ITALY – FLORENCE

JUNE 3-4, 2025

DAY 1

I had booked a ticket to see Michelangelo’s “DAVID”. I headed straight to The Galleria dell’Accademia only to find out I booked it for the next day! My reservation for the Uffizi Gallery was also off by a day. European calendars start on Monday, not Sunday like in Canada. I booked it for the 3rd day on the calendar (our Tuesday) but on their calendar it was Wednesday. Note to self: Pay attention!!

It was not a huge disruption. I booked an extra night at the hostel and had to change my train ticket. There were no charges for the changes. It gave me an extra day in Florence, which turned out to be a good thing. There is LOTS to see! So let’s get at it!

First a note about Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464). The family name comes up again and again throughout Florence. He was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto first ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, establishing the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations. His power derived from his wealth as a banker and intermarriage with other rich and powerful families. He was a patron of arts, learning, and architecture. He spent about $500 million, in today’s money, on art and culture.

BASILICA di SANTA CROCE (Basilica of the Holy Cross) was built over the 13th and 14th centuries. It is the largest Franciscan church in the world. It’s often called the “Temple of Italian Glories”—and for good reason. This is where some of Italy’s greatest minds and artists are buried—among them Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, the poet Foscolo, and the composer Rossini.

Michelangelo’s died in Rome, but Cosimo de’ Medici made sure his remains returned home. He commissioned an elaborate tomb that took 14 years to complete.

Though he died in 1642, Galileo’s tomb wasn’t built until nearly a century later, in 1737. His tomb faces Michelangelo’s across the nave. It’s adorned with allegorical figures representing Astronomy and Geometry. It also includes the tomb of his daughter, Maria Celeste.

Dante’s remains still lie in Ravenna. Florence tried for years to reclaim his remains. Here in Santa Croce, an empty sarcophagus stands in his honor.

A grand statue of Dante was erected outside the church in 1865 for his 600th birth anniversary.

There were also some nice medieval floor tombs, like this one of Knight Biordo Ubertini.

The church contains some of the earliest stained-glass windows in Florence. Many of the 16 chapels, as well as the high altar chapel of the church, contain well preserved late 13th and 14th century stained-glass windows.

There was a small treasury that held a part of St. Francis cloak.

And another Thorn from the crown of thorns.

The church has three cloisters.

As I was going out into the cloisters, I could hear a choir singing. A large group of people were gathered at the entrance of a small side chapel. I went over and saw what looked to be a choir practicing. I went in and sat on one of the side benches. As they sang, they moved around the space, capturing the right acoustic for the specific baritone or tenor. It seemed to echo and reverberate, rise and fall, fade in and out as they moved. It was totally mesmerizing. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I always seem to luck out on such things. I got a good video of it.

I took the long, hot hike up to PIAZZALE MICHELANGELO (Michelangelo Square). As the name suggests, this hilltop terrace was built in 1869 to honor Michelangelo. It features bronze copies of his most famous works, including “David”, along with the four allegorical figures from the Medici Chapel. (There’s that family name again) While the originals are in marble, these bronze replicas were hauled up the hill by nine pairs of oxen. Heavy business.

The view was incredible. I could see the Cathedral and its dome, along with the Giotto Bell Tower and Old Palace. I could also see the Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge”) crossing the Arno River.

I carried on further up the hill to see SAN MINIATO al MONTE (St. Minias on the Mountain). It stands on one of the highest points in the city. Alas, it was closed. I needed the exercise though, right?

I did walk through the cemetery and enjoyed some of the wonderful tombstones.

I took a different route back down. This brought me through GIARDINO DELLA ROSE (The Rose Garden).

I ran into a fellow flower-freak trying to take a picture of a unique blossom. (Feijoa flower)

When I finally reached the bottom of the hill, I stopped for lunch in a lovely little outdoor cafe. I love Italy!

After lunch, I walked along the walls of FORTE de BELVEDERE, up another hill, to Boboli Gardens. I did not stop in the Fort, but I will say a bit about it. It is the largest fortress to be built in Florence. It was ordered by the Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici and built between 1590-1595. It served more as a show of wealth than a stronghold. Even though it was built on on the highest hill of the Boboli Gardens, it was considered one of the weakest spots, as far as defenses go. It was good enough to protect the government, Pitti Palaca and the Medici family if the city came under attack, though. It served as a garrison for troops for over 100 years.

GIARDINO de BOBOLI (Boboli Gardens) was a maze of paths and gardens.

