Florence and Venice

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Florence and Venice are both charming cities and delightful.
Florence is one of the best examples of a city of the Renaissance style. Florence was establshed in 59 AD as a port on the trade route on the Arno river. Florence was first called Florentia and originally founded by Julius Caesar in the 1st century BC. Located on an important road linking Rome to France, it found itself destined to fame and fortune. It became a significant trade center with powerful artists' guilds in the 13th century, trading primarily in wool and silk throughout Europe.
By 1015 AD it became independent in government and was under the control of the Medici family. Cosmo Medici was the first ruler but Lorenzo Medici in 1490 was the most powerful. He employed many artists, including Bellini, Gioto.etc

The Florence cathedral is unique. The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore was built on the site of an earlier cathedral dedicated to Santa Reparata. The ancient building, founded in the early 5th century, and having undergone many repairs, was crumbling with age as attested in Nuova Cronica of Giovanni Villani (1276-1348),[ and was no longer large enough to serve the growing population of the city. The church designed by Brunelleschi'was ingenious and unprecedented: the distinctive octagonal design of the double-walled dome, resting on a drum and not on the roof itself, allowed for the entire dome to be built without the need for scaffolding from the ground, the first large dome ever to be built without centering. But, because the dome rested on a drum with no external butresses supporting it, there could be no lateral thrusts at the base of the dome.

The new church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296 who was also architect of the church of Santa Croce and the Palazzo Vecchio. He designed three wide naves ending under the octagonal dome, with the middle nave covering the area of Santa Reparata. The first stone was laid on September 9, 1296 by Cardinal Valeriana, the first papal legate ever sent to Florence. The building of this vast project was to last 170 years, the collective efforts of several generations and Arnolfo's plan for the eastern end, although maintained in concept, was greatly expanded in size.

After Arnolfo died in 1302, work on the cathedral slowed for the following thirty years, built between 1420 - 1434. The project obtained new impetus, when the relics of San Zanobius were discovered in 1330 in Santa Reparata. In 1331, the Arte della Lana (Guild of Wool Merchants) took over exclusive patronage for the construction of the cathedral and in 1334 appointed Giotto to oversee the work. Assisted by Andrea Pisano, Giotto continued along di Cambio's design. His major accomplishment was the building of the campanile. When Giotto died in 1337, Andrea Pisano continued the building until work was again halted due to the Black Plague in 1348.

Giotto did the bell tower for the St Francis of Assissi church. Gioto was the first painter to paint in 3d after the middle ages.

In 1349 work resumed on the cathedral under a series of architects, commencing with Francesco Talenti, who finished the campanile and enlarged the overall project to include the apse and the side chapels. In 1359 Talenti was succeeded by Giovanni di Lapo Ghini (1360-1369) who divided the center nave in four square bays. Other architects were Alberto Arnoldi, Giovanni d'Ambrogio, Neri di Fioravante and Orcagna. By 1375 the old church Santa Reparata was pulled down. The nave was finished by 1380, and by 1418 only the dome remained incomplete. The Cathedral, is believed o be either the third largest, with St Peter's in Rome the largest, Westmister London, the second, and then Florence.

The exterior walls are faced in alternate vertical and horizontal bands of polychrome marble from Carrara (white), Prato (green), Siena (red), Lavenza and a few other places. These marble bands had to repeat the already existing bands on the walls of the earlier adjacent baptistery the Battistero di San Giovanni and Giotto's Bell Tower. There are two lateral doors, the Doors of the Canonici (south side) and the Door of the Mandorla (north side) with works of art of Nanni di Banco, Donatello, and Jacopo della Quercia. The six lateral windows, notable for their delicate tracery and ornaments, are separated by pilasters. Only the four windows, closest to the transept, admit light; The other two are merely ornamental. The clerestory windows are round, a common feature in Italian Gothic. The floor of the church was laid in marble tiles in the 16th century.

Florence was also the home town of Dante, the first poet to write in italian, the language of poets had previousy been Latin. Galileo and Dante over look the square.

