Florence (Firenze)

This was the sight I was greeted with upon stepping out of the train station in Florence, and it was only about a 3 minute walk from my motel--the Santa Maria Novella Church.

The first place the guide took us on our Florence tour was to a scenic overlook. The view was stunning, and at the same time the guide was able to point out some of the places we would be visiting) as well as places other tours would visit.

The Duomo stands above most everything in the city.

Medici Chapel

San Lorenzo church

Ponte Vecchio bridge--It is made of stone pillars and wooden planks. In it was destroyed by a fire, and rebuilt again 12 years later. During WWII, this bridge is the only bridge crossing the Arno River that the Germans did not destroy.

The Duomo--

A cathedral names in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore. It is hard to see in the pictures, but the exterior is covered in pink, white, and green marble.

                     

The back part of the church where a dome was later added.

Due to the size of the church, the number of people around, and the small piazza it was difficult to capture it all in a good picture.....so here's a video to help you get an idea of it's size.

Santa Croche Church--
This basilica is best known as the burial place for famous Italians, such as Michelangelo and Galileo.

During both of my tours in Florence (morning and afternoon), we visited a couple of the famous art galleries that are located there. The Acadamia Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery, both of which had some fantastic things to see. I took a lot of pictures, and there were many things to see, so I'm just going to share a handful of pictures.

The Rape of Sabines--Now before you get all crazy on my about the name, let me share a little bit of history with you. The Roman men used to acquire wives from themselves from neighboring Sabine families. The English word 'rape' is a modern translation of Latin 'rapito' which actually means abduction (rather than the conventional English translation).

Earliest known example of an upright piano

Of course you can't go to Florence and not see The David--which I might add is plastered all over buses, souviners, bumperstickers, and posters.

Notice the realistic muscles and the veins in the neck and arms--done in marble (CRAZY!)

I don't remember the name of this, or who painted it....but I do remember my guide talking about how rare it was to find a painting with  the sign above Jesus written in three different languages.