May 25, 2024 - Classic Italy
Florence: Walking the town
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| Leaving the Galileo Science Museum, we walked over to the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge in Florence. |
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Now on the bridge, which is filled with gold and silver shops. Back in Michelangelo's day, they were butcher shops.
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| Typical jewelry shop. |
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Benvenuto Cellini, the master goldsmith of the Renaissance, looks out over the tourists.
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| Looking north while still on the Ponte Vecchio, with the Duono Dome visible in the distance. |
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| Lynnette had a Gelato and Pizza class north of the Duomo so we walked back through town, here passing the Babtistery. |
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| We walked down this street packed with vendor booths, and tourists. |
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We enter the Piazza dell'Unità Italiana which features the Obelisk of the Fallen in the Wars of Independence. At right is a side view of the the Church of Santa Maria Novella.
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| The monument was commissioned in 1880 by the veterans of the battles of 1848–1849, to commemorate those fallen in the battles of independence from 1821 to 1870. The 15 meter obelisk was erected on May 29, 1882, in a piazza renamed for Italian Unity. With further wars, more plaques were added over the decades. |
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We arrive at the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and the The Church of Santa Maria Novella, after which the square is named.
The church is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, known for its impressive marble façade. Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence, and is the city's principal Dominican church. Enlarged between 1279 and the middle of the 1300s, the facade by Leon Battista Alberti dates to the 1470s and it is the oldest standing facade to still exist in Florence (all of the other main churches had their facades redone or actually finished in more recent times).
Behind it, out of sight, is Florence's train station.
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As you might imagine, the square has a rich history. The piazza was born in 1287 by decree of the Florentine Republic during the years that the Dominican convent and church of Santa Maria Novella was being renewed and enlarged. Right away, the piazza became theater to festivals, tournaments and other contests. The two marble obelisks, each one sitting atop four bronze turtles by Giambologna and topped with a Florentine lily, were the "goal areas" for the "Palio dei Cocchi", a race on chariots similar to the Roman two-horse chariots which started being raced here in 1563.
Across the square, at left, on the side opposite the church, you can see the Loggia of the San Paolo hospital, built at the beginning of the 13th century. In the second half of the 15th century, the hospital was enlarged given the need there was for hosting pilgrims and taking care of the sick. The arches between each column have round glazed terracotta reliefs of saints by Andrea della Robbia. The lunette shaped relief of The Embrace between St. Dominque and St. Francis over the right portal is also by Andrea della Robbia. The hospital no longer exists today - it is now the home of the Novecento Museum, a museum dedicated to contemporary works of art in Florence from the 19th century to today.
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| Several elegant hotels and restaurants overlook the recently cleaned and renovated square. |
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| A nice place to hang out! |
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| Looking across the Arno River at the Church of Saint Fridianus, is a Baroque-style, Roman Catholic church in the Oltrarno section of Florence. It was completed in 1689. |
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| Looking at the south side of the Arno. Our hotel is on the left. |
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| A good look at our hotel while in Venice: the Westin Excelsior. To make up for the scaffolding, they gave everyone in our group a $50 voucher at the bar. We came back one late afternoon after a full day of sightseeing, exhausted, and used our vouchers for a couple of rounds of much-needed adult beverages. We ended up using all of the vouchers on drink, and some food. It was money well spent! |
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| Across the square from the Westin was the St. Regis Hotel where our entire tour group had a very nice dinner. |
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