Another LENGTHY post alert: Trip to Firenze

Or as most in the US know it, Florence. I've been to Firenze several times before, when I was last in Italy, so this time I made a gameplan to see a bunch of things I hadn't seen before. Sunday I had nothing going on, so on Saturday I got myself a guidebook and spent the day researching things I'd like to see. I decided that I'd see the church of Santa Croce (where many famous Florentines are buried), the church of San Miniato (a stunning 11th Century church), the Palazzo Pitti and its Galleria (works of many reknowned painters), and the Brancaci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. It was a pretty good plan that would take me all over the city. However, as is wont to happen with travel, your feet sometimes lead you somewhere you weren't intending to go, and often for the better.

It was definitely an interesting day in every respect. The day started early; I decided I'd catch the 8am train from Bologna Central Station which would get me to Firenze at 9 (it's not very far). So I go down to the bus stop at 730, to give myself a little cushion. The bus shows up at about 735. It pulls up; I look at the bus driver, he looks at me. He keeps driving.

Really?

I consult the bus hours posted at the bus stop; the only bus that stops here on Sundays is the #11, which is the one I am waiting for, and the one that just ditched me.

OK. Looks like I'm not making the 8am train.

I don't know what that was all about, but I caught the next bus that came by in about 15 minutes. I get to the station about 8, which wasn't bad cuz the next train to Firenze was leaving at 830. I get a second class ticket on a Eurostar train, fully expecting it to be the same as the last time I was in Italy (6 people in their own little cabin). To my delight, this kind of train was thoroughly modern, and it almost felt like being on an airliner. There were even the little ports on the seats for headphones. The seating was captains chair style, 2 on each side of the aisle, for the length of the car. Definitely better than the little cabin! Ryan and Kevin would appreciate this; while sitting there, reading up on what I was about to see in the guidebook, I heard the ringtone from Trigger Happy TV go off right behind me. I fully expected a guy with a huge cardboard cellphone to get up and start shouting, but to my dismay it didn't happen. The train ride was quiet, short, and peaceful as we rolled through the Tuscan hills:

Upon arriving in Bologna, I pulled out the trusty guidebook to get my bearings. Once I figured out which direction I needed to head for to begin, I looked up and saw a big dome beyond the buildings nearby, which was the landmark I was looking for. Or so I thought. Wrong giant church dome, which meant I was immediately lost once I arrived there. Only in Italy!

This was the dome of the San Lorenzo church, which was the parish church of the Medici family. They are kind of a big deal.

See the open space at the top of the far building? It's called a loggia. You'll be seeing a lot of that in Florentine architecture.

Anyways, I got my bearings again and headed towards the big dome I was ACTUALLY looking for, the famous Duomo of Firenze. I was only going to pass through on my way to the Palazzo Pitti, because I'd already been inside the Duomo on a previous visit. But once you are in the surrounding Piazza, you really can't help but stop.

I'd be seeing much more of this guy a little bit later.

Central tenet of Catholicism: someone is always watching you when you misbehave.

So it is at this first junction where my feet decided to deviate from the plan. I've been inside the Duomo before, but I'd never been inside the Campanile - the bell tower adjacent to it. It's only 6E to climb to the top, and the view is reputedly spectacular, so I just had to do it. They advise you at the bottom that there are indeed 400+ steps to the top. The going was pretty easy at first, especially when I came to the landing; I thought I'd already reached the top, and it was too darn easy. Turns out I was wrong about the former, and correct about the latter. There were 4 more landings to ascend, each with a tinier and tighter twisting staircase. I got a pretty good case of vertigo/claustrophobia going up the last one, and I honestly would have turned around and gone back if there hadn't been a bunch of other tourists behind me blocking the way. But I convinced myself that the damn thing had been standing for 500 years and it wasn't about to fall over now, so I pushed through. And I am thoroughly glad that I did. Here are a succession of pictures from the bottom to the top:

This was a place where mothers could leave their unwanted children. I think now we call that McDonald's.

You can see the tower from the Palazzo Vecchio to the right in this shot.

Detail of the Palazzo Vecchio

Gargoyles. Sweet cartoon series from back in the day; even cooler in real life.

Thought I was nearing the top. I was wrong.

Yeah that sounds nice right about now

The Baptistry with the "Doors of Paradise"

Seriously, am I there yet?

Looking out towards Palazzo Pitti, my next destination

Remember that gargoyle from earlier? He's down there somewhere now.

One of the holier lightning rods out there

Yup, that's where I was, at the very top. It was a lot easier getting back down.

On the way to my next destination. Somebody *lives* here. I love Italy.

This is probably the guy that is in charge of my permit to stay.

One of the many scenic back alleys

Palazzo Vecchio [Old Palace] rising up in the distance. I wasn't going to visit the square it's in because I'd been there before... by like I said, my feet had a mind of their own.

