2015 ITALY Florence 28 - On Foot

We had a short respite and then headed out for our Florence city tour. Its city population is 382,000 (just under the size of Cleveland, Ohio), but the metropolitan area is over a million people. It is the capital of the Tuscany region.

Christina, our tour guide, met us at the hotel. She led us crossed the street onto the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. It was built in the 12th century (medieval times). Although almost all the other bridges and buildings in central Florence were bombed during WW2, somehow the Italians struck an agreement with the Germans to save this one bridge.

Originally it was a food (mostly butchers) and textile (wool and silk) market, but now it is primarily gold dealers. It is covered with openings at the center to see up and down the Arno River. Very crowded with tourists at this time of day.

On the other side of the bridge we saw the beginning of Vasari's (the architect) Corridor which runs over the top of the Ponte Vecchio. The half-mile walkway was built by orders of Cosimo de'Medici in 1565 to connect City Hall (now part of the Uffizi Gallery) to the Pitti Palace (home of the Medici family) on the other side of the bridge. The walkway made it easier and safer for the Medici to cross the Arno in private between business and home. It is not generally open to the public, but is said to have some of the most beautiful art in Italy along that walkway.

After the Medicis had the walkway built the meat purveyors were forced to move to the main square. This was because rotted meat was thrown into the river. It became polluted and smelly and the Medicis did not want any part of that. Later the food market moved even rather away. We would visit that location on our tour.

As we walked to Piazza delia Signoria (the main square of Florence), we passed little businesses of lace, leather shoes and accessories, sweet goods, meat shops, gelato shops (a favorite of Chef John's is called Perché No! or Why Not?), cafes, pizza places, music shops, and more.

When we arrived in the square we saw the Palazzo Vecchio, the current City Hill with its tall bell tower and clock. (This photo was taken from the hotel terrace.)

The square was also filled with beautiful statuary (see four here of the many) and more cafes. There were chalk street painters at work and many, many people.

Turning another corner into the Piazza del Duomo, we saw the jaw-dropping Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (means Sainte Mary of the Flowers) and it was a lovely "flower" to see. I think this was our favorite of all churches we saw in Italy. It is known for its red tile dome, colorful facade in white/green/pink marble, and elegant Giotto tower. Plans to build this duomo began in 1296 and it was finally completed in 1378.

Inside was also magnificent. The dome is 114.5 meters (375.7 feet) tall and tells a colorful tale of the Last Judgement painted by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari. Learn much more about the duomo at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Cathedral and http://www.florenceinferno.com/giorgio-vasari-last-judgement/ .

On this trip we saw a lot of art. But here I especially liked Dante Before the City of Florence by Domenico di Michelino (1465). It shows Dante holding his Divine Comedy with a view of Florence in the background as well as a rendering of his imagined afterlife in the lower left corner.

The baptistry is a separate octagon-shaped building nearby and made of the same materials as the duomo. It was being renovated, so disappointed to miss the mosaic mural decoration inside. We did see the famous gilded bronze Gates of Paradise doors, which took 21 years to complete by artist Lorenzo Ghiberti. They depict the life of Christ from the New Testament. Just beautiful. More baptistry photos at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Baptistery .

Moving on toward the market area we passed the Basilica of St. Lorenzo. It is the burial place of the the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III. It claims to be one of the largest and oldest churches in Florence, consecrated in 393!!! In later additions to the complex, Donatello (interior decoration and sculpture) and Michelangelo (library and new sacristy) had their hands in the design. Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_San_Lorenzo,_Florence

Next we went to the Galleria dell'Accademia of Florence, the first art school in the world. We had little time to visit this extensive art and history museum. We saw many works from the Renaissance period, but our main goal was to see Michelangelo's David. This photo shows a primitive rendering by "Mic" and his nearby David (Biblical hero who slew a giant) spectacularly done in white marble.

No photo could do David justice. He was sculpted between 1501 and 1504 when "Mic" was only 26 years old. He stood outside in the main plaza for about 400 years and due to wear and tear and vandalism was moved this gallery. He is 5 meters (16.4 feet) tall and weighs 5 tons. You can walk completely around the statue to see all the unbelievable detail. A magnificent sight! A feature to notice is his oversized right hand (... and very cute butt). Just not to be missed if you travel nearby.

Now we wandered toward the new market square. On the way we came across the Il Porcellino (Italian for piglet), nickname of the bronze fountain. It is a copy of the original sculpted in 1634. Legend says if you put a coin in the boar's gaping jaws and it falls through the grate below, it will bring good luck. You can also see the well worn snout. Rubbing it assures you will have a return visit to Florence.

It was late in the evening, so the outside stalls surrounding the new Mercato Centrale building were starting to close shop. Things for sale were leather goods of every kind (briefcases, purses, belts, wallets to name a few), clothing, scarfs, souvenirs ... well really just about anything you need or want.

Inside on the second floor was a fabulous court filled with food stalls of all kinds. There were cheeses, cured and fresh meats, pizzas, fresh produce, sweets, seafood and fishmongers, pasta, olive oils, vinegars, dried mushrooms and tomatoes, honey, baked goods, canned goods ...  just all kinds of gastronomic Italian food pleasures. Some sold ingredients to take home and some sold food to eat on the spot. There was even a florist and a small version of an Eataly.

The building itself is the third such market (first the one on the Ponte Vecchio, second in the main city square) and beautiful in architecture. It was built from 1870-74 and in a more Parisian style. It is constructed of cast iron and glass with a mixture of classic and "modern." There are balconies and arches and a glass ceiling. Light fixtures were made of bamboo. It reminded me somewhat of the European train stations we had passed through on a previous trip to Europe. In the middle of it all was a replica statue of David painted in colorful caricatures. He looked as though he was surveying the situation.

After that we ooohed and aaahed our way back to the hotel wandering through the every day and the haute couture shopping districts. Holding hands and strolling back over the Ponte Vecchio, it was dark now, less touristy, more romantic. Just lovely!