Two dear friends that live near Franfurt came to see me on Sunday. They took me to central Frankfurt. We also went to an exhibit that was hands down the coolest thing I have done on this entire trip. Basically you experience the world as someone who is blind would. It was amazing and enlightening.
Here are pictures of Frankfurt.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Train ride north
I took the train from Milan to Frankfurt. It was a fantastic trip. Daylight lasted only through Switzerland but it was still a wonderful trip.
Here are pictures taken from the train. Due to the weather, dirty window, and the high speed of the train these are not the clearest photos but you can get an idea of how beautiful the Alps are.
Here are pictures taken from the train. Due to the weather, dirty window, and the high speed of the train these are not the clearest photos but you can get an idea of how beautiful the Alps are.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Change of scenary: Milan
Because I have not been able to finish sorting and organizing Florence photos, I will now switch to Milan. I spent a day wandering around the central part of the city. There is a beautiful shopping center next to the cathedral. The central rotunda has Louis Vuitton, Prada, a jewelers, and what is the fourth big corner label you ask????? Can you guess????? Sadly, it is McDonalds.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Florence Part 6: Florence from up high
The Church of San Miniato
The green and white façade is considered one of the finest examples of the Florentine Romanesque style. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, it contains fine artworks and splendid frescoes.
Piazzale Michelangelo
The huge square is famous throughout the world for its view over the monumental city center. The square, the gardens and the boulevards leading down to Florence, together with the other avenues encircling the city, were created by Giuseppe Poggi in 1869 when it was temporarily the capital of Italy.
The green and white façade is considered one of the finest examples of the Florentine Romanesque style. Built between the 11th and 13th centuries, it contains fine artworks and splendid frescoes.
Piazzale Michelangelo
The huge square is famous throughout the world for its view over the monumental city center. The square, the gardens and the boulevards leading down to Florence, together with the other avenues encircling the city, were created by Giuseppe Poggi in 1869 when it was temporarily the capital of Italy.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Florence Part 5: Assorted locations
Ponte Vecchio
The first and therefore oldest b ridge in the city. Built in wood before the year 1000, then constructed in masonry and destroyed several times by the Arno in flood, it was reconstructed as we see it today by Taddeo Gaddi, a student of Giotto, in 1345. The characteristic shops on the bridge at first hosted butchers’ shops, as here they could conveniently throw their waste directly into the river, and were only later occupied by craftsmen, goldsmiths and jewelers, when the bridge became the main route leading to the Medici palace. Today it is a popular salon for jewelry and precious stones, displayed in the characteristic projecting shop windows.
Piazza della Signoria
The piazza has been the hub of political life in Florence since the 14th century. It was the scene of great triumphs, such as the return of the Medici in 1530, but also of the Bonfire of the Vanities instigated by Savonarola, who was himself burned at the stake here in 1498, denounced as a heretic by the Inquisiton.
NO PICTURES!
NO PICTURES!!
Many, well, most of the museaums in Florence do not allow photography. The following places we visited did not allow photography. But I managed to sneak a few. When we went to the Accademia to see David the guard near the statue was always yelling at the top of her lungs NO PICTURES!
The Academy Gallery
One of Florence’s best known museums because it boasts many sculptures by Michelangelo, including the famous David. It also contains a large number of paintings, brought here by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo to help the studies of the young artists at the Academy of Art, which still stands next door to the gallery.
San Marco
The museum of San Marco is situated inside the ancient Dominican convent, the spiritual centre of 15th century Florence, and contains the splendid frescoes carried out by Fra Angelico to decorate the monks’ cells. This was where the mad monk Fra Girolamo Savonarola preached.
Uffizi Gallery
Situated in the harmonious colonnaded square designed by Vasari, a symbol of 16th century Florentine architecture, the Uffizi Gallery was also the first museum to be opened to the public: the Grand Duke in fact gave permission for visitors to tour it from the year 1591. Its four centuries of history make the Uffizi Gallery the oldest museum in the world. Cosimo I de Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to build the Palace, whose construction was started in 1560. It was later completed by Buontalenti, who also designed the famous Tribune, to house the administrative offices (or Uffizi) of the Government, because Palazzo Vecchio, which also over looks Piaza della Signoria, had become to small to hold them all.
