Florentine Photographs

This picture was taken our very first morning in Florence, standing in front of our hotel and looking south. It is a typical street for the old city of Florence, except for the world-famous building (the Baptistery) at the end of the street.


The church of San Lorenzo was just around the corner from our hotel, and I walked past it several times every day of our trip. A large open-air street market sprawls northward from the square. One afternoon, Samuel and I had a great time clambering over the steps and chasing pigeons.


Florence's cathedral (the Duomo) is an impressive building. The colorful inlaid marble covering the exterior is not actually very old, dating from the 19th century, but both the interior and exterior contain many famous works of Renaissance art. The bell tower (Campanile) was one of my favorite landmarks.


The Campanile (see above) is decorated with twelve statues representing Biblical prophets, including two of Donatello's most famous statues. Donatello (1386-1466) was a pioneer of realism, sculpting "warts and all" rather than idealizations of beauty. This statue of Habakkuk (nicknamed "Zuccone," or pumpkin, for its bald head) portrays a tormented prophet emerging unshaven from the wilderness. Meanwhile, Jeremiah looks on with lamentation mixed with scorn, as judgment befalls a city that rejected his warnings. Directly across from the Duomo is the white octagonal Baptistery. The 1401 competition to design its bronze doors is counted by some as the beginning of the Renaissance. Replicas of Ghiberti's masterpieces now grace the building.


These panoramas of Florence were taken from the rooftop of the building where my conference was located. The right-hand picture shows, from left to right, the Duomo dome, the San Lorenzo dome (with the Duomo's Campanile behind it), and the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio. The dome of Florence's Duomo was the world's first to be built since ancient Roman times. Its construction by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377-1446), the father of modern architecture, without the use of a scaffold, was a wonder of the world at the time.


Laura and Samuel in front of the Hospital of the Innocents, also designed by Brunelleschi.


The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) is another jewel of Florence's medieval architecture. The shops lining the bridge are traditionally occupied by goldsmiths. The final picture is the view downriver from the bridge.


Florence's main square is dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), which has been the city hall for many hundreds of years. The Uffizi is behind the building with the wire mesh draped over it.


The statues in front of the Palazzo Vecchio are all replicas, but they perpetuate the original purpose of public art. I particularly like Michelangelo's David from the angle shown in the second picture, which captures his "killer instinct" as he sizes up Goliath. The right-hand statue is Cellini's Perseo, holding the head of Medusa.


One evening we were walking through the streets of the old city, and we saw a shop window with this life-sized motorcycle carved entirely out of wood. It made us think of Laura's Uncle Mike. Back in the room, Samuel took some time to brush up on his Italian. On our last day, we got a nice shot of the three of us at the Duomo.


The flight home was much more pleasant than the flight to Italy had been, highlighted by some quality nap time. 

Posted by Matt on 4/30/2005 12:15:00 AM