 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
Florence, Italy, is the place to visit for people who are interested in history and art. There were so many museums that we had a hard time choosing the ones we wanted to visit.
The Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Bergello National Museum) contains collections of both fine and applied arts and contains many outstanding collections.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Fontana di Sala Grande by Bartolomeo Ammannati was made in 1555 for the Palazzo Vecchio, but it was never installed. It was later placed in the gardens of Pratolino, and then removed in the seventeenth century. The statues were separated and sent to different locations until 2011, when the pieces, except for the rainbow, were reunited. The rainbow arch on display is a replica.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The courtyard was built in the thirteenth century and later expanded by Neri di Fioravanti, including the staircase, which was added between 1345 and 1367.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
A section of the floor mosaic from the Church of Santa Trinbita was on display as we entered the museum. The mosaic contained some amazing details.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Hall of Ivories was part of the Carrand Collection that was donated to the museum by a French antiquarian in 1889.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Sculpture Gallery contained works by notable artists, including a Statue of David by Donatello.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
In Italy, they have a variety of compact forms of transportation. I'm surprised that some of the small vehicles have not been imported to the United States for people who just need something to drive to the local stores. Now that I think about it, the small vehicles probably do not meet US safety standards, and it would be too expensive to bring them up to US standards; thus, no US sales.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
Occasionally, we had to take time out for shopping (for sweets).
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze (Santa Croce or Temple of the Italian Glories) is the largest Franciscan church in the world and the burial place of several notable figures, including Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, and Rossini. Based on legends, Santa Croce was founded by St. Francis himself. Construction of the current building began in 1294 and was paid for by the city's wealthiest families. This is a large complex that includes the Cappella Pazzi and Museo Pietro Parigi. The Basilica itself contains 16 chapels. I'm not certain when we were in the various parts of the complex, so our pictures are not in any particular order.
 |
| Picture b Kolohe |
The apse contains the high altar, crucifix, and frescoes by Agnolo Gaddi. Niccolo Gerini painted the Madonna in the high altar, and the Doctors were painted by "Giovanni del Biondo and an unknown hand."
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Knight Biordo Ubertini (Picture by Kolohe) |
The sacristy is one of the earliest examples in Florence and was probably originally used as a chapter house where the religious community would meet during the day to discuss important business. Originally, the room was painted by Jacopo del Casentino scholars, but in the mid-14th century, the east wall, which was thought to have contained a depiction of the Crucifixion, was removed for the expansion of the Rinuccini Chapel. A placard stated: "That probably explains why the subject was painted again on the south wall, but this time by Taddeo Gaddi, and more scenes were added towards the end of the 14th century when Spinello Aretino painted the Procession to Calvary on the left and Niccolo di Pietro Gerini painted the Resurrection on the right and the Ascension above."
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Bardi Chapel, which contains the masterpiece Stories of Saint Francis, painted by Giotto in the early 14th century, was closed for a complete restoration. Giotto is considered to be the "Father of Italian Painting."
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
Cappella Castellani (Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament) was frescoed in 1385 by Agnolo Gaddi. It is one of the largest chapels of the basilica. It is decorated with frescoes titled: Stories of Saints Anthony Abbot, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist, and Nicholas of Bari.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Stories of the Virgin by Taddeo Gaddi (Picture by Kolohe) |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
As we walked between rooms. we kept taking pictures of interesting items.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Monumental Tomb of Niccolo Machiavelli was designed by Innocenzo Spinazzi and features a female figure seated on a sarcophagus, holding symbols of Politics, History, and Poetry. The inscription "TANTO NOMINI NULLUM PAR ELOGIUM" (no praise is sufficient for such a great name) is inscribed on the base. It was reported that this tomb is a must-visit for history buffs and anyone interested in "the philosophical underpinning of modern political systems."
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
Exterior covered walkways along the buildings form a rectangle with a nice courtyard in the middle.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
Santa Croce features some of the oldest stained-glass windows in Florence, dating back to the 13th century.
In the 14th century, this Crucifix was commissioned by the Da Filicaia family for a church of Benedictine nuns. When the church was destroyed in 1785, the Crucifix was donated to Santa Croce. In 1966, flood waters reached three-quarters of the way up the cross, so after the flood, it was moved to the Limonaia Laboratory to see if it could be repaired. After an extensive restoration, it was returned to Santa Croce in 1986.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Community Refectory is where the friars had their meals together in strict silence, except for one friar who read scriptures from a raised pulpit. In 1808, Napoleon ordered the Refectory closed, and the space was used for a carpet factory and then for the Public Debt Office before closing in the late 1800s. In 1952, the room was restored and opened to the public.
Taddeo Gaddi painted the Last Supper with the Tree of Life in about 1360. The Last Supper was important to the Franciscans because they owned a church on Mount Zion in Jerusalem where Jesus had taken the Last Supper with his twelve apostles.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The Last Supper painting by Vasari had substantial damage from the 1966 flood, but after a lengthy restoration, it was returned to Santa Croce in 2016.
Michelangelo (1475-1564) died in Rome on February 18, 1564 (aged 88), and was buried in the Church of Santi Apostoli. However, when he died, Michelangelo wanted to be interred at the Basilica of Santa Croce in his hometown of Florence, so his nephew Lionardo disguised the body as merchandise and secretly moved it to Florence, arriving on March 11, 1564. His tomb was designed and built by Giorgio Vasari and features "a pyramidal structure made of white Carrara marble, adorned with a bust of Michelangelo and allegorical figures representing Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture."
Located nearby is the tomb of Galileo (1564-1642), which was designed by Giulio Foggini. The tomb contains a bust of Galileo by Giovanni Foggini and figures representing Astronomy by Vincenzo Foggini and Geometry by Girolamo Ticciati.
Galileo is known as the father of Observational Astronomy, Modern-Era Classical Physics, and Modern Science. He was one of the developers of the thermoscope, inventor of various military compasses, and built an early microscope.
In 1615, a Roman Inquisition found that his opinions on Copernican heliocentrism (The Sun was motionless at the center of the Universe and the planets orbited around the sun.) contradicted accepted Biblical interpretations. Then, in 1632, he published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, which appeared to attack the Pope and the Catholic Church. He was tried and found "vehemently suspect of heresy." He spent the rest of his life under house arrest, during which time he published Two New Sciences concerning kinematics and the strength of materials.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
The granddaughters insisted that we get Italian sandwiches at a famous small shop they found on the web, but when we arrived, we found that other people had also located the same shop. Even though the line was long, it moved fast. Of course, they also found a nearby shop that sold sweets.
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
 |
| Picture by Kolohe |
No comments:
Post a Comment