January 23: Fiesole nelle Colline

I can see that some of you have figured out how to access my Flickr slideshows and view my photos that way! Bravo, my friends, bravo. Obviously I haven't been very timely about my posts here, and for that I apologize. That herniated disc has kept me from being especially productive. I am, however, feeling loads better now. I have also finished my classes and made it to Venice. You'll get to see lots of photos from here! But first, we must backtrack to Fiesole.

It's easy to get to Fiesole: catch the number 7 bus from central Florence and let it take you away from the busy sidewalks and the tightly-packed buildings, wind and rumble up the hills to the north of the city, and arrive in the quiet, open Piazza Mino, with the slope of the hill facing Florence on one side and the Duomo and belltower prominent on the other.





It was incredibly cold when Mom and I were there, and being on top of a hill, it was quite windy as well. During the hot summer months, Fiesole has been a popular vacation spot for wealthy Florentines for this very reason; even in Roman times, the rich kept summer homes here to escape the heat of the valley. It was once an Etruscan settlement, evidenced by the walls and artifacts preserved in its several museums; known then as Faesulae, it was conquered by the Romans in the early 3rd century BCE.

Speaking of the Romans, Fiesole's oldest outdoor attraction is a Roman amphitheater and surrounding ruins.



Overlooking the rolling Tuscan hills, the theatre is more than two thousand years old and can seat that same number of people. Not only can you walk around in it, but it is still used for theatrical productions to this day!



Oh, yes, and our tour guide was a cat.



I'm not kidding. He was always either just ahead of my mother and me or right on our heels as we followed the paths through the ruins, occasionally going off the trail and giving us disapproving looks when we did not follow.







The other side of the ruins are a bit less interesting, but the remains of pillars and the foundations of buildings can still be seen.





Included in the price of admission to the theatre is a museum that contains Etruscan and Roman artifacts—art, coinage, and weapons, as well as human and animal remains. The gift shop had pots and pitchers made to look just like the ancient Etruscan ones.

From the side of the hill facing the valley, there was an unbelievable view of Florence, where the highest buildings in the city just barely reached up through the haze.



It's probably an even better view when it's clear, but whatever.

If you head all the way up to the top of the hill, you find the church and monastery of San Francesco. Beneath the church is a quaint but still interesting ethnographic museum kept by the monks, which includes ancient books and religious items, an array of art and curios from China (many sent home to Italy by Catholic missionaries), and Roman, Etruscan, and Egyptian archaeological findings (highlights include yet another mummy, and an in-situ Etruscan wall).







Lastly is Fiesole's Duomo in the town's main piazza. It is fairly drab inside and out, but like many of these old churches, there is a kind of serenity to the austere brick and stone. It is meditative in its simplicity—all the better to appreciate the mathematics of the space.



And that is all from Fiesole! I won't divulge the contents of my next planned post, but if all goes as planned, it will make you want to lick your computer screen.

Until next time! Ciaociao!

January 21: Il Battistero, e Firenze di Notte

My mother came to visit for a week at the end of January, but because I am doing this thing in a mostly chronological fashion, those adventures must be left for another time. I mention it because I went into the Duomo's Baptistery while I was waiting for her to arrive.

The Baptistry sits at the west of the Piazza del Duomo and is one of the oldest buildings still standing in Florence. The structure itself dates to the 11th century; the bronze north doors, by Ghiberti, to 1401, effectively marking the very beginning of the Renaissance. The ceiling, a mosaic made of Venetian glass, was made in the 1200s.



Like the frescoes in the Renaissance dome of the neighboring cathedral, the mosaic depicts the Last Judgment.



The marble walls and almost all of the windows are gilded and decorated.



I left the Baptistry and went to meet my mother at the station. We proceeded to have a very busy weekend (including, but not limited to, the last day of a special Bronzino exhibit in Palazzo Strozzi, the lavish rooms and the Modern Art museum at Palazzo Pitti, and a day trip to Fiesole, which I will share with you soon), but because it's all too much to write about at once, I will beg once more for your patience and tide you over with some shots from the last few weeks of Florence by night.

The Arno after sunset:



Piazza Santa Maria Novella:



Palazzo Vecchio, from Piazza della Signora:



The streets begin to clear as the temperature drops:



Piazza della Reppublica:



It's not hard to see why I love this city so much.