Florence was a walled in 190 AD but the city out grew the area. The city gates are left as an symbol of the past.
Florence's cultural spirit was one of progressive open-mindedness, seeking to achieve a balance between nature, order, and a true-to-life representation of nature in its art. The passion of the Florentine school was in the study of classical Greece and Rome. Additionally, it is said that the Tuscan countryside around Firenze is so beautifully laid out and the quality of light so dramatic that Florentine artists were profoundly motivated to capture the essence of what they saw around them in their works. This is seen in their particular style, the clarity and perspective, the graceful lines, and the harmonious geometry and rhythm.


Among the most noted architects, painters, sculptors, writers and other members of the artistic community over the centuries in Florence were Michelangelo, Giotto, Dante, Machiavelli, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Brunelleschi, and Donatello. The sheer number of the world's most treasured works of art that can be seen in Florence is astounding.

Key Sight Seeing points:
Pont Veccho - Bridge with Gold Traders
Piazza Del Duomo - Church Square
Piazza Della Republica, -Trade Square
David - Imitation Statue in the squaaaaare
Palazzo Pitti - Medici Family House
Della Signoria - Government Square

VENICE:
a beautiful city, that is slowly sinking. Venice was a port and also established on the delta / lagoon islands to enhance protection from invading groups. The Roman Empire was at its height, the Venetian Lagoon was a sparsely populated backwater. As the Western Empire began to slide into decay, the islands of the lagoon became an increasingly popular refuge from successive waves of invading barbarians.

The pace of these migrations rapidly increased after Attila the Hun sacked the Adriatic port of Aquileia in 452 AD. The Byzantine Empire subsequently took over the defence of north-eastern Italy, but was unable to prevent the Lombard invasion of 568. As a result, new settlements were founded on the lagoon islands of Malamocco and Torcello, and in 639 AD the Bishop of Altinum transferred his seat to Torcello.

In an attempt to retain his grip on northern Italy the Byzantine Emperor, Leo III, organised the various island communities into a coalition sufficiently powerful to withstand the barbarian invaders. The first Doge, Paoluccio Anafesto, was elected as its leader in 697 AD.

The coalition continued throughout the 8th century, and in 810 AD it won a decisive victory over a fleet of Frankish invaders commanded by Pepin the Short. Shortly afterwards the ducal seat at Malamocco was transferred to the modern day site of Venice.

The peace treaty concluded with the Franks one year later, the Pax Nicephori, established Venice as a semi-autonomous province of the Byzantine Empire.

Within a few years work had commenced on the Doges Palace, the Basilica of Saint Mark, and several other prestigious churches, monuments and monasteries. In 828 AD Venice acquired the relics of Saint Mark who was proclaimed as the city's new Patron Saint.

Being an island people, the Venetians were excellent sailors and enterprising merchants. They brought cargos of spices, silk, rice, sugar and other valuable commodities from Asia, North Africa and the Middle-East and distributed them throughout Western Europe. When these trading routes were threatened by pirates in the year 1000, Doge Pietro Orseleo achieved a decisive naval victory and secured Venetian control of Dalmatia (modern day Croatia).

By this time the Byzantine Empire was in terminal decline and many of its trading routes were taken over by Venice whose new-found wealth and power established the city as a significant regional power.

In 1177 Doge Sebastiano Ziani arranged the famous meeting in the Basilica di San Marco between Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, and Pope Alexander III. Venice subsequently brokered the peace negotiations which brought an end to their war for control of the Italian mainland.

Venice also played a leading role in equipping and financing the crusades. In 1204 the blind doge, Enrico Dandolo, persuaded the crusaders to plunder the rival city of Constantinople en route to Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

Huge quantities of Byzantine treasure were carried back in triumph to Venice, including the Four Tetrarchs and the Horses of Saint Marks which were placed outside the Basilica di San Marco.