However it was Cosimo’s son Francesco I who was responsible for the palace’s gradual transformation into a museum from 1581, when he closed the Gallery on the second floor with hu8ge windows and arranged part of the Grand Ducal collection of classical statues, medals, jeweler, weapons, paintings and scientific instruments there.
Untiring collectors, the Medici were forever adding to the Gallery: some of the most important elements in the collection came from the legacy left by Vittoria della Rovere, Ferdinando II’s mother, in 1631, together with the many acquisitions made by Cardinal Leopoldo de’Medici, which were to create the basis of the Gallery of Prints and Drawings and the collection of self-portraits, today displayed in the Vasri Corridor that links the Uffizi to the royal Pitti Palace.
Altered and rearranged several times over the centuries, the exhibition rooms are now composed of over 45 rooms containing about 1700 paintings, 300 sculptures, 46 tapestries and 14 pieces of furniture and/or ceramics. In actual fact the Uffizi owns about 4800 works, the raminder of which are either in storage or on loan to other museums.
The Church of San Lorenzo and library
Brunelleschi carried out the Medici Church of San Lorenzo by enlarging a mediaeval church consecrated by St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan in 393. The interior exemplifies Renaissance religious architecture and contains many important works of art, among them two pulpits in bronze by Donatello and the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi. The church became a Medici family sepulcher because all the first Medicis were buried there. Michelangelo carried out the elegant Medici Laurentian Library, vestibule and reading room, which can be reached from the Cloisters.
The Medici Chapels
The Medici Chapels form the most famous part of the San Lorenzo complex. Pope Leo X and his cousin, the future Pope Clement VII gave Michelangelo the commission to carry out the New Sacristy, where Lorenzo the Magnificent is buried with his brother Giuliano, who were murdered in the Pazzi Plot in 1478, and their descendants, Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours. Michelangelo decorated it with some of his most famous sculptures: portraits of the dead princes and his interpretations of Day, Night, Dawn, and Dusk. The huge octagonal Chapel of the Princes, designed by Mateo Nigetti is the official family sacrarium and mausoleum. The entire surface of the interior is a dazzling mosaic of dark marble and semi-precious stones.
The first and therefore oldest b ridge in the city. Built in wood before the year 1000, then constructed in masonry and destroyed several times by the Arno in flood, it was reconstructed as we see it today by Taddeo Gaddi, a student of Giotto, in 1345. The characteristic shops on the bridge at first hosted butchers’ shops, as here they could conveniently throw their waste directly into the river, and were only later occupied by craftsmen, goldsmiths and jewelers, when the bridge became the main route leading to the Medici palace. Today it is a popular salon for jewelry and precious stones, displayed in the characteristic projecting shop windows.
Piazza della Signoria
The piazza has been the hub of political life in Florence since the 14th century. It was the scene of great triumphs, such as the return of the Medici in 1530, but also of the Bonfire of the Vanities instigated by Savonarola, who was himself burned at the stake here in 1498, denounced as a heretic by the Inquisiton.
NO PICTURES!
NO PICTURES!!
Many, well, most of the museaums in Florence do not allow photography. The following places we visited did not allow photography. But I managed to sneak a few. When we went to the Accademia to see David the guard near the statue was always yelling at the top of her lungs NO PICTURES!
The Academy Gallery
One of Florence’s best known museums because it boasts many sculptures by Michelangelo, including the famous David. It also contains a large number of paintings, brought here by Grand Duke Pietro Leopoldo to help the studies of the young artists at the Academy of Art, which still stands next door to the gallery.
San Marco
The museum of San Marco is situated inside the ancient Dominican convent, the spiritual centre of 15th century Florence, and contains the splendid frescoes carried out by Fra Angelico to decorate the monks’ cells. This was where the mad monk Fra Girolamo Savonarola preached.
