Firenze: The Heart of Renaissance Art!

January 1-3, 2023

This was our second time to visit Florence (Firenze in Italian)!  In 2008, Dick, Maggie, Laura (Maggie’s friend) and I went on a whirlwind tour through parts of Europe. As part of this tour, we spent a few hours in Florence.  This time, we were thrilled to have a couple of days, but honestly, a week would be much better!

Our first full day was spent mostly on a walking tour!  Our guide, Tiziana, met us at our hotel (Grand Hotel Adriatico) at 9:30 and off we went!  We learned all about the Medici family’s influence on the city during the 1400’s.  This powerful family’s crest continues to claim many important buildings throughout the historic district!  Medici's were also very supportive of the arts, encouraging others as well as commissioning Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo Buonarroti to do work.  It was amazing to see the Medici family’s church, Basilica di San Lorenzo, which sits adjacent to what was once their home!

As we were walking along one of the streets, Tiziana pointed out a buchette del vino, (wine window) built into the side of one of the buildings.  These little windows have been used for hundreds of years to sell wine without having to open a shop or pay taxes.  I guess Americans didn’t invent the idea of tax evasion!  They were a safe way to be able to sell/buy wine during the epidemic of 1630-33 and … guess what?  Many of them once again were used during Covid!  

Visiting the Duomo di Firenze, the Baptistry of St. John and bell tower alone could fill a day!  It is such a stunning sight to round the corner and see this giant piece of history sitting in front of you!  Today, the brass doors on the Baptistry of St. John are replicas, as the original “Gates of Paradise” are safely stored inside the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo di Santa Maria.  

It was quite the thrill to see the cathedral’s dome!  This massive church sat for over a century without a dome before the commissioning of Filippo Brunelleschi to complete it.  It was quite the engineering marvel and, even today, parts of the construction remain a mystery!

Brandon and Anne were particularly thrilled to walk past Dante’s church!  The custom of sealing your love with a padlock and throwing the key in a river has spread worldwide, including the stone marker outside of this holy place!  

I’m not sure if our gelato stop was an official part of the tour, but it sure was a delicious part!  Tiziana was kind enough to guide us to one of the real, homemade gelato shops Florence has to offer!  We learned to look for the shops where the gelato is not piled high and adorned with fruit.  The high-quality gelato is flat with a cover over the container, as it easily melts without the additives.

The Tower of Palazzo Vecchio is a spot not to miss!  In addition to the tower, here is where you find many famous statues, including a replica of David.  Attached to the tower’s administrative building is a connecting port to the Uffizi, notably one of the most important museums in the world. 

During our first visit here in 2008, I fell in love with Ponte Vecchio.  This massive bridge and its shops are iconic!  In fact, it’s all of the shops and buildings that cling to this bridge that saved it from destruction during WWII.  Hitler didn’t want to waste the bombs that would be required to destroy it when it would leave so much rubble that the allies would still be able to advance across the river.  My dad was here on leave during his time in the Navy and he loved this bridge too!  In fact, Mom and Dad had a set of two decorative plates hung on their wall, one with a painting of Ponte Vecchio on it.  Dad had never believed in credit cards, but when he saw those plates in the store, he loved them so much that Mom and Dad got their first credit card!

It was on this bridge in 2008 that we first heard of the “Love Lock” tradition.  I’m not really sure this is where it began, but it continues to be a huge tradition here today.  This bridge is filled with jewelry shops and the tradition is to purchase your ring, profess your love, and seal it by attaching a padlock on this bridge and tossing the key into the Arno River.  Well, although we are 40 years late, we finally got our loved sealed and that key tossed!

Josh’s choir sang at the 4:30 Mass at the Church of Santa Croce, which is where our tour ended!  I still can’t believe Tiziana spent the entire day showing us all around Florence’s historic area!  Although the tour was officially over, we weren’t done yet with experiencing Florence.  Mass in Santa Croce was amazing and it proved to be a perfect transition period for the evening.

This evening was particularly special as the choir members were scheduled for time with their families!  Following Mass, we met Josh on the steps outside of the cathedral and off we went. It was special to share a meal with all of Brandon’s family and hear stories from Josh on the activities the choir group had been up to.  Of course, in addition to dinner, we found more gelato and made another trip to Ponte Vecchio.  This time at night!  The music of street musicians, the love in the air, the sparkle of the lights in the river and the company of family made this a night not to forget!

The next morning, Dick and I went on a tour of Uffizi, which was amazing.  Honestly, I’ve never been much of a museum gal (give me a national park and a trail), but there is something about this life style that is changing that!  We have been seeing so much and learning so much during these past three years of travel.  It was really amazing to spend a couple of hours in this museum and actually see a few of these precious works of art!  We really had limited time and the museum was incredibly crowded, making it slow to make our way through, but what we did see was stunning.  Our favorite piece was Michelangelo’s “Holy Family with Young John the Baptist”.  This is the only remaining panel painting by Michelangelo that is known to exist in the world!  This painting, completed in 1506, remains in its original frame, thought to be designed by Michelangelo.  Young John the Baptist sits behind the holy family, in a pool of water, symbolizing baptism as separating pagans from Christianity.  Beautiful!

Along the hallways of Uffizi, you get the most beautiful view of Florence!   A peek out the window gives you a view of the Arno River and, more spectacularly, Ponte Vecchio!  Need I say more?

Up next:  Assisi