We walk out the door and fortune shines on us once more. It is Monday and on Monday in Florence there is a clothing sale in the square. Tables are covered in uniquely, ravishing clothes. Elida and I are drawn in by the sign that says 2 Euro and immediately dig in. We try on every item over our clothes there in the streets and only buy if it is a "ten". We each find four items that are worthy, pay our 20 Euro and head to the Uffizi Museum with our new clothes in hand.
We purchase a solo tour of the museum. It is great traveling with an artist because she gives insight for each painting. I am a diligent student. Today we are blessed to see Rembrandt, Botticelli, Michelangelo and daVinci. We attempt to purchase our ticket to see the David which is housed elsewhere but the only tickets are for past 5 when we are to meet Father Bruno. I vow to return to Florence next year and visit the David.
The palace is gigantic and everything is on that gigantic scale even the staircase. We climb up the stately staircase, making large strides to get to the third floor where the museum walk begins. You go through the upper level first and then make your way down. It is soon obvious why.
The upstairs rooms are jammed with art and most pieces are several feet tall. The hallway is lined with Medici family portraits. The first few rooms are dedicated to iconic religious art that is framed in gold. These pictures are flat and lack a feel of reality or movement. They remind me of Catholic prayer cards which have their own beauty. Jesus, Mary and Joseph stare down.
We make our way through the next rooms where the elements earth, fire, wind and water are represented by various artists. As we move through the rooms the art transforms in style and becomes more life-like. The emotions of the people are more pronounced. There are still scenes from the Bible but there are more of everyday life. Once again our pointing fingers get us chastised by the museum police. We are immediately transported back to Madrid and laugh. We do try to stay in back of the line to avoid further verbal lashings.
Piero della Francesca's Paired Portraits beckon us to take yet another silly face photo.
The display of Botticelli's work is splendid. His painting of the Birth of Venus surpasses all descriptions I've read. She is elegant and serene. Springtime is even more appealing, with cupid over her head summoning love. We spend a great deal of time in the Botticelli room examining each painting.
Moving on we see DaVinci's The Annunciation. In this part of the museum there are many tours going through and one of the directors keeps shouting for people to be quiet. I am reminded of the Vatican. I listen as he explains the details of different paintings, trying to learn something. He does point out a few details I may have missed in different paintings. Meanwhile there are many people walking through with headsets. I am discouraged by this type of touring because I think you miss the important parts when you are tuned out to the people interacting with the works of art.
There is one room with no entrance just a doorway where three people can peak in at a time. The room is circular with a decorative ceiling. As we continue on we saw Raphael's work. Michelangelo's Doni Tondo is a masterpiece with its facial expression which tell the story.
Before heading downstairs we rest a spell on the patio overlooking Duomo. I highly recommend taking a break like this. When you view so many pieces of magnificent art your eyes begin to tire. By the end of our tour I can barely pick out the details anymore and I am somehow numb to being in awe. As we sit we snack on some almonds I have carried.
Rembrandt's work was tucked away in a small room and we took time to examine his work after our refreshing rest. At the end of the tour there was a display of Caravaggio. This work is a true act of drama, alive with spirit and emotion. It is in a way the Grand Finale!
We are beat and hungry and decide to head to the meeting place for Bruno. We stop at a grocery and pick up meat, cheese, bread, fruit, water and a box of wine. We thought the box would be easy to share. It turns out we are at the wrong piazza and Bruno has to come and find us. He reprimands us for failing to be at the right place and then for the box of wine which he suggests we leave for the beggars. We comply and break bread with him as pigeons peck our feet hoping for a crumb. We are sitting on the steps of San Lorenzo, another church tucked into the city blocks. The market lines the streets around us.
Our plan is to head to Firesole but first Bruno wants to help me get a shuttle ticket to the airport. I have bought a flight out of Florence to replace the one out of Rome. It would have been more expensive to take the train back to Rome and get a shuttle there. This is easier and means I have more time in Florence. Note to self, don't book too many things ahead of time for a trip to Italy because plans are fluid and as is normal, they are about to change again.
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| Paired Portraits |
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| Icon paintings |
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| DaVinci' |
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