Today was a day trip to Florence.
On the way to Florence, our tour guide Marco explained why Florence was considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and how art and culture changed so dramatically there.
Our first stop was the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David. This 17-foot masterpiece is very impressive in person. Cameras aren't allowed in the museum, so these pictures are from the interwebs.
After touring the Accademia, we moved toward the center of town.
We moved past the Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") heading on to the public square Palazzo della Signoria.
Once we reached the Palazzo della Signoria we saw many original statues that are displayed right out in the open. These are considered some of the most significant pieces in the history of sculpture, since they implemented layouts and techniques never previously attempted.
Another impressive, beautiful (and disturbing?) statue in the square.
Some more sculpture.
After lunch, we decide to cross over the Ponte Vecchio and check out that part of town.
We decided to tour the Palazzo Pitti, a grand building that is now a museum. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry and luxurious possessions.
In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. The palace and its contents were donated to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919, and its doors were opened to the public as one of Florence's largest art galleries. Today, it houses several minor collections in addition to those of the Medici family, and is fully open to the public.
Among the many famous paintings we saw was "Il Canto di Uno Stornello" by Silvestro Lega.
I was also pleasantly shocked by seeing the huge and awesome "Ecce Homo" by Antonio Ciseri (one of my all-time favorite paintings).
A funny side-note: our ticket allowed us to also go to the "Modern Art" section. Since I'm no big fan of modern art, we almost didn't go...but decided to anyway, as we already paid for it. We get into the "Modern Art" section and it contains 19th-century masters like John Singer Sargent and Pisarro. I guess when you're 500 years old, 'modern' is a relative term!
Next we toured the grounds of the Palace. Starrina got a bittersweet reminder of our little guys back home.
The grounds of the Palace are almost as impressive as the interiors.
Everywhere you looked was manicured and pristine.
More landscaping awesomeness.
Yet another feline friend we've made in Italia. This fat little guy lives la dolce vita right on the palazzo grounds.
A great view of Florence from this spot. Plus, it has pretty girls sitting on walls.
After the museum, we got gelato from the most famous gelato shop in Italy, Grom. Starr got pistachio and lemon in a cup and I got pistachio in a cone (and, ordered it properly, I might add: pee-STOCK-ee-oh).
Before leaving Florence we grabbed some dinner. Starr had penne with truffles and mushroom sauce and I had ravioli with meat sauce. Interesting tidbit: I have yet to see spaghetti and meatballs on a menu. I'm getting the feeling that it's an American concoction.
Tomorrow - On to Venice!
Jeffrey Dale Starr is a Dallas-based Expressionist oil painter who concentrates on themes of Japan, Dreams, Europe, Texas and California. His work can be found in private and public collections around the world.
http://www.jeffreydalestarr.com/
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