Uffizi Gallery
Situated in the harmonious colonnaded square designed by Vasari, a symbol of 16th century Florentine architecture, the Uffizi Gallery was also the first museum to be opened to the public: the Grand Duke in fact gave permission for visitors to tour it from the year 1591. Its four centuries of history make the Uffizi Gallery the oldest museum in the world. Cosimo I de Medici commissioned Giorgio Vasari to build the Palace, whose construction was started in 1560. It was later completed by Buontalenti, who also designed the famous Tribune, to house the administrative offices (or Uffizi) of the Government, because Palazzo Vecchio, which also over looks Piaza della Signoria, had become to small to hold them all.
However it was Cosimo’s son Francesco I who was responsible for the palace’s gradual transformation into a museum from 1581, when he closed the Gallery on the second floor with hu8ge windows and arranged part of the Grand Ducal collection of classical statues, medals, jeweler, weapons, paintings and scientific instruments there.
Untiring collectors, the Medici were forever adding to the Gallery: some of the most important elements in the collection came from the legacy left by Vittoria della Rovere, Ferdinando II’s mother, in 1631, together with the many acquisitions made by Cardinal Leopoldo de’Medici, which were to create the basis of the Gallery of Prints and Drawings and the collection of self-portraits, today displayed in the Vasri Corridor that links the Uffizi to the royal Pitti Palace.
Altered and rearranged several times over the centuries, the exhibition rooms are now composed of over 45 rooms containing about 1700 paintings, 300 sculptures, 46 tapestries and 14 pieces of furniture and/or ceramics. In actual fact the Uffizi owns about 4800 works, the raminder of which are either in storage or on loan to other museums.
The Church of San Lorenzo and library
Brunelleschi carried out the Medici Church of San Lorenzo by enlarging a mediaeval church consecrated by St. Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan in 393. The interior exemplifies Renaissance religious architecture and contains many important works of art, among them two pulpits in bronze by Donatello and the Old Sacristy by Brunelleschi. The church became a Medici family sepulcher because all the first Medicis were buried there. Michelangelo carried out the elegant Medici Laurentian Library, vestibule and reading room, which can be reached from the Cloisters.
The Medici Chapels
The Medici Chapels form the most famous part of the San Lorenzo complex. Pope Leo X and his cousin, the future Pope Clement VII gave Michelangelo the commission to carry out the New Sacristy, where Lorenzo the Magnificent is buried with his brother Giuliano, who were murdered in the Pazzi Plot in 1478, and their descendants, Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino, and Giuliano, Duke of Nemours. Michelangelo decorated it with some of his most famous sculptures: portraits of the dead princes and his interpretations of Day, Night, Dawn, and Dusk. The huge octagonal Chapel of the Princes, designed by Mateo Nigetti is the official family sacrarium and mausoleum. The entire surface of the interior is a dazzling mosaic of dark marble and semi-precious stones.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Florence Part 4: Santa Maria del Fiori, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery
Ok, this is the big one. The church that dominates the Florentine skyline. You can't miss the Duomo if you try. It is beautiful. A little history about the buildings in the square and then, of course, pictures.
Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore took six centuries to complete. It’s name, Holy Mary of the Flower, is a clear allusion to the lily, the symbol of the city. Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio(1245-1302), one of the greatest architect-sculptors of his age, it was erected around the ancient Cathedral of Santa Reparata, which was torn down as soon as the new building was roofed over, its remains, as well as the tombs of Giotto and Brunelleschi, can be visited from the interior.
Filippo Brunelleschi completed the Cathedral in 1436 with the elegant cupola, still considered a marvel of engineering. Brunelleshchi won a competition for its commission in 1418, the dome is egg-shape and was made without scaffolding.
In 1572 Giorgio Vasari started to paint the frescoes of the cupola of the Cathedral, drawing inspiration from the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. He died in 1574 after having carried out only a third of the work, and Frederico Zuccari, completed the project. The frescoes have been scrupulously restored, and it is now possible to appreciate the power of the cycle.
The façade of the church was completed in the 19th century.