Another example of loggia. This one, on Piazza Signoria next to Palazzo Vecchio, houses some original marble statues from Roman to Renaissance times, and a bronze reproduction of Perseus slaying Medusa - supposedly a warning to the foes of the Medici family.

Reproduction of The David, capital T. This was it's original position.

The Rape of the Sabine Women

The Rape of Polyxena

Menaleus and Patrocles

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

Awesomely creepy pedestal of the Perseus statue

Now that I'd already delayed myself by about 2.5 hours from where I was originally intending on going, I finally started to head in that direction. First I had to pass over the Arno river, which bisects Firenze, and which means I get to visit the Ponte Vecchio! Originally it housed butchers, tanners, etc - all the dirty smelly trades. But the Medicis kicked them all out and installed goldsmiths and jewelers because, well, they could. They also built their own walkway *above* the bridge so that they wouldn't have to walk amongst the commoners.

Looking down the Arno

Some other bridge over the Arno. The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Firenze that survived the Second World War.

In the foreground, a bust of Cellini (who sculpted the Perseus statue mentioned above). Behind can be seen the raised corridor used by the Medicis to cross the bridge.

Around the Cellini bust were all of these locks - I did some research and apparently they are supposed to symbolize unbreakable bonds of love; lovers come here, attach the locks, and toss the keys into the river.

This sign on the bridge commemorates Gerhard Wolf, a Nazi who was instrumental in saving the bridge from the ravages of war. The sign also indicates that he helped in the release of political prisoners and Jews during the occupation of Firenze.

More views from the bridge. Notice the glassy areas near the top floors of the buildings on either side; they would have previously been loggias, now enclosed. Told ya they were popular here.

From the bridge I made my way to the Palazzo Pitti. I stopped on the way to find something to eat, so I got off the beaten track a little bit and found a nice little Napolitano pizza in a neighborhood nearby. I had a GIANT calzone and a beer while listening to Springsteen sing 'Born in the USA' over the radio (Italians are huge on American music. The only thing that sucks: remember when 'Hey There Delilah' was big in the states years ago, and it was overplayed like hell? Yeah, same gameplan here in Italy right now). After that, it was off to the Palazzo. It's a giant palace designed by a rival of the Medicis, who later sold it to them when he went bankrupt... from building the palace. Doh! Napolean took up residence here during his reign, then it was returned to the Hapsburg dynasty (whom the Medicis married into) after his fall and was opened to the public as an art gallery. The pictures are still hung as they were in courtly times; according to royal taste, not by artist, style, or time period.

In the center was a great big private piazza with an adjoining grotto. It's good to be the king.

Cameras were not allowed inside the gallery --- so I only have a couple pictures. Heh.

A famous Caravaggio, Sleeping Cupid

This Venus was commisioned by Napolean himself, to replace another that he had sent to France.

After the Palazzo Pitti, I made my way to the Brancacci Chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine. It houses some really great frescoes by some reknowned artists, among them Masaccio (who revolutionized early Renaissance painting with his use of perspective) and Filippino Lippi, one of my favorite Renaissance artists.

The tranquil inner cloister.

Just inside was a very nice Pieta`, without any indication as to who sculpted it or when.

The chapel itself was painted from the 1420s to the 1480s by 3 different artists: Masolino, Masaccio, and Lippi. It shows scenes from the life of St Peter.

Goin' to the chapel:

Adam and Eve tempted (Masolino)

Adam and Eve expelled from Paradise (Masaccio)

Peter raises the emperor's son (Lippi/Masaccio)

Peter's shadow heals the sick. This painting by Masaccio was controversial for its accurate (for the time period) portrayal of the sick.

Crucifiction of Peter (Lippi)

While all three are masters, I particularly am fond of Lippi's work. His attention to detail in the human form is unsurpassed, in my book, especially for the time period (15th Century). Here are some examples of Lippi's near photographic work:

The last image above is of St Peter's Crucifiction, which I edited to be right-side-up. You can feel the drama of the scene and even see his shoulders sagging from the gravity.

Compare this to the work of his contemporaries, also masters in their own right:

Masolino

Masaccio

I rest my case.

Random side note: while studying the artwork in this chapel, Michelangelo (the painter, not the ninja turtle) was punched in the face by a rival. Hah!

The rest of the church looked cool too, but it was closed off.

Daylight was already waning and I still had two places left on my list. On the way I stopped and took some pictures of sgrafitto, a style of building decoration where one layer of plaster is placed on top of another and then scraped away in artistic designs. It was all the rage in Renaissance Firenze:

Some more cool sites I passed on the long walk from the Brancacci chapel to my next destination, the church of San Miniato al Monte:

The Ponte Vecchio from afar

Sweet tower. It looked like somebody lived in there now. Me = jealous.

Something tells me this street hasn't changed much in about 500 years.