The Gardens were built for the sole pleasure of the Medici family behind Pitti Palace in the mid 1500s. The gardens opened to the public in 1766. Expanded throughout the years, they now cover 11 acres.

There are statutes

fountains

grottos

and temples throughout the gardens.

I wish I had spent more time wandering around as it was very refreshing on a hot day. But PALAZZO PITTI was waiting.

I had to walk through the garden amphitheatre to approach the palace.

There is a huge fountain nestled in the fore-court of the palace. (but its on the back of the palace)

The palace was built in 1458 by the Florentine banker Luca Pitti and bought by the Medici family in 1549. They added to it and built the gardens and Fort. It grew into a great treasure house amassing all sorts of luxurious items. Napoleon used the palace as a power base during his conquests of Europe.

The palace and its contents were donated to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919 and is now the largest museum complex in Florence.

The main gallery (PALATINE GALLERY) has over 500 predominantly Renaissance paintings, by famous artists such as Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, that were once part of the Medici’s, and later occupants, private art collection. There are 28 rooms in the gallery. There are so many paintings they overflow into the 14 private apartments. The works are displayed as they would have been displayed by the owners.

Every corner seemed to be jammed with something. It was hard to take it all in.

For all the opulence and grandeur, it was the dwarf NANO MORGANTE who caught my eye. How could he not!

His real name was Braccio di Bartolo. His nickname came from a giant mentioned in a poem. He was the favorite of the five dwarves of the Medici court, and was the buffoon and court jester. They probably would have thrown him against a Velcro wall if it had been invented at the time. A guy’s gotta make a living….

flip side of same canvas.

I had a snack in the courtyard before carrying on.

It was getting late, and I was really hot, so I strolled back toward my hostel. I still managed to take in some interesting local scenes.

I saw my perfect car. It was so cute and girlie. I loved it!

My hat was too hot so when I saw this pretty one, I thought I’d buy it. But not for 330 Euro!!

A street fountain

A religious fresco over a liquor store. Holy wine, I guess.

I crossed over the the PONTE VECCHIO (Old Bridge). The first bridge in this location was mentioned in 996. It was swept away twice by flooding and rebuilt. in 1565 Cosimo I de’ Medici had the VASARI CORRIDOR built above it so he could move from the government offices in Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace / Town Hall) and Pitti Palace without mingling with the people. The entire corridor is nearly 1 kilometer (.62 mi) long.

It was common, back in the day, to have shops built on the bridge. In this case, it was all butchers. But in order to add prestige and less stink to the bridge, the butchers were excluded and only goldsmiths and jewellers were allowed to have shops. A tradition that remains today.

It took me a moment to realize I was on the bridge.

I like pigs, so when I saw these cute little pigs in a shop window, I had to ask how much they were. I knew they were out of my league when the shop owner had to open a vault to get at them. The little ones were 155 Euro, the bigger ones were 325 Euro.

I walked past a realtor office and saw an apartment for 10,000 Euro a month

I peeked into a couple of building’s courtyards. Maybe this is why they cost so much.

I noticed that the 60s fashions are making a comeback.

Even the public bathrooms have cool art.

I had enough for the day and was happy to see that my hostel was on a lovely street lined with outdoor cafes.

DAY 2

I headed straight to THE GALLERIA DELL’ACCADEMIA. The guides recognized me from the day before. I was finally going to see DAVID!

Since everyone had a timed ticket and hoards of people all entered at once, and considering everyone headed straight for DAVID, I held back. I went into some of the side galleries in hopes of the crowds thinning so I could take better pictures and have a better view. It was a wise choice.

The ABDUCTION of a SABINE WOMAN is made from a single block of white marble. The statue was made for Francesco de’ Medici by Giambologna to impress the Medici family. It established his career and reputation.

It stands 4.1 metres (13.45 ft) high. The three figures are life sized and composed of an upward snakelike spiral movement. This creates a different view depending on which angle you look at it. There is no dominant viewpoint.

The story behind the sculpture is that Rome needed more women to help populate the city. They set about to kidnap women from the surrounding region. This depiction is of a Roman seizing a young woman from her father, who is being pushed down by the younger man. The woman is reaching her right hand, trying to grasp for help. It was very realistic and you could almost feel the struggle emanating from the stone.

There was a display of musical instruments including a Stradivarius violin, harpsicords and a Hurdy Gurdie. I did not know it was an actual thing.

