Italian Vacation: Art and History in Florence   by Sue Rauch
 

Firenze, as the Italians call it, is one of those A-list travel destinations with an embarrassment of riches for the eager tourist to explore. Florence has an abundance of elegant piazzas and charming restaurants, trendy pubs, neighborhood bars and cafes just waiting to revive the weary traveler. You'll find stylish gathering places dotted all over the city, chic Florentine shopping, boutique hotels, and a profusion of lively hot spots whose existence was never dreamed of by the famous deMedicis. But wonderful as the twenty-first century is, the reason most travelers come to Florence is for Florence’s number one attraction… the art. More than 60% of the world’s great works of art are in Italy, and of those, more than half (as estimated by UNESCO) are in Florence. You're in for a real treat.

Your first stop on any tour of Florence is likely to be the Piazza della Signoria, right in the heart of the historic center of town. Surrounded by some of the city's most venerable old buildings including the 14th century Palazzo Vecchio and the 16th century Palazzo Uffizi, the Piazza della Signoria was and still is the cornerstone of Renaissance Florence. It's a kind of al fresco art gallery... you can stroll around Neptune's Fountain, marvel at Cosimo de'Medici mounted on horseback, see a copy of Michelangelo's David and a copy of Donatello's Marzocco... the heraldic Florentine Lion, (the originals of both are now housed in the Galleria dell’Accademia and the Bargello Museum, respectively.)

In the Loggia della Signoria you will find Benvenuto Celini's Perseus With The Head of Medusa, and Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women.

Galleria dell’Accademia

Founded as Florence's, and possibly Europe's, first art school, (the Accademia di belle Arti, or Academy of Fine Arts) in 1563, the Accademia's holdings consist of mostly religious paintings by Florentine artists from mid-13th to late 16th centuries. The collection includes some wonderful late-gothic polyptychs, the work of 19th-century sculptors Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni, plus a section of Russian icons. More recently the Gallery has added a fascinating collection of historical musical instruments from the Cherubini Conservatory.

Though the Accademia, like all Florentine galleries, is home to a large collection of spectacular art and sculpture, inevitably, the piece which every visitor comes to see, the top of every tourist's must-see list, the piece which resonates, whose image will linger in your mind's eye long after you have returned home from vacation...

Michelangelo's David

You see him from a distance, eighteen feet tall, mounted on a pedestal above the heads of the crowd, glowing, pristine marble illuminated by a skylight in the vaulting above. He takes your breath away... first the size and scope of him, which no one expects, then the sheer, aching beauty of him, the exquisite, pulsing detail. He represents humanity breaking free of oppression, but the perfection of his form is beyond human.

Michelangelo was 29 years old when he created David from a single block of marble, a miraculous, inspired work of art in every sense of the word. To even begin to fathom how such a feat was possible, you have to back track into the Hall of The Prisoners, so called. They are a series of Michelangelo's unfinished figures which seem to be unfolding out of their marble blocks with a desire to be free, clearly showing the master's eye for the natural form, and his chisel at work.

The Duomo

The other landmark sight which leaps off the page of every Florence tour guide because of its brilliant and unique colors, is Florence's Basilica Santa Maria del Fiori, known simply as the Duomo for its magnificent dome. There's a sense of complete familiarity when you see it in person, so distinctive is the facade of pink, green and white marble.

Designed and begun by Arnolfo di Cambio in 1296, work on the landmark cathedral by the best Florentine artists and craftsmen continued for over 150 years. It was finished, minus the cupola, around 1367, but it was not until 1415 that master architect Filippo Brunelleschi won a public competition for the assignment to complete the dome by coming up with the bold and innovative design which would allow the massive cupola to be built without underlying framework, a technique known in antiquity to the Greeks and Romans but which had been lost during the dark ages.

The Baptistry

Opposite the cathedral stands the Baptistry. Once the site of a Roman temple and one of the oldest buildings in Florence, it is an octagonal structure built between the fifth and twelfth centuries. Dedicated to San Giovanni di Batista, it's most famous features are its bronze doors.

Ghiberti’s Doors

The city of Florence awarded the commission for the creation of the Baptistry doors to Lorenzo Ghiberti, in a public competition in 1401, and he subsequently worked on the ten panels and their carved surrounds for twenty seven years. Sculpted in bas relief they depict scenes from the old testament and were so exquisitely executed they were dubbed the 'Gates of Paradise' by Michelangelo. The panels that you actually see in the Baptistry doors today are reproductions. The originals have been restored and are housed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.

Medici Chapel

Called the New Sacristy, this chapel is the final resting place for the tombs of two of Florence's Medici rulers. It was designed by Michelangelo as a funeral chapel and memorial for Lorenzo de'Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, and Giuliano, his grandson.

The sarcophagii are draped by the exquisite reclining forms of Dawn & Dusk, and Day & Night, allegorical figures for the passing of time, rendered in Michelangelo's characteristic, larger-than-life, heroic style. An idealized statue of each of the two Florentine Dukes sits framed in an alcove above each tomb. Lorenzo represents thoughtful, contemplative man, while Giuliano with his soldier's baton across his knee, is active, dynamic man... contrasting aspects of the human soul in Michelangelo's lexicon.

Michelangelo spent fifteen years creating the chapel and its sculptures, and ultimately left them unfinished as he was called to Rome to begin work on the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgement. There was never a suggestion that they be completed by anyone else as the emotional impact of every piece is fully realized, and would not be improved upon were they finished.

The Uffizi

Florence's most famous art gallery, the Galleria degli Uffizi situated in the Palazzo Uffizi, literally, the Palace Offices contains the world's largest collection of Italian and Florentine art. This was the de'Medici family's private art collection which was bequeathed to Florence in 1737 on condition that it never leave the city. The extraordinary opulence and scope of the collection is testament to the wealth and sheer reach of the de'Medicis. This is a place to see treasures... there are two-thousand-year-old sculptures here. You will find early works by Fra Filippo Lippi, Cimabue, Giotto, and Masaccio.

Central to the collection are the Botticelli Rooms. You will also find Leonardo's Annunziazione, and Michelangelo's Holy Family. There are literally rooms full of Raphaels, of Titians, of Veroneses, Tintorettos, Caravaggios, and Canalettos.

Plenty of non-Italians are well represented in the Uffizi too: Rubens and Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Breughel the Elder, Durer and Goya.

Take deep breaths, you're in pretty heady company. In today’s terms these were mega-stars. Pace yourself. It is possible to feel overwhelmed in the presence of this abundance of exceptional talent. Just try to maintain your decorum. Don't gush.

When you visit Florence give the Uffizi Galleries as much time as you possibly can. It will not be nearly enough.
 

About the Author:

Copyright © 2007 Sue Rauch

Sue Rauch is a freelance writer who runs GrabYourPassport.com a travel information site dispensing wit and wisdom in its city guides for wanderers, gadabouts and those of us curious enough to want to know the rest of the story.