Sun 24.Jul.2016
Firenze, Toscana, Italy
The Duomo again.
I never managed to do justice to Florence's exuberant duomo.
I could fill a couple of these pages with my attempts.
Let's just settle for Giotto's famous bell tower...
...
and a corner of the main church, peering out from behind the octagonal baptistry.
Santa Croce
Like most of Italy, Firenze is chock full of churches. Santa Croce is a major one,
notable for its basement, where the walls are lined all around with tombs or monuments of famous
renaisance Florentines. I went down to pay my respects to Galileo, and also found Machiavelli, Michlangelo,
and I forget who all else. Not Brunelleschi, though. He is planted directly underneath the
magnificent dome that he designed and constructed for the duomo.
Down By The River
The Ponte Vecchio, lined with buildings and even a small piazza. I understand that the buildings
contain hidden passages so that grandees of the 1500's could commute between the city offices and
their estates south of the river, without being in the open. Fear of assassination was rampant in those
days. I noticed at least one high arched enclosed walkway crossing a street along the same route.
The river Arno itself, foreshortened a bit by zoom.
Piazza Della Republica
A spectacular piazza, popular for hanging out and chilling, when you are not rushing frantically
among all of the must-see sights of Firenze. Popular too with vendors and buskers hawking to all
those hanger-outers. I never saw any of them being pushy or obnoxious. I suspect the local authorities
are very touchy about anything that might annoy the turistas.
The indoor Central Market.
A fellow turista doing just what I was doing, at the Piazza Della Signoria
There were fresh puddles on the ground, but it was no longer raining outside Santa Croce.
I don't know why this fellow had his umbrella unfurled. It looked brilliant in the
late afternoon backlight.
Across the Lazy River
An intricate floor pattern at the church (what else!) of San Miniato Ai Monte, high above the ...
... Piazzale Michelangelo, itself high above the Arno, with a first class view over the city,
and the surrounding Tuscan hills. (I had to shoehorn in the word Tuscan; it is such a
cliche of some travel writers. At least I dont think it is a city in Arizona. :) )
The golden hour, when the late afternoon sun makes everything radiant.
That is it for Firenze.
Next up: Siena, unless I panic and skip ahead to Bratislava, where
I am now.
Na... no skip; I have never posted anything from Siena before.
So... Hasta Siena!