2004 Europe

Diana and the Eurostar Train



May 29 – Today we head for Florence on the Eurostar train. Joe got us first class tickets that entitle us to a bigger seat and a free drink. The train is very fast and we got to Florence in a little less than an hour and a half. Michel and the bus are driving, with our luggage hopefully, up to Florence to meet us. The trip by bus would take much longer and we wouldn’t have time to sightsee. The Eurostar is Europe’s fastest and best train system. We will be taking the Eurostar through the Chunnel to London from Paris after this tour.



After we piled off the train, we walked down to the central plaza and then we were on our own for lunch and sightseeing for an hour and a half. Diana and I went to a little shop for a slice of pizza and a coke.



Then we toured the Medici chapel. It’s an octagonal Baroque building with a very high dome. It was built in 1604. The inside was lined with scaffolding for a facelift. The burial vaults were partly visible and were beautiful. They are ornately carved and covered in marble mosaics. All the important Medici’s are buried here. When Italy was a collection of city-states and independent provinces each area had one or more prominent families that were in power. Here in Florence it was the Medici’s. There were several other important families but they were the most powerful, some would say ruthless. The main point of interest in the chapel (below) was an armored vault behind the altar that contains over 40 reliquaries. At first I thought they were medieval tableware, but then I saw that each contained a bit of bone or a desiccated body part allegedly from a saint. I don’t read much Italian but the signs each had a saint name on them and I did recognize some of the bone names and body parts listed. (Thank you USAF, for my four years of medic experience.) Apparently while they were in power the Medici’s collected relics from important saints. This would give their chapel status and increase its ‘sacredness’ factor. It worked. This is an important tourist site in the city. Another reason it’s important is the ‘New Vestry’. The Sacrestia Nuova (New Vestry) designed by Michelangelo in 1520 connects the Medici Chapel to the right transept of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, which dates from 1423. All the tombs and designs in the vestry are his work and the place just oozes his majestic grandeur. Again, no pictures allowed.



The plaza outside the chapel is the site of a large market selling mostly souvenirs, leather and textile goods. After visiting the chapel Diana spent some time shopping and I spent some time people watching. The mix of locals and tourists was about 50/50 and watching them interact was a riot. Some tourists, I like to think I’m in this group, try to talk to the locals on a more personal level and interact human to human. Others just talk loudly about the locals and the shortcomings of the area and only conduct business. Of course, many fall between these extremes but most are clearly in one camp or the other. The natives almost always seem genuinely pleased when I try to communicate with them in more than matters of tourism, no matter how inadequately I may express myself. They smile and try to help me in the most imaginative ways, gestures, facial expression, and drawing. It’s like a multilingual-multicultural game of charades and it’s a hoot! I’ve seen some impressive sights and places on this trip, but some of my best memories are of people I’ve talked to that had little or no English, like the man with the mustache in Ravello.



After regrouping, our Florentine local guide joined us and we headed for the Academy. The Academy was once a school but it’s now a museum. There are several unfinished works of Michelangelo there but the main attraction is the statue of David. He sculpted it between 1501 and 1504 and it was originally in the plaza next to a government building. It was moved into the museum and cleaned. It’s beautiful!! It looks like David could just walk down from the pedestal. Of course, he’d be 15 feet tall, but that wouldn’t be a large handicap. Just think of the NBA career he could have. He’s certainly in great physical condition. No pictures allowed so you’ll have to look him up on the Internet to admire him. One other sculpture of interest to me is another Pieta with a different design. Instead of being seated with Christ in her lap, Mary is standing and holding Jesus lifeless body with the help of another woman, Mary Magdalene. It’s unfinished and no one is sure why. All in all he started 3 Pietas, the famous one in St. Peter’s, this one and another in which Mary is also standing but being assisted by a man, probably John as he accompanied Mary to the crucifixion site.



Our next destination was the Duomo (below). Duomo means dome and that’s what they call the local cathedral. Actually it’s the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore. It’s really three buildings, the sanctuary, the bell tower and the baptistery. They are all situated in the Plaza della Signoria. The dome contains the largest fresco in the world. Quite a bit larger than the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Brunelleschi built it after he won a competition that was held to select a designer. When he finished the dome in 1436 the cathedral, begun in 1310, was finally complete. At the time people thought a dome this large could not be built without internal supporting columns. In fact the dome was built from the inside out, a first. He had to design cranes and levers to hoist the pieces up from the inside. In fact, it’s a dome within a dome. The internal dome has the frescos and the external dome is brick and weatherproof. His design and his methodology were totally new. The exterior façade of the cathedral is set in mosaic style marble pieces. It is ornate and yet the general shape and design are quite simple. The Giotto’s bell tower was begun in 1334 and finished in 1359. The square tower is 280 feet high and 58 feet on a side. The exterior is covered in the same style as the cathedral.



The Baptistery, which stands directly across from the front of the Duomo, is an octagonal building also covered in the same mosaic style as the cathedral. It is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and was used as a cathedral until 1128. Its main features are the magnificent doors designed and executed by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghilberti. Michelangelo called the eastern doors ‘Porta del Paradiso, Heaven’s Door (below). Ghilberti made it between 1425 and 1452. It has 10 panels representing scenes from the Old Testament. The panels are gilded bronze held together in a bronze framework much like windowpanes. On each side of the panels are long strips of gilded bronze that have figures of the prophets as well as Ghilberti himself. It is truly a memorable sight among memorable sights.



After this the local guide left us and we were free to explore on our own. When we were in Bath, England they had a medieval bridge across the Avon River that had shops along the sides. The guide there told us it was the twin of the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) in Florence. Diana and I decided to walk down to the river Arno and see for ourselves. Sure enough they look a lot alike. This bridge was built of wood originally but was rebuilt in stone in the twelfth century. Apparently it was home to gold and silversmiths in those days and today it’s the site of very exclusive jewelry stores.



I t was time to walk back to the nearest place the bus could be driven, about 1.5 miles from old Florence. We walked from the Plaza della Signoria to the Arno River by cutting through the Uffizi Gallery. It’s a palace that is situated between the two and has a long open courtyard that contains marble sculptures of famous Italian artists and scientists. Amerigo Vespucci. DeVinci (left) and Galileo are all there. Then we had a pretty and pleasant walk along the Arno to where Michel was waiting with the bus and we were finally reunited with our luggage. It had been a long day and we were glad to get to the hotel for dinner and rest.

(c) 2004 Rod Longenberger