The gallery leading up to DAVID had Michelangelo’s HALL of PRISONERS. There are four unfinished statues that were intended to be part of the tomb for Pope Julius II della Rovere. The Pope ran out of money before they could be completed. It is believed that Michelangelo purposely left them incomplete as a representation of man’s struggle to free himself from the bindings of material things, as represented by the weight of the marble.

Some parts were polished, while other parts were still part of the block of marble. I could see chisel marks trying to free the man. I was beginning to feel the message invoked by a master sculptor. It was brilliant!

DAVID. I have wanted to see this sculpture ever since I heard about it. It is more magnificent than pictures can capture. Firstly, it is carved from a single, massive block of Carrara marble. It is 5.17 meters (17 ft) tall. He completed the 8.5-ton masterpiece between 1501 and 1504 from a discarded and partially worked piece of stone into one of the Renaissance’s most iconic masterpieces. The block of marble had a flawed appearance and had already been partially worked by two other sculptors who deemed it unworkable. 

I spent a great deal of time walking around and around the sculpture, taking in every detail. Even the hands had the look of a strong young man about to slay the giant Goliath. The artist captured every detail of muscle and veins.  Michelangelo had said he was merely liberating figures that were already existing in the stone, and that he could see them in his mind’s eye.

 The statue was initially next to the entrance to the Palazzo della Signoria, but it was moved to its current location in 1873 to protect it from damage. A replica now stands where this one once did.

The BARTOLINI GALLERY was nearby. It was interesting not just for the hundreds of busts that lined the walls

or the life-like statues

It explained how the sculptors were able to make them so perfectly proportional. The little dots on this sculpture show the marker points so the sculptor could measure from one reference point to another.

I still had a couple of hours before my timed ticket at Uffizi Gallery, so I went to see the FLORENCE CATHEDRAL and GIOTTO’S BELL TOWER.

I had to stand in a long queue that went right around to the backside of the building. Amazingly, it did not take a long time and I had a lovely chat with 3 women from the USA while we took in the basilica’s green, pink and white polychrome marble panels.

The cathedral broke ground in 1296 and was completed in 1436. The dimensions of the building are enormous: building area 8,300 m² (89,340 sq ft), length 153 m (502 ft), width 90 m (300 ft). The height of the arches in the aisles is 23 m (75 ft). The height of the dome is 114.5 m (375.7 ft). It has the 5th tallest dome in the world.

The half octagonal shape of the three apses was intended to form of a flower, as a homage to Fiorenza, the “city of flowers”.

GIOTTO’S BELL TOWER was started in 1334 but not completed until 1359. It has a square base of about 15 meters (49.2 feet) on each side, and 84.7 m (278 ft) high. It is possible to climb the 414 steps to the top, but I did not have a pre-purchased ticket and the queue was very long.

Across from the Cathedral was the BAPTISTERY of ST. JOHN. It was consecrated in 1059 by Pope Niccolò II. It is an octagonal building 25.6 metres (84 feet) across.

I overheard a guide telling her group about this set of doors that were gold gilded. She said the originals were inside, along with two other sets of bronze doors, with equally beautiful reliefs. She also said the ceiling had a spectacular mosaic with an enormous figure of Christ the Judge between the Paradise of the blessed and Hell of the damned. Well, let’s go have a look.

I purchased my 22 Euro ticket and entered. The entire middle was covered with scaffolding and tarps. The lady behind me commented, “They could have at least given us a discount.” I could only get a picture of a picture of the ceiling mural. How disappointing.

There was a section over an alter that gave a hint at how beautiful the full ceiling must look.

Most of the magnificent marble “carpets” of the floor were also hidden. Apparently they were inspired by the Middle Eastern textiles traded by the Merchants Guild. It did look like a smattering of carpets. 

There was no sign of the bronze or gilded doors.

There were thousands of people mulling about the PIAZZA del DUOMO (Cathedral Square). There were ambulances parked off to the side, at the ready.

The exterior of the BASILICA of SAN LORENZO was rather plain

but it did have some unique modern sculptures around it.

Inside was a small treasury / gallery that had both religious antiques and I don’t know what the hell this was.

There are two chapels sponsored by the Medici family. The SAGRESTIA NUOVA (New Sacristy was never entirely finished because the architect, Michelangelo, went to Rome and the family was temporarily exiled. The chapel was meant to have four tombs, only two were built. This one is for Lornezo de’ Medici, Duke of Urbino.

The Cappella dei Principi (‘Chapel of the Princes’) is the mausoleum of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany and their families. The octagonal room is 28 metres (92 ft) wide and topped by a dome which reaches a height of 59 metres (194 ft).

