Benvenuti a Firenze (Welcome to Florence!)
After seeing the Duomo and Baptistry, we walked up the main thoroughfare
leading to the Piazza della Signoria. It is this huge plaza that we had to
pass through to get to the Uffizi Gallery. When the street opened up to it I
stopped like most tourists do, visiting a new place for the first time.
There was so much to see with the statues lining the inside of the Loggia dei
Lanzi which is a building across from the Uffizi Gallery. The building is an
open-air sculpture gallery of Renaissance art.
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Ricardo, our local guide took us inside the Uffizi Gallery where we saw some great works of art including: the Birth of Venus, the Allegory of Spring, 3 Comparisons of the Madonna and Child and several works by Caravaggio. We walked up to a rooftop terrace where we had wonderful views of Florence. The photo below of the Pelazzo Vecchio, which is Italy's Town Hall was taken from there. Also the photo to the right and the one at the top of the page of the Pont Vecchio Bridge were taken in the same location.
Our local tour ended here and we were free to explore Florence on our own for several hours before meeting back up to go and see Michelangelo's David.
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By that time we had worked up an appetite so we left the gallery and found a quick place to eat. Then we stopped for gelato. We went into a little shop and enjoyed some vanilla gelato. It was so tasty! I wish we had something like it here.
After lunch, we went inside of the Duomo and saw the tall pillars connecting to arched ceilings above. Like all of the cathedrals we had seen thus far on the tour, there were high ceilings that made you feel very small as you entered.
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The interior of the cathedral was devoid of much decorative art when compared to what we had seen thus far, whereas the exterior instantly demanded your attention the moment you set eyes on it and inspired additional exploration. The main artistic focal point is the ceiling depicting the Last Judgment.
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Michelangelo's David vs. Bernini's David
We met back up with the group later that afternoon and went to the Academia to see the infamous David sculpture by Michelangelo.
When you see him, initially you are in awe because of how big the sculpture is. After walking around the statue, you start to understand why it is such an amazing piece of artwork.
When you see him, initially you are in awe because of how big the sculpture is. After walking around the statue, you start to understand why it is such an amazing piece of artwork.
However, I still have to say that Bernini's rendition of David is much more believable, shows far more emotion and appears to be in motion. You can see the action unfolding before you by the way Bernini's attention to detail and understanding of the human form is captured. With Michelangelo's David, he just kind of stands there as if he is merely a model posing for a camera.
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