)...

 

 Rather than crafts and Italian home goods, the foreign merchants sold belts, handbags and other leather goods, cheap tourists trinkets, cheap scarfs and started every conversation with “My friend, my friend…”  We’ll skip it next time.  

Or better yet, avoid the impulse to shop outside and head into the building in the center to find a lovely and vibrant food market.  

Our eyes popped and our stomachs grumbled as we took in all the meats and cheeses...

 ... mushrooms and dried tomatoes

 ... olives

 ... the cornucopia of fruits and vegetables...

 ... spices

 ... dried and candied fruit

 ... critters from the sea

 ... more fruit

deadly stuff!

 ... and Kathi was reminded of her childhood treats at seeing the zucchini flowers (for frying!)

At one vendor's stall, we tasted 65 euro syrupy balsamic vinegar that was out of this world (and out of our budget)! The sights and smells flooded all our senses until we couldn't take it anymore.

Our next stop, the Academia!