It was absolutely stunning! The lower part of the walls are marble with colored marbles and precious stones inlaid into them. They were so cleverly done, some looked 3D.

The floors were done the same, but on a grander scale.

Six grand sarcophagi are empty (the remains are interred in the crypt below). The niches hold portrait sculptures of various Medici.

There are coats of arms of the Tuscan cities that the Medici controlled along the walls. They are works of art in themselves.

As I made my way along to my timed ticket for the Uffizi Gallery, I came across BADIA FIORENTINA MONESTARO. It is an ancient abbey founded in 978. I did not go in, but the foyer had a bronze statue of homeless Jesus with an inscription saying, “I was naked and you clothed me.” It was a powerful image.

I walked past the MUSEO NAZIONALE del BARGELLO.

I took in the beautiful detail above the doors of another building.

I continued to walk while countless others sat in the shade of buildings.

I finally reached PIAZZA della SIGNORIA. The Square is surrounded by palaces and historical buildings.

PALAZZO VECCHIO (Old Palace) is one of those buildings. Built in 1299, it was the political heart of the Florentine Republic for centuries. There is a museum inside, but again, I did not go in.

The FOUNTAIN of NEPTUNEne (Fontana del Nettuno) is situated in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. It was commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1559 to celebrate the marriage of his son Francesco to Grand Duchess Joanna of Austria.

It was built between 1560 and 1574 and incorporates a series of mythological figures and iconographies that symbolize Cosimo I de’ Medici’s power.

A replica of DAVID stood nearby, as well as the original HERCULES and CACUS. The two statues, placed next to each other, fit nicely into the Medici idea of spiritual and physical strength. The victorious the family and the vanquished republicans. A reminder that the Medici family could be either lenient or not.

LOGGIA dei LANZI is a building kitty-corner to the palace and fountain. It adjoins Uffizi Gallery. It has three very high and wide arches. Beneath the open bay stood about a dozen statues. People sat on benches within and around the masterpieces, as if they were nothing in particular. It was mind blowing to be in such a magical surrounding.

Some of the statues were the original Abduction of the Sabine Women, Ajax carrying the body of Achilles,

Hercules and the Centaur

Perseus with the head of Medussa

The wide arches appealed so much to the Florentines that Michelangelo suggested that they should be continued all around the Piazza della Signoria. They are not.

NOTE TO SELF: I MUST return to Florence. It has more to offer than I anticipated.

In the middle of the square there was a large (3.6 metre / 12 ft) large gold-coloured statue of a young woman looking at her cell phone, with her back turned to the Old Palace, Neptune Fountain and Loggia dei Lanzi. It is called TIME UNFOLDING. By placing it amidst classical works with its back turned to them, the modern figure is meant to challenge viewers to rethink who is worthy of commemoration.

I found it to be found it to be a sad sign of the times, where we are more attached to our phones than to what is right in front of us. Why take in the Neptune Fountain, when I can just Google it. I found it disturbing.

As mentioned earlier, I had a timed ticket to UFFIZI GALLERY, with a guide.

She was very good and explained a lot of minute details about art in general and specific things. Such as, why does baby Jesus always look like an old man? It was to symbolize his wise and unchangeable nature, right from birth. Also, considering artists used a real person to paint as a subject, how could they paint the kid down the street without upsetting a lot of people? That kid ain’t no angel, he’s a little …….

She also explained the symbolism in famous pictures like The Annunciation. If you look at it square on, Mary’s hand looks a bit deformed.

The picture was meant to hang high on a wall. When we squatted down, her hand looked normal.

I don’t remember all the details she told us, but it sure opened my mind to look closer at paintings. Every object and gesture mean something.

She showed us the passageway that the Medici’s used to go from their home palace to the government building.

I don’t know who this guy is but he looked like a monk footballer objecting to the yellow card.

OTHER THINGS OF NOTE: There are lots of tiny cars. Perfect for the narrow streets.

Even some delivery trucks are tiny.

I came across a shop that had funky dishes, salt & pepper shakers, and serving bowls.

The train system in Italy is amazing. I was not able to exchange my cheap train ticket to Bologna for the next day. I had to upgrade. It was only $58 vs $18. I had an assigned seat in carriage 5. The platform told me exactly where to stand.

Even though I left Florence later, I made it to Bologna at the same time as the cheap ride. This train was moving fast. Bologna was just an overnight stay on my way to San Marino.