Renaissance Men - Florence

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If there is any city that thoroughly defined the Renaissance it was Florence. Home of the powerful Medici family, who while governing according to the principles of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, also contributed vast amounts of money that helped to spark the artistic boom of the Renaissance. The influence of Michelangelo Buonarrati, Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Donatello, Botticelli, Titian, and countless others created a city that is widely considered the birthplace of the Renaissance. The Renaissance is most often mentioned when discussing artwork, but its impact went far beyond the physical realm. The Renaissance in its essence is an intellectual movement, where the masses began to look back to classical sources for inspiration. Ancient Greek and Roman philosophies reemerged and created a new emphasis on humanism, which could be seen in artwork, literature, politics, science, religion, and most importantly, education! Many scholars consider this the moment where the human race emerged from the middle ages (where intellectual thought was limited and the population struggled with such tragic events as the black plague). Now with that “in a nutshell” background, you can understand that Florence simply oozes culture and history. Needless to say, I was excited.

The pinnacle sight of the city is “The Duomo” (dome) of Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is one of the largest cathedrals in the world. The cathedral drew me in from far away with the enormous dome and a facade decorated in beautiful red, green, and white marble. Having seen plenty of churches and cathedrals on my travels so far, it says a lot that I stood transfixed and in awe of the magnificent architecture and artwork. The cavernous interior is spotted with artwork on the way in, but the masterpiece is looking up at the enormous fresco by Vasari painted onto the ceiling of the dome and highlighted by stained glass windows designed by Donatello. I was able to get an up close and personal look when I scaled the behemoth dome by climbing up over 400 stairs, but it was amazing to see the work at such a distance. There was an even better view facing me on when I made it to the summit of the dome and could look over the entire city. Little did I know that when I went to the Piazzale Michelangelo the next day it would be even more picturesque.

Emphasizing the fact that around every corner is another piece of history, right next to “The Duomo” is the Battistero dei San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John), which is one of the oldest buildings in Florence and dates back to somewhere between the fifth and eleventh centuries. The doors of the baptistry are intricately designed and is most famous for its gilded-bronze doors created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. When you go inside, there is a golden mosaic with scenes set up to depict biblical stories, almost like a comic book. The most impressive thing is that Dante Algihieri, most famous for his writing the Divine Comedy chronicling his travels through hell, purgatory, and heaven; was baptized in the building. Beyond this, Dante's house and church were right down the road. Having read sections of Inferno for a university course, it was fascinating to think that I was standing in the same locations where Dante contemplated his religious beliefs that led to the creation of his famous work.

One place that Dante couldn't have walked, is over the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge, which was built after his death. Originally the bridge housed butcher shops, but the Medici family did not feel as though this was a good image for the city, so they ordered all the butchers out and decreed that they be replaced with jewelry stores. This is still in place today, where every shop along the bridge is displays their wares, but now it is to tourists instead of nobles. Not having any interest in buying expensive jewelry, I found the bridge to be a better sight from a distance, where you can see the entangled shops seeming to hang on to the edge of the bridge.

Of course, I have decided to save the best for last: the art! I have never had a talent for art, unless you include stick figures, so I usually tend to be in awe of anyone with the gift. Considering that, you can understand that I was completely blown away by the work of the renaissance masters. The largest museum in Florence is the Uffizi Gallery and represents the collection of the Medici family. Given the fact that the family had most of the famous artists in their employ, or even friendships like that of Michelangelo and Lorenzo de Medici, the gallery was enormous. Of all the art on display, my favorites were the oil paintings by Botticelli. You are sure to recognize some of these by appearance, and so I have downloaded some images from the web. After letting a couple tour groups pass by, I sat and simply marveled at these two paintings. What you simply cannot see through a picture, is the scale and detail of the work, which held me in my seat. What you can see is how Botticelli recreates classic mythology and gives it a much more human tone. I was mesmerized by how you could look at each face and see a different emotion. Other works I was lucky enough to see were: Da Vinci's Annunciation, Michelangelo's The Holy Family, Vecollio's Venus of Urbino, and Carvaggio's Medusa.

The Uffizi certainly had the best collection of paintings, but the icing on the cake was being able to see Michelangelo's David. As long as I have been traveling, there is one thing that every group has agreed on: the statue of David by Michelangelo simply took their breath away. The sculpture is so lifelike, that supposedly Michelangelo's first statement after completing him was “speak.” As I stared at the statue, it felt as if he was going to turn his head to me and do just that. There is no doubt in my mind that of all the amazing sights in Florence, this one piece of chiseled marble, is head and shoulders (pardon the pun) above all the rest. It was so spectacular that I knew I had to sneak a picture of him, even though you weren't supposed to!

Videos:
Florence Duomo:

Florence from the top of the Duomo:

Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo:

Baptistry Ceiling:

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Photos

Stained Glass
Perhaps done by Donatello

Comments

[anonymous]

Wasn't Florence incredible!!! I also took a picture of David, as did everyone else in the room and as they guard stood by and watched us. By the way, I'm enjoying the refresher history course you've been providing along the way. Jean