Arrived in Florence via the train. After we dropped our stuff off at the hostel, we headed for the biggest monument marked on our tourist map.
The Santa Maria del Fiore or also known as the Duomo di Firenze. This architecture monster was so stunning that my camera does not do it justice at all. For one, this building is HUGE. White with its marble, intricate in its details and design. 140 years in the making, it was first built in 1296 and only completed in 1436.
I initially wanted to climb up to the top of the Duomo, but the queues were way too long. So I started exploring around the area (okay, I got lost again) and found Accademia Gallery. Where the original David ! and Michelangelo's unfinished Slaves were displayed. Pieta, Santa Maria in Rome has already made me in awe of Michelangelo's works. David and the Slaves made me a true slave. Now I can finally understand what made a great sculpture, how I felt that the Slaves were trying to break free from the marble. The every detail and angle that I viewed David gave me a different feeling. No detail was missed out.
Afterwards, I headed to San Lorenzo for a quick look before meeting up with my friend. San Lorenzo was the Medici family chapel. Again, I was not allowed to take photos inside. But the interiors were under severe renovation. My only agenda for this church was to see Michelangelo's works. They were for the Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici called Night and Day and opposite that was the Tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici, Evening and Morning.
Walking along the river in Florence.. Went to Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. It was the only bridge to have escaped the bombing during the WWII. Now, it is home to a whole ton of shops selling gold jewelery.
We were watching the sun setting on the bridge when i met.... this old sweet kind looking Italian man. He came up to talk to us while we were watching a performance on the bridge. I thought that he was going to be telling us stories of old Florence, instead, he kept telling us how rich he was and how he stayed at THAT APARTMENT near the bridge and how he could give us a key. -l- Getting picked up by a really old Italian guy who looks like a whole bottle of Viagra will kill him first before seeing ANY performance. Priceless.
Day 2 :
Headed to the world famous Uffizi museum, where it houses one of the greatest collection of Italian art. Thanks to the last heir of the Medici family who donated the family's entire art collection to the city under the condition that the collection may never leave Florence. I waited close to 2 hours to get in, it felt like the world's slowest queue. To all my dear friends heading there, please get your ticket online way in advance. PLEASE.
Not allowed to take photos inside, the collection included Sandro Botticelli's Primavera, The Birth of Venus, The Adoration of the Magi. The Birth of Venus was totally different from what i expected. The colors were muted, dull almost but the total effect was pleasing and not crude or in your face. It was then I knew why high quality poster prints of the works of the Masters were so expensive. Coloring, tints, any of these can make a dramatic change in how the masterpiece is portrayed.
Ended the day at Piazzale Michelangelo, having a vintage point all over Florence.
Day 3:
Had breakfast at the Mercato Centrale where there were lots of little shops selling pastries, coffee and food.
Decided to take it slow today and went to Palace Pitti. Another palace that used to house the Medici family, it was formerly owned by the Pitti family before one of their daughters married the Medici.
The palace now houses the Boboli Gardens, Palatine Gallery, Modern Art Gallery, Royal Apartments, Silver Museum, Porcelain Museum, Costume Museum. My ticket only covered the Palatine Gallery and the Modern Art Gallery. Unfortunately, I couldn't take photos inside. But i saw Raphael's Madonna & Child. I remember being so stunned at the painting that I simply just stood numbly in front of it, trying to take in the Madonna's gentleness, the use of colors, the affection.
Day 4:
I wanted to go to the Bargello where the Renaissance sculptures were displayed but I was too late for it as it was only opened for limited hours which made me rather disappointed and pissed-off. What sort of world-class museum opens only from 815am - 150pm ??
Went to Palazzo Vecchio, the one-time home of the Medicis.
Went off by myself to Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan church in the world, also the burial grounds to various great Italians.
Again, the altar & the Donatello statues were under renovation, so I could not see them. Instead, I found myself taking photos of the tombs of
Galileo
Dante, among many more such as Michelangelo and Machiavelli and a memorial to Florence Nightingale.
Damn, it is only now that I am looking at the enlarged photos do i realise how blur they are most of the time. *sad*
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