We started with the incredible Piazza del Duomo located in the heart of the historic
center of Florence, Italy. It is one of the most visited places in Europe and Monday was no exception. Crowds were huge. I loved the Duomo is of colored marble with
detailed carving and ornate decoration everywhere. It was fascinating to see the dome by Filippo Brunelleschi which is said to be the largest brick
dome ever constructed. It is a dome
within a dome made with interlocking bricks and said to be a feat of
engineering wonder of the age.
It is interesting to see such a variety of architecture
in the same building. It took so long to
build that the designs were changed in the process. Our outstanding guide said Lorenzo Ghiberti
took 21 years to complete the north Baptistery doors. These gilded
bronze doors consist of twenty-eight amazing panels, most depicting the life of
Christ from the New Testament. People
could not enter the church until they had been baptized in this separate
building called the baptistery. In the same plaza is Giotto’s Campanile, described as the most beautiful bell tower in
the world. Statues are in niches and
ornate decorations are everywhere. It
was amazing. No wonder there were
hundreds of others there to see as well.
We had a challenging time following
our guide, looking at amazing buildings and watching our step on the uneven
cobblestones. We next saw the copy of
the David near the Medici palace.
Sculpture in the outdoors seemed strange because it was so
unprotected. We walked down narrow
streets and suddenly were at the Arno River getting a quick view of the famous
bridge known as Ponte Vecchio. We braved
the crowds and maneuvered into the amazing courtyard of the Ufizzi Gallery
where our tour ended. There are 10 or
more statues in the outside courtyard.
We were standing by the museum with some of the world’s most famous
Italian paintings and didn’t have tickets to enter.
No comments:
Post a Comment