Our Eleventh Day In Florence

Time is passing by way too quick, and we planned on visiting some nearby cities. So we started our day by going to the bus station, ask our questions, and plan some out of town visits.

Buying our tickets for tomorrow's trip to Siena, we walked back into town.

Hera visited some shops, from the Chic and Expensive, to the everyday boutiques. For shoppers, Florence has it all. But only appreciated by those who can appreciate such sights, and I am not counted as one of them.

As usual, we found ourselves once again at the Duomo. We decided that today was finally going to be the day to visit this Cathedral which so dominates Florence.

While everyone calls it the Duomo, its name is Santa Maria del Fiore. One of the largest churches ever built, it was started in 1296, before the technology to complete it even existed. A huge gaping hole remained until Brunelleshi came along in 1436. His dome was the largest ever built since the Roman Era.

 

The exterior of the church is not the original. Originally, only the lower third of the facade was ever completed. As the styles changed with the years, it was decided to update the exterior, and the old facade was removed. It remained without a facade for centuries. With Italy's creation last century, the completion of the church was "rushed," and the today's facade was created.

People have varying reactions to this facade. In the sun, it is way too bright, and it is best viewed on an overcast day.

The interior is vast. Both Hera and I felt that the "spirit" of the church was not really present. Just as in Saint Peter's in Rome, a hollowness seems to ring in the empty space. Is it because most who enter the Church, enter as tourists?

As our custom, we lit a candle and said a prayer.

Next we walked around and then visited the Baptistry. We gazed upon the magnificient doors, again sorry that we were not able to see the originals in the museum.

The Baptistry at one time was where everyone of Florence was baptized. Originally surrounded by a cemetary, it was an appropriate symbol.

The interior reminds one of the Pantheon of Rome, while the gorgeous mosaics on the ceiling are clearly Byzantium. The floor has Arabic Motifs, while the walls pay homage to the Germanic heritage of the Holy Roman Empire. We might forget today, but these four empires were very much present in the minds of the poeple of the time.

We walked about, up and down some streets that we had previously strolled, and decided to stop at a cafe for a beer and to people watch.

Florence is filled with friendly and helpful people. We noticed that on our first day. The agent at the Toruist Information booth was very friendly and helpful, and this friendliness was repeated over and over, again and again. It even seems to spill over into the tourists as well.

Yesterday, while gazing at the Duomo, we came across a couple from Bordeaux, France. We chatted for quite some time yesterday, talking about sites we visited to politics. As we enjoyed our beer, and people watched, they walked by. We called out. And once again, we talked for over an hour with Christian and Veronique. They finished off their gelatos, while we nursed our beer.

Florence is not only a delightful city, but a friendly one as well.

Cheers,

Anthony & Hera