Florence day two

16 June 2008

This morning we visited the Palazzo Pitti which, in time, would become the seat of the House of Medici - one of the most prominent historical families of both Florence and the Renaissance period which gave rise to such marvels as the Uffizi Gallery. We had initially hoped to visit the Royal Apartments but in a deficit of research had not realised that they are closed on Mondays. So we confined ourselves to visiting the Boboli Gardens at the rear of the Palace.

Statue and Cuppola of the Duomo in Florence, ItalyWhen we finished at the Palazzo Pitti, we recrossed the Arno river to visit the interior of the Cathedral and the Bapistry. Both structures are ornate in their decoration.

Entering the Duomo, the cavernous interior the lack of pews on the interior of Cathedral enhances the already vast impression of space in vast interior. The Cuppola of Cathedral is nothing if not enormous in its depiction of the Last Judgement, by Vasari and Zuccaro, which was cleaned as part of a restoration programme in 1995. While it is possible to climb the cuppola, we elected not to do so this time - for reasons I won't go into on this website. From experience, I can inform you that the views both close up of the decoration of the dome itself and the city views from the lantern are magnificent. And well worth the effort.

Cieling of the Baptistry in Florence, Italy Following the Duomo, we visited the Bapistry directly opposite the Duomos main entrance in Piazza San Giovanni. The Bapistry, in which every Catholic Florentine was baptised until the 19th Century, is noted for its hugely impressive doors and amazing cieling. One of the oldest buildings in the city - the Romanesque structure was built in the 10th Century between 1059 and 1128. The cieling was mainly the work of unnamed Venetian craftsmen. The doors, by Ghilberti in the 15th century were called the "Gates of Paradise" by the famous Michelangelo. High praise indeed and, in my opinion, probably not far from the truth.

After lunch at La Madia (Via del Giglio, 14) which does an enjoyable line in Carpaccio of beef, we headed to the train station in an effort to get to Pisa for the afternoon. We hadn't, of course, realised that there was a train strike on today so, having clarified the situation, we decided to head to Pisa tomorrow.

Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Florence, ItalyLunch dispensed with, we wandered through the market area of Florence and headed to the Basilica San Lorenzo - one of the more important Basilicas in Florence and burial place of many of the Medici family who dominated this city for so long. While somewhat run-down on the exterior, the Basilica San Lorenzo boasts a splendid interior. In the Cloister, stairs lead up to the Medicea Laurenziana library and in a niche a statue of Paolo Giovo - bishop of Como from 1549 to 1552 - by Francesco da Sangallo. The cyrpt is home to the tombs of Cosimo de'Medici the Elder and the sculptor Donatello.

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