Firenze, Italia! (Part 1)
Okay, so let's have a go at this LJ post! (LJ is so going to break half way through)
Sooo, on the 4th of October me and my mum set off from Edinburgh airport in the pouring rain to Pisa, Italy! As frantic as you like, as I left the flat only 2 days before, literally sending off job applications as I was walking out the door.
Let's have pictures throughout!
We could see the Alps as we flew down! Very impressive, the picture full size almost does it justice.
We arrived in Pisa, adding an hour, and had trouble getting the bus to Florence (the beginnings of Italian systems... or lack of Italian systems!) The weather was lazy, but a lot bluer and clearer than Scotland!
Hotel Lombardi.... Falco Lombardi... not really :P This was our hotel for the week, it was nice :)
Our first views on Sunday, it was busy! The San Lorenzo Cathedral was always surrounded by street markets selling leather coats, bags, t-shirts, rugs, belts, jewelery, you name it. Even though San Lorenzo was the first place we find being almost next to our hotel, it was the last place we visited!
Look at the blue sky and the terracotta! This was the beginning of my eyes becoming very, very tired from the sheer weight of art and visuals to come.
Our first exhibit, the Palazzo Medici Riccadi. We weren't allowed to take photos inside (this happened a LOT) but we came here first as we had reproduced the major fresco inside in one of our rooms back home. See it here - It is huge, and covers an enitre wall as part of a story spanning around the room. The Palazzo has a beautiful lime tree courtyard which I took too many photos in, as well as a great long ceremony room with a painting ceiling and mirror walls.
I always forget the name of this one, and it was our main landmark for getting around because it's so HUGE. It is the Santa Maria del Fiore catherdral. It is colossal, with a bell tower (414 stairs) and a baptistry next to it, and covered in detailed statues and reliefs. All of them carved by hand in red, white and green marble. The baptistry (the octagonal structure) has 3 main doors each with stories told in bronze relief panels, but one in particular, the Paradise gates, facing the catherdral, are incredibly detailed and always surrounded by crowds.
A summary of markets! The fruit and veg on display were amazing, all locally farmed and brought in, wanted to buy it all. The square was host to a continental arts and crafts market (no wonder I couldn't remember the square's name! The Piazza della Annunziata, now you know)
Also, as Florence is a labyrinth of tiny streets, there were these little cars scooting around! They were awesome! The same length as a Vespa/moped, smaller than a Smart car, three wheels, electric, with one seat. I wanted one :P
This was inside the Basilica della Annunziata, there was a shrine were a supposed miracle had taken place, but I was more drawn to the greatly elaborate Baroque artwork over the ceiling. This open cloister wasn't in the same place, but every chapel and church had one. They are incredibly peaceful as the traffic noise is completely blocked out, and tourists rarely find the ways into them. Their walls are almost always covered in frescos.
I think I will stop here and have a second post later, I can feel LJ complaining about the weight in photos lol, and I'm being very restrained. On the Tuesday we went to see Michelangelo's David (no photos... again ¬¬ even though people can take one and get told off... even though they keep the photo) stupidly impressive in real life! I'm sure everyone knows David, and getting any picture will not do it justice. I don't know how he did it, but the subtleness of details make it look like the marble statue is actually... fleshy. Every other statue in Florence is impressive, but David is something else.
End of arty-talk. For now :P
(why does the spellchecker stop working half way through LJ writing? ¬¬)
Sooo, on the 4th of October me and my mum set off from Edinburgh airport in the pouring rain to Pisa, Italy! As frantic as you like, as I left the flat only 2 days before, literally sending off job applications as I was walking out the door.
Let's have pictures throughout!
We could see the Alps as we flew down! Very impressive, the picture full size almost does it justice.
We arrived in Pisa, adding an hour, and had trouble getting the bus to Florence (the beginnings of Italian systems... or lack of Italian systems!) The weather was lazy, but a lot bluer and clearer than Scotland!
Hotel Lombardi.... Falco Lombardi... not really :P This was our hotel for the week, it was nice :)
Our first views on Sunday, it was busy! The San Lorenzo Cathedral was always surrounded by street markets selling leather coats, bags, t-shirts, rugs, belts, jewelery, you name it. Even though San Lorenzo was the first place we find being almost next to our hotel, it was the last place we visited!
Look at the blue sky and the terracotta! This was the beginning of my eyes becoming very, very tired from the sheer weight of art and visuals to come.
Our first exhibit, the Palazzo Medici Riccadi. We weren't allowed to take photos inside (this happened a LOT) but we came here first as we had reproduced the major fresco inside in one of our rooms back home. See it here - It is huge, and covers an enitre wall as part of a story spanning around the room. The Palazzo has a beautiful lime tree courtyard which I took too many photos in, as well as a great long ceremony room with a painting ceiling and mirror walls.
I always forget the name of this one, and it was our main landmark for getting around because it's so HUGE. It is the Santa Maria del Fiore catherdral. It is colossal, with a bell tower (414 stairs) and a baptistry next to it, and covered in detailed statues and reliefs. All of them carved by hand in red, white and green marble. The baptistry (the octagonal structure) has 3 main doors each with stories told in bronze relief panels, but one in particular, the Paradise gates, facing the catherdral, are incredibly detailed and always surrounded by crowds.
A summary of markets! The fruit and veg on display were amazing, all locally farmed and brought in, wanted to buy it all. The square was host to a continental arts and crafts market (no wonder I couldn't remember the square's name! The Piazza della Annunziata, now you know)
Also, as Florence is a labyrinth of tiny streets, there were these little cars scooting around! They were awesome! The same length as a Vespa/moped, smaller than a Smart car, three wheels, electric, with one seat. I wanted one :P
This was inside the Basilica della Annunziata, there was a shrine were a supposed miracle had taken place, but I was more drawn to the greatly elaborate Baroque artwork over the ceiling. This open cloister wasn't in the same place, but every chapel and church had one. They are incredibly peaceful as the traffic noise is completely blocked out, and tourists rarely find the ways into them. Their walls are almost always covered in frescos.
I think I will stop here and have a second post later, I can feel LJ complaining about the weight in photos lol, and I'm being very restrained. On the Tuesday we went to see Michelangelo's David (no photos... again ¬¬ even though people can take one and get told off... even though they keep the photo) stupidly impressive in real life! I'm sure everyone knows David, and getting any picture will not do it justice. I don't know how he did it, but the subtleness of details make it look like the marble statue is actually... fleshy. Every other statue in Florence is impressive, but David is something else.
End of arty-talk. For now :P
(why does the spellchecker stop working half way through LJ writing? ¬¬)