Art Study in Firenze

The idea of me trying to paint or sculpt something is quite amusing. Hilarious, really. I distinctly remember being in the kindergarten, and having my best friend teach me how to properly draw my family. I kid you not, I couldn't even manage to figure that one out. Forget perspective, I'm still working on my smiley faces! Despite being rather artistically challenged, I've always had an appreciation for works of art and have enjoyed learning some art history throughout high school and college. The little knowledge that I had definitely gave me a greater appreciation for everything that I saw on our art study in Florence. 

Santa Maria Novella

The gates of paradise. So beautiful!

Our train for Florence departed bright and early (7:35), which was a little rough, but the first we did when we got to Florence was eat breakfast, so that was nice. I've begun to discover that you can't go anywhere in Italy without eating something. Not that I'm complaining.... :) 

DELICIOUS.

After breakfast, we were ready to seize the day and see as much of Florence as possible. I've seen pictures of Florence, but for some reason, seeing it in person was a completely different experience. The churches are works of art, and seeing them in all their grandeur had a way of making me feel very small. I'll always wonder if that's how Moses felt as he looked at the burning bush, or how the apostles felt at the Sermon on the Mount. These churches took decades to build, and demanded absolute dedication during their construction. I can imagine Brunelleschi pouring over his books, drawing sketch after sketch of Santa Maria del Fiore's dome.

The Duomo

The beautiful facade on the Duomo.

The belltower. We arrived just in time to hear the bells.

All this thinking about art got me thinking about why humans have the desire to reach perfection. Granted, some people get pretty darn close (that becomes very obvious when you walk through the streets of Florence), but why do the rest of even try? There is just something very natural about striving for perfection, or at least appreciating it. It's a subtle (or maybe not so subtle) hint of how small we really are --  that there is another greater perfection if you will, that we instinctively recognize and imitate. All of these things became apparent when I looked up at that cathedral. I can only imagine what I'll feel when I get to go inside!

Another view of the Duomo.

Waiting in line to see the David.

Seeing Michelangelo's David elicited a similar response from me as well. Again, I can't even tell you how many times I've seen pictures of this particular sculpture, but there is nothing like seeing it in person. First of all, David is MUCH taller than I expected. Our tour guide told us so many interesting things about the statue, including the fact that his hands are actually a bit disproportionate. Her guess was that Michelangelo wanted to make him seem more lanky. My interpretation? He was clearly meant to be a pianist. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures inside the Accademia, but this is what we saw along the way.

We came upon this wedding party during our walk.

Our next stop was the Museo di San Marco. I have so much to say about this experience that I will have to save it for another blog post. It was my favorite part of Florence...so far :)

After San Marco, we split up for lunch. Our group found a restaurant called Zà Zà that was featured in my handy dandy Rick Steves' books. Although it was a bit on the touristy side, the atmosphere was really exotic and we had a great time. I tried the homemade pesto, which was delicious. 

PESTO!

Inside Zà Zà.

 

After lunch, we had the rest of the afternoon to do whatever we wanted. I went with a small group to Ponte Vecchio, which is a bridge that  gives everyone a fantastic view of the Arno river. It was a little bit of a walk to get there, but it didn't disappoint. The scenery gave us plenty of photo opportunities and was a great place to enjoy some yummy gelato. 

View from the Ponte Vecchio.

The Arno River.

As we headed back to the train station, I began thinking of all the places that I want to see next time. Florence was definitely the type of city that demands a handful of day trips. There is just so much to soak up and enjoy. I have a feeling this will be the first of many posts about Firenze.

We saw sooo many masks.

A little shop hanging over the river.

Ciao,

Mary