Day 6: Firenze

Wow, already our sixth day in Italy! Today I was extremely excited because we are headed into Florence, one of the foremost cities in Italy in terms of fine art and architecture. After getting our things in order for the beginning of our walking tour, we headed straight to the Accademia di Belle Arti to see one of the world’s most famous sculptures. I had to be very stealthy with my picture taking, so forgive me if they are a bit off-center, but I got some shots to share with you all just how magnificent Michelangelo’s David really is.







I wanted to see so much more in that gallery but there was just not enough time so we continued our walking tour into the heart of the city and much to my amazement, even more breathtaking art awaited!

Our first stop was the Duomo di Santa Maria delle fiore which is simply known as the Duomo by the Florentines. It is the fourth largest church in the world and boasts the largest masonry dome (i.e. made of bricks, mortar, and stones) ever constructed. The dome was designed and built in only 13 years by the famed architect Brunelleschi. It is truly a wonder of the modern world and I was thrilled to be able to see it, but more on that later.




Then we saw exact replicas of the famed Ghiberti Doors on the baptistery just to the side of the Duomo. Because they are outside, the originals could not be displayed but they were just as detailed and awesome as if they were real.




Then we went to the Piazza della Signoria (Square of Lordship) and saw some other publically displayed statues. This is where the original David was once displayed and there are many other fine works of art just out in the open for all to see.






We were then free to go after visiting the Piazza di Santa Croce and I walked around this beautiful city doing some shopping and just taking in whatever I could. I made it to the Pontevecchio, gazed into the Arno River, and browsed the local fare at a caffetteria.





Lastly, and most amazingly, I got to go to the top of the Duomo with some of the guys from Glee Club. For 8 euros and after walking up 463 steps, we got, in my opinion, the most beautiful vantage point I have ever seen in a city (I have seen some gorgeous mountain views, so I keep them in a separate category. We got to circle up and up in a spiral staircase, then we walked around the rim of the inside of the dome where we saw the largest fresco in the world painted, and finally made it to the top where we simply gazed in wonderment at the beauty of the city which, on a grander scale, is just as fantastic as its fine art. Here are a few pictures to leave you with so you can know just what we were dealing with and to keep you coming back to the blog for more!