Florence

After Venice (or more correctly, the Venice area), we packed all our stuff into the car and headed for our next stop which was the Florence area.  We stayed in our favorite camping village of the trip, Norcenni Girasole just outside Figline V\aldarno which is about 20ks south of Florence on the A1 heading towards Rome.  I was really quite keen to spend some time in Tuscany having many friends that have raved about the place and was quite OK with not being in Florence itself especially as the city is a nightmare to drive in due to restricted travel areas and hidden cameras setup to bilk hundreds of Euros from tourists.

The campsite was high up in the hills of the Chianti region of Tuscany and we had great views.  The kids and Jen spent days and days playing around the water parks and we all enjoyed their live entertainment which ranged from good bands and variety shows to an excellent Beatles cover band.  Every few days we'd work up the energy to go into Florence and we loved what we saw there.

Florence (or Fierenze to the Italians) was a small city of never more than 60,000 people until modern times but looking back, it was one of the most creative and influential places to ever exist.  It was founded as a trading village and once it got wealthy, the leading families (the Medeci's in particular) sponsored all sorts of fine arts and sciences.  Most of the influential artists of modern times came from that effort... Berlini, Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and hundreds of others.  The body of work from statues, paintings, tapestries, scientific inventions boggles your mind.  I don't think the world has ever seen anything like it.

Florence shows it off very well.  Most Piazzas have amazing statues and there are dozens of museums with everything both in the arts and sciences.  We toured the Ufazi, the Pizzi Palace, the Duomo and I spent a morning in the Galleleo museum on our second stay in the Florence area.   It really has to be seen to be fully appreciated.  Here are some pictures to give you a basic idea.  Many of the museums wouldn't let us take pictures unfortunately however.
 If you haven't figured it out, we loved Florence.

Palazo Vechio with Dante's house right behind it (that second lower spire)

Ponte Vechio... the only bridge the Germans left standing to block the Allies advance.    

The Bronze version of David in Piazza Michaelangelo where we parked the car (for free) on our visits to Florence

The tall bits from the left... the Dome of Brunellschi, the Church of Sante Croce (where most of the famous artists are buried), and Plaza Guiseppe Poggi in the foreground.  

Ponte Vechio.... full of high end shops

You is UGGGGGLLYYYY!

The inside of Ponte Vechio ... all high end shops (this is a bridge)

Ponte \Vechioa again

Michaelangelo's David... lots of women taking suggestive pictures of him!  This is a copy as the original is in a museum (that is often replaced by a copy as well so we didn't spend the money to get in to see it.  Some tourist hacked his toe off and we heard they were trying to repair it).

Cellini's "Perseus with the head of Medusa".  I really liked this one as it has detail that you pick up every time you look at it.  From Wikipedia... "Cellini completed it with two different ideals in mind. He wanted to respond to the sculpture already placed within the piazza, which he did with the subject matter of Medusa reducing men to stone. Secondly, the Medici were represented by Perseus and the subject matter achieved that through the in the round sculpture and the relief below. Moreover in that respect, Cellini also made a statement for himself in the actual casting of Perseus. Cellini gave life with his new sculpture in his use of bronze and asserted the Medician control over the Florentine people through the Perseus motif."

Hercules and Cacus by Baccio Bandinelli.  It was given to Michaelangelo and meant to complement David.  It stands at the door of the Palazzo Vechio with the copy of David.  From Wikipedia... "Here, the demi-god, Hercules, who killed the fire-belching monster Cacus during his tenth labor for stealing cattle, is the symbol of physical strength, which juxtaposed nicely with David as a symbol of spiritual strength, both symbols desired by the Medici. This marble group shows the basic theme of the victor (the Medici) and the vanquished (the republicans). The pause suggests the leniency of the Medici to those who would concede to their rule, and served as a warning to those who would not, as this pause can be indefinite or simply temporary."  The face on Cacus is extraordinarily well done.  He clearly shows his terror.  

Pio Fedi's "The rape (which in latin means abduction, not the term we use today) of Polyxena"

Giambalogna's "The Rape of the Sabines". This is the first group representing more than a single figure in European sculptural history to be conceived without a dominant viewpoint. It can be equally admired from all sides. 

The Loggia dei Lanzi (or Loggia del Signoria).  This contains many of the Statues and is guarded by the Medici Lions.  A fine example of the arches!

More arches

This is the Basillica di Sante Croce where Gallileo, Michaelangelo, Macchiavelli, Dante and many other legendary artists are entombed in beautiful tombs.  The details here are (abeit a bit over done in my opinion) stunning.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Church of Saint Marie of the Flower) and the Duomo... the largest brick dome ever constructed.  Inside is way more spectacular!

Giotto's Bell Tower.  Shawn has been dying to climb this as Florence is the setting for one  of his favorite  computer games and he was running around the city saying "I've jumped off that building to that one!"  He and I climbed the 485 steps to the top.

The inside of the Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore

A relequary of the Medici's... look closely inside and you can see a leg bone.

The inside of the Duomo... each of the sides is a tomb for a Medici king

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