Ponte Vecchio ed il Giardino di Boboli

Well, it's been so long that I can't even remember the date that we went to the Boboli Gardens, but the photos have been sitting on my harddrive for ages. Anyway, as you can surely see, I am, as a matter of fact, not dead; I slipped a disc in my neck two weeks ago and thus haven't been able to do much photo editing or much photography. Or much of anything at all. I am on the mend at last, though.

The Boboli Gardens are the ultimate back yard, constructed behind the palace where the Medici family (and many subsequent rulers of Florence and Tuscany) resided. They span 11 acres and include sculptures, terraces, and cats.

I didn't photograph a whole lot of greenery, being generally more interested in the preserved art and sculptures.







As you go up to the higher areas of the garden, you find an amazing view of Florence.





Buontalenti's Grotto is easy to miss, tucked away to the left of the entrance, but it's worth hunting for.





Did I mention that there were cats?



Earlier in the day, I walked around Ponte Vecchio.









That's all for now!

Oops...

Ciao, tutti!

I am very sorry for the long break since the last update. My internet access is a bit unreliable, plus my mother arrived last Friday (we've been very busy with sightseeing, and I hope to share all of that with you soon), and on top of all of that, I have hurt my neck and can't do much of anything right now. Once I am recovered, expect some treats from Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Garden, Santa Maria Novella, and Fiesole.

<3 Thanks for your patience. Dopo, ciao!

12 January: Sul Duomo, Sopra il Mondo

After falling down a flight of stairs at a restaurant yesterday (this was before the wine-tasting, thank you very much), I did wonder if attempting to climb the Duomo's 463 steps was the smartest of ideas. Thankfully, my ego was the only part of me that was hurt in the incident, and not only was today's weather magnificent, but there was no line to get in, either! How could I pass it up?

The entrance to the cupola is hidden away on one side of the cathedral, where you pay, receive your ticket, and then start the long climb. How long is it? Well, I didn't count the number or keep track of the time, but there are signs all over the ticket booth warning you that if you have a heart condition, you should not attempt it. The signs say that there are 463 steps, plus some additional walking as you circle the inside of the dome or go between staircases.

The staircases are narrow stone-and-brick passageways lit by electric lights and windows at regular intervals. At first, the stairway structure is rectangular, but it soon becomes a tight spiral. Along the way, you stop off at a few rooms with statues and art and so on.



More staircases and passageways.





A bit before the halfway point, you circle around inside of the dome, with an excellent view of the frescoes painted therein. From the ground, due to the distance and the angle, they're pretty hard to see, but from here, it's much easier to absorb the details.



Although you can't see the entire work in this photo (I was shooting over a plastic barrier and couldn't get an angle that would capture all of it), the fresco depicts the Last Judgment and was painted by two artists, Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, from 1572 to 1579. (The structure of the dome itself, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, was built between 1420 and 1436.)

For a little perspective, you can see how high up I am at this point:



(Shot through the plastic barrier, hence the lousy colors.)

You follow a catwalk about halfway across the interior of the dome, and then go up...



... and up...



and up.



In this shot you can see that you are entering the upper part of the dome, as the surface begins to curve.

Now, I'm proud to say that I am in decent shape at this point in my life, and while I was not huffing and puffing like some of the tourists that I passed in the corridors, my legs were aching by the time I reached the top. It was quite the workout!

Anyway--at last you come to a short but extremely steep bit of stairs that is more of a ladder than a staircase, leading up through a hole only a few feet in diameter, and once you haul yourself up through that, you emerge at the top of the dome to what is certainly one of the most beautiful cityscapes in the world.



In the above shot, there is the Church of Santa Croce on the far left, and behind it, Piazzale Michelangelo. The Arno river is also visible if you look for it.

Facing the opposite direction, the stunning Tuscan hills...



... and looking down, the shadow of the Duomo and the belltower to the left.



Capelle Medici to the right, the Church of Santa Maria Novella to the left, and the train station (Stazione Santa Maria Novella) in the middle.



Looking down again, the body of the cathedral, and the belltower.



Like I said, the weather was just astounding. There was hardly any wind, so I was quite warm, even all the way up on the roof! The sky was wonderful as well.



On the way back down, you could stop and look at some of the old tools and mechanisms used for building and restoring the cathedral.

Finally on the ground again—how small it looks from down here!



That's all for now. I don't have any specific plans for what's next, but there are still many, many places in Florence that I have not seen, so rest assured that our adventures are far from over. Until next time, ciaociao!