Our Week in Tuscany
with Ray and Carolyn

A Day in Florence

We also got up early on the day that we were going to Florence. And we were treated to a lovely sunrise.

Florence was one of the "must see again" cities from our previous visits. Lynda and I had visited in the summer of 1966 (before the major flood that fall).

Ray and Carolyn had also been to Florence on previous trips. So we had agreed that although we would have enjoyed seeing the Uffitzi Musuem, the Ponte Vecheccio, Palazzo Vecchio and the Pitti Palace the main points for our visit would be the cathederal and a stop at the Academia.

I know that there are many lovely cathedrals in Europe, but I think that Santa Maria del Fiore, probably better known as Duomo, in Florence is my favorite.

The first time that I saw the cathedral I thought it a little strange that the Baptistry and bell tower, Campanile, were separate from the church. I've read since then that the baptistry was constructed first, then the bell tower and the cathedral last.

The facade of the cathedral is fascinating and the interior complements it very well.

There are three pairs of doors to the Baptistry. The panels on the east doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti have different bibical scenes and are are incredible. The story is that Michangelo called them the Gates of Paradise. The set of south doors have scenes depticting the life of John the Baptist. The north doors, which were also done by Lorenzo Ghiberti, have scenes from the life of Christ.

In the 1966 flood, some of the panels were torn from the doors by the rushing waters. They were recovered. The originals were moved to the Museo del Opera del Duomo and copies were installed here.(The east doors are pictured above. At right are the north doors).

These statues showing the baptism of Christ originally stood above the Porta del Paradiso. The originals were replaced with replicas and moved to the Museo del Opera del Duomo.

The Museo del Opera del Duomo also houses this Pieta by Michangelo. It was his last sculpture and he did not finish the piece. I've read that it was probably planned for his tomb.

This is one of the panels that is now housed in the museum. It shows the creation of Adam at the left, the creation of Eve in the center, and the expulsion at the right.

This is another of Lorenzo Ghiberti's panels that shows Moses receiving the ten commandments.

And this one tells the story of Joseph and his brothers.

This famous work was done by Michelangelo when he was a young man. It shows David, with his sling shot over his shoulder, before the battle with Goliath. Michelangelo's David originally stood in the Palazzo Del Signoria but was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia in the nineteenth century.

The Vespa is still very popular in Italy! If you drive in some of the old cities that have narrow streets you can understand part of their appeal.

And speaking of appeal, Lynda and Carolyn could spot a shop such as this one yards down the street.

Florence was full of tourists even during late September. But, there were places where you could get away from the hustle and bustle.

In many of the cities we visited we found McDonald's.