Florence / Pisa

7 -9 September 2007- Florence/Pisa

Friday to Sunday were so busy that I didn’t make journal entries at the end of these days … just collapsed into bed after our late dinners. Florence DID live up to … and surpass … all expectations. And that says a lot!

See the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio in the left background of the photo, with the famous dome of the church by Brunelleschi in center background.

Friday evening, after settling into our hotel in Florence, we went to dinner at "I Falciani Ristorante," on a hill that overlooked the River Arno and provided magnificent views of the Palazze Vecchio, also called the Signoria Square, or Piazza della Signoria (see the tower) and the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore (see the dome), across the Arno.

For eight centuries Signoria square has been the political and civic center of Florence. Dominated by the massive asymmetrical Palazzo Vecchio and by the exquisitely beautiful Loggia dei Lanzi, the Piazza della Signoria contains important works of art.

This evening at I Falciani was not just dinner … it was music and dancing. The singer was a young woman who enjoyed going into the audience and flirting with the gentlemen, or beckoning them to the dance floor to dance. Most everyone eventually was up dancing … the Tarantella, the Electric Slide, the Twist, the Macarena. What can I say … Baby Boomers love to dance.

Towards the end of the evening they asked for a moment of respect in memory of Luciano Pavarotti, who had passed away on Thursday, and they played one of his recordings, Nessun Dorma. And after that, for the last song of the evening, they played the National Anthem. It may all sound kind of sappy in the light of day, but it was a respectful, lump-in-your-throat end to a glorious evening.

In order to tour so many cities in relatively few days, during the “free time” allotted, you have to focus and sometimes make choices about which optional tours you can squeeze in. Saturday was one of those days. What we fit into the day included the Academy of Fine Arts (home of Michelangelo’s David), the Uffizi Gallery, which contains some of the most important collections of art of all times, and my planned splurging on gold jewelry and leather articles.

A little more to say about the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore by Brunelleschi

Info from the Wikipedia and the database of the Web Gallery of Art

A distinctive feature of Florence's skyline is the dome of the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. The building itself, located north of the Piazza della Signoria, was begun in 1296. Numerous local artists continued to work on it ring the following century and a half. The painter Giotto designed its sturdy bell tower (campanile) in 1334. Yet, the massive octagonal cupola (1420-36) that dominates both the church and the city was the achievement of Filippo Brunelleschi, master architect and sculptor. It was the first 'octagonal' dome in history to be built without a wooden supporting frame (the Roman Pantheon, a circular dome, believed to be built in 120-126 AD with support structures) and was the largest dome built at the time (it is still the largest masonry dome in the world).

Brunelleschi's dome consists of two layers, an inner dome spanning the diameter and a parallel outer shell to protect it from the weather and provide a more pleasing external form. Both domes are supported by 24 stone half arches, or ribs, of circular form, seven feet thick at the base and tapering to five feet, which meet at an open stone compression ring at the top.

Brunelleschi had to invent special hoisting machines for the large stones. These machines and his brilliant masonry techniques were Brunelleschi's spectacular contribution to architecture.

The “Gates of Paradise”

The three entrance doors to the Baptistry open onto the east, north and southern sides of the square. The magnificent sets of doors in gilded bronze that were to become even more famous than the temple itself were all originally designed and made for this entrance. Andrea da Pontedera, known as Andrea Pisano, was the first artist to work here and only took seven years (1330-1336) to complete his pair of doors. This was the first time that a bronze cast of this size had ever been carried out in Gothic art.

The bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore

The bell tower of Santa Maria del Fiore was begun by Giotto in 1334, carried on after his death by Andrea Pisano, and finished in 1359 by Francesco Talenti, who created the large windows at the upper levels. The sculptural decoration of the tower is extremely rich: 56 relief carvings in two registers, and 16 life-size statues in the niches, all by Florentine masters of the l4th and l5th century (among whom Andrea Pisano, Donatello, Luca Della Robbia).

The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval bridge crossing the Arno River, noted for its shops along its sides.

Academy of Fine Arts

Saturday began with a tour of the Academy of Fine Arts, and “David.” Traditionally, David was portrayed after his victorious triumph over Goliath. Other Davids are depicted standing over Goliath's severed head. But Michelangelo portrayed David before the battle. One interpretation describes David as tense, but not so much in a physical as in a mental sense. The slingshot he carries over his shoulder is almost invisible, emphasizing that David's victory was one of cleverness, not sheer force. Unfortunately, photos were not allowed.

An aside about David
Michelangelo was a citizen of Florence at the time he created the statue (between 1501 and 1504, and Italy was very young. Power resided with individual cities and Florence was surrounded by enemies much stronger and more numerous. When the statue of David was placed on the square in front of the city hall (where you can now find a copy), the people of Florence immediately identified with him as a cunning victor over superior enemies. To them, David was a symbol representing fortezza and ira, strength and anger. David's character traits are considered more important than his victory over Goliath, which is why Michelangelo depicted him before the battle, strong-willed and ready to fight.

How — where do I begin to describe this masterpiece? My husband is not really interested in art, paintings or sculpture. He would appreciate the mechanics of creating mosaics, of building these incredible church domes, towers and arches. But he was amazed at David, at the visible muscle tone, shadowing, vein detail in the hand. He came away with a new appreciation of sculpture and recognized what a masterpiece this was. Perhaps this helps explain how breathtaking this was, especially for me.

Shopping

The rest of the afternoon I got to practice one of my best talents … shopping … especially for gold jewelry. Florence is renowned for its 18K gold jewelry and handmade leather goods. Let’s just say I did an excellent job! Plus, we got a head start on our Christmas shopping.

Pisa

In the morning, we took the bus to Pisa to see the famous tilted tower. Not often mentioned are the church and baptistery that accompany the tower. I’ve just run out of superlatives to describe the beauty inside, outside … it’s overwhelming.
The famous bell tower began leaning soon after construction in 1173 due to poorly laid foundation and loose substrate that caused the supporting earth to shift.
You can see from the photo above that many people posed with their arms up to appear as if they are holding up the tower. Yes, I got in on the act too ….

Uffizi Gallery

We got to the Uffizi gallery in the afternoon. The Uffizi collections include classical sculpture and paintings on canvas and wood by 13th to 18th century Italian and foreign artists. The Gallery of the Uffizi was also the first museum ever to be opened to the public; from 1591, the Grand Duke of Florence granted permission to visit it on request. Its four centuries of history make the Uffizi Gallery the oldest museum in the world. It took the designer and architect, Giorgio Vasari, five years to build.

Uffizi facts

The Uffizi palace is horse-shoe shaped and stretches from the Piazza della Signoria (Palazzo Vecchio, the city’s main square) to the River Arno and connected to the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge that crosses the Arno) and the Pitti Palace on the other side of the Arno.

The Pitti Palace hosted all the ruling dynasties (the Medicis, the Lorraines, the Bourbons, the Bonapartes, the Savoys ever since Cosimo I’s wife, the beautiful and rich Duchess Eleonora of Toledo, bought it from Buonaccorso Pitti in 1550 to turn it into the new home of the Medici family.

The most brilliant architect of the times, Filippo Brunelleschi, was commissioned to carry out the design of the building around 1440.

I’ll just have to return to Florence some day, to see the sights I missed.