Through the Middle Ages, up to 1400's, although primarily a naval power, the Venetians were aware that they could be attacked from the mainland and so consolidated their position by annexing large areas of northern Italy during the 15th century. Venetian sovereignty of Padua, Vicenza, Verona, and virtually all the territory between the River Po and the Alps was recognised by the Peace of Lodi in 1452. Venice now possessed a sizeable commercial empire which also included Dalmatia and numerous Greek islands,

Throughout hte Renaissance Age, 1400 - 16 00's alarmed by this rapid increase in Venetian power, France and Spain pursued an anti-Venetian policy by forging an alliance known as the League of Cambrai which enlisted the Pope’s support for a declaration of war on Venice,

The subsequent conflict lasted from 1508 to 1529. Although the military action was indecisive, skilful Venetian diplomacy divided the League of Cambrai. Mindful of the threat from the rapidly expanding Ottoman Empire, Spain changed its policy and decided that the destruction of Venice would be counter-productive.

The resulting Treaty of Brescia represents the watershed of Venetian power. Venice had succeeding in withstanding the combined might of Europe's most powerful nations. However, the cracks were already beginning to appear. Twenty years of warfare had wrecked the Venetian economy. Moreover, Venice faced a new threat from the Ottoman Turks who were blocking her eastern trade routes.

In 1571 the Turks seized the Venetian stronghold of Cyprus. The Venetian navy, under the command of Sebastiano Venier, hunted down the Turkish forces and defeated them at Lepanto. However, the Turks retained a huge numerical superiority and despite its victory Venice still had to pay tribute in order to keep its trading routes open.

Five years later the city suffered another heavy blow when it was devastated by a plague which wiped out one-third of its population.

These setbacks occurred at a time when new trading routes to India and China via the Cape of Good Hope enabled the English, Dutch and Portuguese to undercut Venetian merchants.

Although Venice finally succeeded in defeating the Turks, thanks to the brilliant generalship of Francesco Morosini, the subsequent Treaty of Passarowitz did little to stem her decline.

Incessant warfare had exhausted Venice to such an extent that by the 18th century it was necessary to create new aristocratic titles in order to raise funds for the treasury.

by the Baroque Age, (1600 - 1800's) th eNapoleanic wars were beginning. Napoleon invaded in 1797, Venice was too weak to resist. Many of its great treasures, including those plundered from Constantinople, were looted by the French before the city was transferred to Austrian rule.


A valiant attempt was made to restore Venetian independence in 1848 but the rebellion, lead by Danielle Manin, was easily crushed by the Austrians.

Austria lost control of Venice in 1866, but the city did not recover its independence. Instead it was ceded to the newly created Kingdom of Italy, which occurred in 1871 with the Unificaiton of italy.

The Venetian economy continued its long decline despite a brief revival during the late 19th century.

Nowadays Venice is almost entirely dependent on the tourist industry, and continues to lose population at an increasing rate since many Venetians can no longer afford to live in the city, or prefer to migrate to the mainland where the amenities are better.

Venice is now little more than a monument to its own former greatness.
1950 saw the commencement of Contemporary Age.(European Age)

Brief History of Religion:
Pagan religions ruled in BC with the Emporer seen as a living God. However, by 35/ 40 A.D, christian faith had spread to Rome, and St Peter's teachings was a problem as the societal standard, as His message was one God. After 300 AD, Constantine legalised religion of christianity and gave land for the first church to be built. This was a Catholic church of St John. Before Constantine's edict, the Pope had tended to live in Catacombs and grottos in the Palatine ills around Rome.by 800 ADthe HOly roman empire was established.
Early Catholicism came to be organized under five patriarchs, the bishops of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople and Rome. The Bishop of Rome was at that time recognized as first among them, and doctrinal or procedural disputes were sometimes referred to Rome for an opinion. When the Imperial capital moved to Constantinople, Rome's influence was often challenged. While Rome claimed special authority and descent from St. Peter2 and St. Paul, who, all agreed, were martyred and buried in Rome, Constantinople had become the residence of the Emperor and the Senate, and the churches at Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria were all older than Rome. Antioch furthermore was considered to have been the see of St. Peter, before he went to Rome.

Later in that century, in 380 AD, Roman Catholicism became the official religion of the Roman Empire. During the following 1000 years, Catholics were the only people recognized as Christians.

In 1054 AD, a formal split occurred between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. This division remains in effect today.

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Photos

Florence Cathedral
The freshly cleaned face of the cathedral

The Pig
Florence Trading Square

Pont Vecchio
Gold Mile

Roof tops
Venice from the Bell tower.

Waterways
Venice