As I approached San Miniato al Monte (Saint Minias on the Mountain), the terrain started getting quite steep (as can be expected from the name). I had to climb a very steep set of stairs to reach the top of a high hill on the city outskirts.

Olive groves. Ah, Tuscany!

Looking back down over part of the hill I had to climb. I was still only about 2/3 of the way up at this point. I swore that if I didn't find the right church at the top of the hill I would invent a time machine and go back to throttle St Minias. Considering the number of times I'd already gotten lost today, I was unsure my efforts would be worth it.

Worth it.

Also, I did happen to pop out in exactly the right place at the top of the hill. Which is to say I was in fact lost, and going in the wrong direction, but I mixed up where I was going to on the map and surprise! I ended up in the right place. San Miniato al Monte:

The church was built in the 11th Century on the site of what is claimed to be the first Christian cemetary in Firenze. St Minias was a rich Armenian, martyred for his belief. It's said he was decapitated on the banks of the Arno by Romans, then picked up his own head and walked to the top of the hill to rest his bones. The church is beautiful and done in the typical Tuscan green/white marble style.

The mosaic shows Mary and St Minias presenting his earthly crown to Jesus. Turn around to where the trio are facing, and the you'll see the view that makes the hike worthwhile.

The interior of the church also had quite a few sights to be seen. The pictures may be a little blurry because by this time it was getting to be dusk, the light was fading, and the Catholic church must be hard up for utility bills because I still haven't been in a church yet that had the lights on.

This church is also noted for its curious use of Pagan symbols in a zodiac on the marble floor.

This stained glass window was done in stunning detail. These pictures don't really do it justice.

The church was exquisite, the surrounding hills and greenery beautiful, and to top it off there was a wonderful piazza dedicated to Michelangelo nearby which also overlooked the city from a spectacular vantage point:

Needless to say, this is one of my new favorite spots in Italy. And check it out: there are tons of graffiti all over Italy, but it's not gang related like at home. In fact most of the time it's either political or messages from young lovers like this:

Not to play up the rose-colored reputation of the country or anything, but for godssake even the graffiti is romantic.

It was already after 6pm by this time, and I was exhausted from walking all over the city, so I sat down in the piazza to plan my next move. Most of the museums were already closed, so it was looking like I'd be catching a train back to Bologna pretty soon. As I sat there, a couple of older gentleman approached me. They started asking me what I thought about the world today; the earthquakes and tsunamis that just happened, the wars, etc. They were both dressed pretty well (herringbone coat, leather elbow patches, etc), and they'd been debating about something as they approached me, so I thought (given that Italians are much more apt to voice their opinions and debate in public) maybe they were a couple of scholars genuinely interested in what the youth of today were thinking.

EHHHHHH! Jehovah's witnesses.

FAIL.

Only I could travel 6000 miles and end up in this scenario. So, I quickly said I had to catch a train (partially true, in my defense) and peaced out.

On my way back to the train station, it was just turning dark, so I decided to detour once again to Piazza Signoria for a look at the Palazzo Vecchio at night.

After this it was back to the train station. I tried retracing my steps, but I had arrived quite early, before all the street vendors had set up their kiosks, and now they were blocking all the street names and landmarks from my view. So, I promptly got lost again. And it started to sprinkle. A quick stop to gather my bearings and I was back at the train station, next to the church of Santa Maria Novella:

It was a pretty darn full day I had. I was tired, and definitely ready to go home. It was about 7:35pm, 12 hours after my first adventure with the bus; and my public transit adventures were not about to end. I went to the self-service ticket machine, selected 'fast ticket' (which puts you on the next available train to your destination), which listed the time for departure at 8:29. Great, I've got nearly an hour; I'll go find a pasticerria (sweets/pastry shop) and cap off my day with a cannoli! I found a nice place pretty close to the station, and they made a mighty fine cannoli indeed. Back to the train station, and check the departure sign.

Hmm, that's weird. My train isn't showing up on the list.

.....

................

Then I remember Italy is on the 24 hour clock. I look closer at the ticket; Sunday is 10/4, not 10/5 - which is listed on the ticket. DOH! I've just bought myself a ride back from Firenze at 8:29 tomorrow morning. Mama mia!

I run back to the self service machine, select fast ticket again, but this time choose a different *type* of train (the more expensive one). It leaves at 20:35. TODAY. Which is in about 10 minutes. So I buy it and run to the track it is departing from (which wasn't entirely necessary, but a little drama is good for the soul). Luckily the first ticket was relatively inexpensive, and can be chalked up to an idiot tax on my part. The rest of the ride home was uneventful, and I was definitely ready for bed by the time I got home around 10.

So that was my terribly exciting (first) trip to Firenze! I never did make it to Santa Croce to see where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Dante, among others, are buried. Plus there is so much else to see! At only an hour away, I will be planning another trip back there soon.