As
we moved about Florence, I kept an eye out for the Blub street art and
found joy in each discovery - a Florence treasure hunt.
Amy Winehouse...
The Duomo...
the Peace Dove...
The Duke of Urbino...
Michelangelo's David...
See more about his work here:
http://tianakai.com/2014/12/street-art-florence-interview-with-blub/
Out next
stop was the Academia di Belle Arti built in 1784. Every
year, the Academia sees millions of visitors; Michelangelo's sculpture of the David is the main attraction, but many barely glance at
the paintings collection or stop to appreciate the other collections
which are impressive in their own right. Another sad commentary in this
age of selfie seekers.
David was
originally on display out in the open in the Piazza della Signoria, but
was moved, sliding on rails through the city streets, to its current
location. It stood in its moving wooden scaffolding for seven years
while the De Fabris Tribuna with it's skylight was built around it.
The David is at the end of the corridor, the Gallery of the
Slaves, leading from the entrance. Along the way are some interesting
half finished Michelangelo sculptures (the slaves) and a plaster cast of
the Rape of the Sabine Women. I also liked this painting, Christ as the Man of Sorrows, by Andrea Del Sarto.
Virgin of the Girdle and Saints by Andrea Di Gusto (1437) came from the Church of Santa Margherita in Cortona.
Onward down the the corridor where the crowds were amassed around the main attraction, the David, finished in 1504.
The Tribuna was packed with folks hovering around the David, but it’s understandable; it's magnificent! If you notice, the David's right hand is extra large but that's was Michelangelo's intent, signifying the hand of god. Even with the hoards of pushy and
unapologetic tour groups and the waves of selfie seeker, I must admit, the David is amazing and truly a "must
see".
The origins of the Academia stem from galleries designed to instruct young people who had chosen art
as a career while providing the with models to copy. Plaster casts,
drawings, and models were on the premises for that instructional purpose
and that led to the collection displayed today in the Nineteenth
Century Room. It primarily features the plaster casts of Lorenzo
Bartolini; many of them are unidentified.
This piece is titled Beatrice Donati.
Another museum favorite...
Now
it was time for some food! Our friend Leslie, who had recently visited
Florence, told us not to miss Panini Toscani. We waited in line for
almost an hour in the baking Italian sun!
The
reason for the line became apparent when we finally got in. The
proprietor was very enthusiastic in his welcome and proceeded to give us
a taste and an education in a variety of meats and cheeses so that we
could pick a combination that suited our individual tastes.
He lauded
Kathi for her perfect pairing of a meat and cheese from Montipulciano
(brava) but was less complimentary of my crude choices. After our
sandwiches were made to order, we got our gigantic paninis and ate them
on the tables and chairs outside in the shadow of the Duomo.
The
experience was worth the wait; this is Italy and everything good takes
time...
Since
we were in the vicinity and had missed the Baptistry of Saint John
because it was closed by the time we left the Duomo, we decided to swing
through. The Baptistry is octagonal and one of the oldest buildings in
the city, constructed between 1059 and 1128. The Baptistry is famous for
its bronze doors (being refurbished while we were there).
Inside,
scenes from The Last Judgment decorate the ceiling and give insights to
the medieval worldview. Life is preparation for the afterlife, when
you will be judged and saved or damned with no in-between!
Christ
blessed those at his right hand with heaven (thumbs up) and sent those
on his left to hell (the ultimate thumbs down!) to be tortured by
demons. Other ceiling mosaics tell the Christian history of the world,
from the Creation of the world, to making Adam and Eve, to the Flood, to
the beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
The dome ceiling was inspiring, but the alter with it's own ceiling paintings was no less awe inspiring. 
I
had to think that the light streaming in through the windows was not by
mistake and that, like I had seen at other churches, at particular times
of the day illuminated important statues, paintings, or religious art
objects. 
Inside the Bapistry lies the marble and bronze tomb of Baldassare Crosia - the anti-pope. Although recognized as Pope by the City of Florence, he was not acknowledged pope by all, and since he was elected in a non-canonical manner,
he was considered an anti-pope. From 1378 to 1417, the Western Church
was torn apart in the wake of the clash between popes and anti-popes
over the papal throne. Because he was supported by the Medicis
however, when Crosia died, they had this tomb constructed by Donatello
and Michelozzo and placed in the Baptistry.
After our
whirlwind morning and afternoon, we cruised down the Via de' Calzaiuoli headed back to the Relais for a brief respite and
weighed the itinerary's instruction to head to the town of Fiesole, outside of Florence, for dinner.
We
decided to go for it and got directions to the nearest bus stop to catch the
#7 to Fiesole. It was only 1.5 euros for a 20 minute ride up the hills
surrounding Florence.
The bus dropped us off in the small town of
Fiesole, we figured out which way to head to make it to the restaurant,
and after a long day of traipsing around Florence, started the slow, steep climb, up and up.
After
a short walk, spying some geckos along the warm stone walls, and the often found devotionals...
...we made it
to a small landing with a bench to view Florence and the valley below.
Conveniently, this little perch was located directly adjacent to the
entrance to the La Reggia restaurant. Without reservations, we
did manage to get a table tucked away inside, but had about an hour to
wait before we could be seated. We decided to go exploring.
Kathi and I hiked ever upward to check out the church at
the top of the hill.
It was late, so the church was locked up and we couldn't get inside.
From this point, Kathi decided to return downhill and take in the view,
while I decided to take a path with signs that promised
views of ancient ruins, the "Archeological Area". The path took me on a winding trial back
downhill but I got some nice views of Fiesole.
I also came across an attractive cemetery.
Further down the path, the vegetation framed one of the town's towers.
Unfortunately, by the time I got to the Archeological Area park where the ruins were, it was
closed. I circled back to the town square and then retraced my steps
uphill to meet Kathi. As we watched the sun go down, a handful of other
folks showed up, set up cameras, and we all got some nice photos of the
sun setting over Florence from our Fiesole perch.
We finally were
seated inside La Reggia, and luckily there was a cancellation so we were
moved to a nicer table with window views of the valley below.
La Reggia when we arrived...
The view from our table - overlooking Florence in the valley below.
I
ordered the pasta with Paccheri, fresh pasta with sausage, tomatoes,
Parmesan cheese and arugula and Kathi opted for the Risotto with
porchini mushrooms and peccorino cheese.
We ordered crostini as an
appetizer and allowed our waiter to select a wine for us based on our
dinner selections. He chose a Ciacti Piccolamini d’Aragona Rosso dei
Montalcino 2015 which was marvelous! The balsamic vinegar so artfully
placed on the side of the plate was amazing and we didn’t leave a drop
behind. We also ordered the "pastry fantasy for two" and I topped the
meal with an espresso.
This was my favorite meal in Italy and I’m so
glad we made the effort to leave Florence to take advantage of this
venue.
La Reggia when we departed...
I
think they only do one seating a night so you can stay as long as you
like to enjoy the view and each other's company. Florence sparkled in
the valley as we made our way back to the bus stop.
The
bus from Fisole was surprisingly busy late at night and when we finally
walked back from the Florence bus stop, the Piazza Signoria was still
hoppin'
We climbed the stairs of the Relais, entered the room, and drifted off to sleep fully satisfied.
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