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| Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River in Florence Italy / G Sutton 2019 |
Florence, Italy has been labeled "The Cradle of the Renaissance." Certainly, the old city contains many treasures visible on the streets and in world-class museums.
Our starting point on our last visit was by the statue of the poet Dante Alighieri outside the Basilica of Santa Croce, which is the place where many familiar men are buried-- Rossini, Machiavelli, Galileo and Michelangelo--for example.
There's so much art in the Uffizi Gallery that it is difficult to choose what pictures to share. We were there nearly four hours and that wasn't enough. Suggestion. Do get in line early because it can soon get crowded. If you are pressed for time, skip the slow service museum restaurant, but do walk out on the terrace and enjoy the views.
The seven panel paintings illustrating traditional virtues capture eyes and cameras as you enter the room. Sandro Botticelli painted Fortitude in 1470.
Sleeping Hermaphrodite has his own room. You can't enter the room--were they worried we'd wake him up?
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| Sleeping Hermaphrodite |
The complexity of some religious art scenes offers an intriguing glimpse into perspectives on familiar stories a few centuries ago (http://janbrueghel.net/object/calvary-florence)
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| Calvary by Jan Brueghel 1604, Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
Outside, in addition to the Piazza di Santa Croce pictured near the top of this post, there are many fountains and squares.
Here's an overview video of Piazza della Repubblica, Florence, Italy.
The statue of David by Michelangelo in the Galleria dell'Accademia is indeed impressive. I didn't take this video, but we did see the statue and other works in the gallery.
Hotels and restaurants in Florence are expensive so we stayed in nearby Montecatini along with many other visitors.
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| Pizza dinner in Montecatini |
Note
I found the locals helpful to point us in the right direction for a landmark such as a plaza.
The Uffizi staff weren't very helpful. Check out their website to see if you qualify for a free admission. Keep asking how to use their fiddly audioguide- make sure it works before leaving the area.
See the other cities we visited in ITALY
