Giovedi 12.02.09

After a very short night, Hilary, Zandi, and I left Arcobaleno at 5:45am to catch a 7am train to Firenze (or Florence in English)! We struggled to stay awake so that we might catch glimpses of the Tuscan countryside but soon succumbed to sleep. Awoke three and a half hours later to find ourselves in the capital of Tuscany itself.

Trekked over to our hostel on Borga dei Greci and were met by a lovely woman who showed us to our country-charm room. No time to relax however because we had 11:30am reservations to see Michelangelo's David. It's housed in Galleria dell'Accademia along with some antique musical instruments and some alter pieces. They are all overshadowed by David who stands 17ft tall and practically makes tourists fall over with awe every single day. Literally, I turned the corner and Boom! there he was. Visually, the detail was superbly accurate and made it intensely difficult to comprehend that it had been rendered from one huge piece of marble. However, I didn't connect emotionally with the statue like I had with some of Michelangelo's other work. I found the eyes to be cold, giving the piece an aimless/bored quality which detracts from its overall presence. I also thought that David's stance, with his weight on his back foot, contradicted the detail given to the bulging veins and taut muscles which, when viewed singularly, gives the impression that he is tense and ready to move at a moments notice (which fits in with the interpretation that Michelangelo meant the statue to depict the time right after David had made the conscious decision to fight Goliath but before the actual battle) It was later on when I learned the story of what the statue represents for Florence that I became so grateful to have seen it in person: Just like David unexpectedly conquered Goliath using his intellect and innocence, so could Florence defend its civil liberties, threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the Medici themselves.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the Galleria degli Uffizi which houses Botticelli's famous "Birth of Venus". I loved spending time here because I find his female forms to be beautiful in a rare, wise and welcoming way. My favorite was actually "Primavera" which depicts Venus standing in the center of a wood surrounded by Mercury, the Three Graces, Cupid, and The Wind Zephyr in pursuit of Chloris.

The majority of the art was Catholicism-related and soon I was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of "Assumption" and "Madonna and Child". I have seen Mary depicted with blonde hair, brown hair, long hair, with halo, without halo, with red cloak, with blue cloak, looking happy, sad, serious, and bored. No surprise that my favorite Annunciation was done by da Vinci. I also fell in love with his Adoration of the Magi.

Constantly feeling reverent really tires me out so we adjourned to the Piazza della Repubblica for a very late lunch, after which we strolled through the nearby market that sold leather goods, venetian masks, and florentine paper. If you didn't find something you liked there, it didn't matter because there are leather shops every 10 feet and around every corner. Add the fine jewelry shops on the Ponte Vecchio and you have a shopper's paradiso!

We ended the night with a great dinner across town and dancing at a discoteca (not planned, but the bouncers started talking to us as we walked by and let us in for free...First experience of Italians being superforward)

Venerdi 13.02.09

Started the day off with the Duomo, located in the center of town. In contrast to Milano's Duomo, it was open and simpler in adornments. I focused on the cupola which was painted like the circles of Heaven, Earth, and Hell. Hell was pretty frightening with naked sinners surrounded by red fire, Earth was tiny and represented by patches of green hills, and Heaven was splendid with Jesus at the center emitting a golden light. I didn't go up into the cupola however, refused to pay the 8 euro. Every part (including the Baptistry, Tower, and Tombs) beside walking through the front doors had an expensive entry fee and I hated the feeling of commercialism that dripped from the rafters. It's a church! And people had to pay an entry fee just to pray because they only kept pews and confessionals in a small section off to one side! Disgusting.

Zandi did not share my sentiments and so went up to enjoy the views of the city from the cupola. Meanwhile, Hilary and I enjoyed a gelato with fresh strawberries and peoplewatched. It was immensely amusing to guess where people were from - the kids wearing Northfaces were always definitely American. Then we strolled in the direction of the Ponte Vecchio, which means literally "Old Bridge". Imagine that. My favorite part of the day, and perhaps the whole trip, was the fifteen minutes we spent walking along the river enjoying the sunshine and taking pictures of each other with the gorgeous scenery as our backdrop. It was then that I best felt the charm of the city.

Of course we then made our way onto the bridge, the jewelry was beckoning! We had to be careful not to leave noseprints on the glass of each window because inevitably there was at least 5 pieces that we swore we couldn't live without. Hilary ended up being the one that gave into the temptation and purchased a delicate 24kt gold pinky ring that sparkled with drops of white gold across the lattice work. Stunning!

Florence was filled with highs and lows i.e. our shopping high was ruined by a terrible restaurant and rude waiter at lunch. We consoled ourselves with gelato from Gelateria Santa Trinita. GO. THERE. They have their own self-titled flavor which is absolute perfection made with mascarpone cheese with nutella. TO. DIE. FOR.

Our last stop was a tour of the Basilica di Santa Croce. Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Dante are all buried here and it is thus known as the "Pantheon of the Italian Glories". We actually didn't know this at first...we were just silly girls looking for the Leather School. Much of the interior was under construction but there was no hiding how awesome the structure is. It was built in the shape of an Egyptian cross and the ceiling is open beamed and painted in Egyptian style as well. Tombs are built into the floor so as you walk you have to be careful not to step on anyone (That really freaked Hilary and I out). The main tombs line the walls and each feature sculptures of mourning women leaning on the sarchopoghi. Each woman, about one and half times larger than life size, represents an important attribute of the deceased i.e. Michelangelo's tomb had three women: Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. I have never seen something like this before and found the personification to be a great and meaningful tribute.

Winding our way through the cathedral, we arrived at the Leather School. Originally, it was founded by the Franciscan friars as an opportunity to give orphans of WWII a means to learn a practical trade. As time went by, the quality of craftmanship that came from the school became known worldwide. Princess Diana has been there to watch the tanners at work and Dwight Eisenhower had a leather desk set hand-crafted for the Oval Office. Usually tourists aren't allowed to watch the kids learning but a lovely woman that worked in the shop let us down into the courtyard to peek in through the windows of the workshop! Leather is definitely one of my favorite mediums, hence my new leather jacket, gloves, and bag.

After that last high, our time in Firenze had ended and we made our way back to the train station to depart for Milano.