Globus, Part Two: FLORENCE
When I last wrote, I was in the Swiss Alps on top of the world. Well, not really, I was in Sydney going through the photos I took months ago. Today, I'm departing cold wintery Sydney and re-living my time in Italy. Was Florence really eight months ago? I want to go back.
Morning sun, Firenze.
Bicycles outside Basilica of Santa Croce (I think this photo began the series of bike photos I took on my travels)
The hectic pace of the Globus Tour kept up as we left Switzerland and headed into Italy. Drove through some truly gorgeous Tuscan countryside, the weather becoming warmer as we left the Alps and descended back to a normal altitude. Autumnal Tuscany was beautiful. I wish we could have spent a few nights in the countryside.
Our first stop in Italy was the leaning tower of Pisa, the obligatory photo stop for all coach tours. The tower itself wasn't particularly exciting, but mum and I spent our time in the cathedral (The Duomo di Pisa) and that was truly magnificent - one of those experiences that I remember vividly from the trip. We were both quite overwhelmed with emotion to be there. I'm sure it had something to do with a lack of sleep, but mostly it was the excitement of being in Tuscany, surrounded by so much amazing art. For a couple of art history nerds, we had both dreamt of going to Italy for years. We were a bit awe-struck realising that we were finally actually there.
Obligatory tourist photo. :)
Inside the cathedral:
Construction on it began in 1064!
Next, we were very excited to be on our way to Florence (Firenze), the heart of the Italian Renaissance!
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Majestic, a rather posh old-fashioned place, that was walking distance from everything! This was the view from our room. I wanted to stop and spend the week there.
The Ponte Vecchio:
When we went out exploring after dinner, it was sprinkling a little, but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. In fact, I think it added a touch of magic.
Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise":
In the heart of Florence is this magnificent building, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore:
Inside the cathedral:
With Brunelleschi's dome.
Brunelleschi's solutions were 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.[3] 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. To ensure this, Brunelleschi used horizontal tension chains of wood and iron set at the base of the dome.
This enormous construction weighs 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks. He made several models and drawings of details during the construction. Brunelleschi had to invent special hoisting machines and lewissons for hoisting large stones. These specially designed machines and brilliant masonry techniques were Brunelleschi's spectacular contribution to architecture. The ability to transcribe a circle on a cone face within the innermost double-shelled wall makes the self-sustaining "horizontal" arch construction possible, since geometrically, a circular plan is needed for such an erection.
Giotto's Belltower:
David
Michelangelo's David is in inside a museum where you can't take photos. This is a replica placed outside the Houses of Parliament where the original David once stood.
Fountain of Neptune, Piazza della Signoria
Piazza di Santa Croce
We were taken on a tour of the city by a local tour guide and I learned a lot and tried to soak up as much as I could. It was all so wonderful. It's fun looking back on this photos and reading more of the history via wikipedia. I think we only had one night in Florence (!) and then the next afternoon we were off to Rome! But I'll save Rome for another day.
[Full set of Firenze photos]
Morning sun, Firenze.
Bicycles outside Basilica of Santa Croce (I think this photo began the series of bike photos I took on my travels)
The hectic pace of the Globus Tour kept up as we left Switzerland and headed into Italy. Drove through some truly gorgeous Tuscan countryside, the weather becoming warmer as we left the Alps and descended back to a normal altitude. Autumnal Tuscany was beautiful. I wish we could have spent a few nights in the countryside.
Our first stop in Italy was the leaning tower of Pisa, the obligatory photo stop for all coach tours. The tower itself wasn't particularly exciting, but mum and I spent our time in the cathedral (The Duomo di Pisa) and that was truly magnificent - one of those experiences that I remember vividly from the trip. We were both quite overwhelmed with emotion to be there. I'm sure it had something to do with a lack of sleep, but mostly it was the excitement of being in Tuscany, surrounded by so much amazing art. For a couple of art history nerds, we had both dreamt of going to Italy for years. We were a bit awe-struck realising that we were finally actually there.
Obligatory tourist photo. :)
Inside the cathedral:
Construction on it began in 1064!
Next, we were very excited to be on our way to Florence (Firenze), the heart of the Italian Renaissance!
We stayed at the Grand Hotel Majestic, a rather posh old-fashioned place, that was walking distance from everything! This was the view from our room. I wanted to stop and spend the week there.
The Ponte Vecchio:
When we went out exploring after dinner, it was sprinkling a little, but it did nothing to dampen our spirits. In fact, I think it added a touch of magic.
Ghiberti's "Gates of Paradise":
In the heart of Florence is this magnificent building, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore:
Inside the cathedral:
With Brunelleschi's dome.
Brunelleschi's solutions were 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.[3] 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. To ensure this, Brunelleschi used horizontal tension chains of wood and iron set at the base of the dome.
This enormous construction weighs 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks. He made several models and drawings of details during the construction. Brunelleschi had to invent special hoisting machines and lewissons for hoisting large stones. These specially designed machines and brilliant masonry techniques were Brunelleschi's spectacular contribution to architecture. The ability to transcribe a circle on a cone face within the innermost double-shelled wall makes the self-sustaining "horizontal" arch construction possible, since geometrically, a circular plan is needed for such an erection.
Giotto's Belltower:
David
Michelangelo's David is in inside a museum where you can't take photos. This is a replica placed outside the Houses of Parliament where the original David once stood.
Fountain of Neptune, Piazza della Signoria
Piazza di Santa Croce
We were taken on a tour of the city by a local tour guide and I learned a lot and tried to soak up as much as I could. It was all so wonderful. It's fun looking back on this photos and reading more of the history via wikipedia. I think we only had one night in Florence (!) and then the next afternoon we were off to Rome! But I'll save Rome for another day.
[Full set of Firenze photos]