Clock by Paolo Uccello 1443 – in line with the ora italica, according to which the 24th hour of the day ends at sunset.
Giotto Bell Tower
Built on a square plan, the Giotto Bell Tower rises on the right of the Cathedral. It was designed and built by the great artist in the last years of his life 1334-1337 and completed by Fancesco Talenti in 1359. Faced in priceless green, red, and white marbles, it is decorated with 56 bas-relief titles by Adrea Pisano and Luca Della Robbia. 413 steps lead up to the panoramic terrace.
Baptistery
Faced in green and white marble and a masterpiece of Florentine Romanesque art, the octagonal-shaped Baptistery (1128) is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, Patron Saint of the city. According to tradition, it was founded in Roman times. In 12th century the original sandstone of the external revestment was covered with Green Prato and white Carrara and marble inlay: the final result is a prototype for Romanesque architecture. The splendid doors are the work of Pisano and Ghiberti.
Santa Maria del Fiore (The Duomo)
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore took six centuries to complete. It’s name, Holy Mary of the Flower, is a clear allusion to the lily, the symbol of the city. Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio(1245-1302), one of the greatest architect-sculptors of his age, it was erected around the ancient Cathedral of Santa Reparata, which was torn down as soon as the new building was roofed over, its remains, as well as the tombs of Giotto and Brunelleschi, can be visited from the interior.
Filippo Brunelleschi completed the Cathedral in 1436 with the elegant cupola, still considered a marvel of engineering. Brunelleshchi won a competition for its commission in 1418, the dome is egg-shape and was made without scaffolding.
In 1572 Giorgio Vasari started to paint the frescoes of the cupola of the Cathedral, drawing inspiration from the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. He died in 1574 after having carried out only a third of the work, and Frederico Zuccari, completed the project. The frescoes have been scrupulously restored, and it is now possible to appreciate the power of the cycle.
The façade of the church was completed in the 19th century.
Clock by Paolo Uccello 1443 – in line with the ora italica, according to which the 24th hour of the day ends at sunset.
Giotto Bell Tower
Built on a square plan, the Giotto Bell Tower rises on the right of the Cathedral. It was designed and built by the great artist in the last years of his life 1334-1337 and completed by Fancesco Talenti in 1359. Faced in priceless green, red, and white marbles, it is decorated with 56 bas-relief titles by Adrea Pisano and Luca Della Robbia. 413 steps lead up to the panoramic terrace.
Baptistery
Faced in green and white marble and a masterpiece of Florentine Romanesque art, the octagonal-shaped Baptistery (1128) is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, Patron Saint of the city. According to tradition, it was founded in Roman times. In 12th century the original sandstone of the external revestment was covered with Green Prato and white Carrara and marble inlay: the final result is a prototype for Romanesque architecture. The splendid doors are the work of Pisano and Ghiberti.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Florence Part 3: A little mix of stuff
In this set of photos you will see:
The Arno River
A statue in Piazza Mentana
the Tempio Maggiore Israelitico
Items on display in the Museo di Storia della Scienza
The Arno River
A statue in Piazza Mentana
the Tempio Maggiore Israelitico
Items on display in the Museo di Storia della Scienza
Florence: Part 2: Hotel Villa Liana
We stayed at two different hotels in Florence. They were on opposite sides of central Florence. I had wanted to stay in a hotel that was in the traditional Florentine or Tuscan style. Wood or tile floors, quaint eclectic furniture, and a long history attached to the building. We couldn’t pick between two so we decided to opt for staying at both.
The first, Hotel Villa Liana was by far and wide not only our favorite but will be remembered fondly our whole lives. It was a beautiful hotel and we had an incredible room. They put us in the second floor room of a little bungalow. We climbed a stone staircase up to a gazebo and a bridge that took us to our room.
We spent several perfect evenings sitting under the gazebo having a picnic dinner. We would stop at a grocery store after a day of exploring and pick up fresh baked bread, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, and a bottle of wine. The parmesan cheese we picked was only .99euro a pound which translates to about $1.50 lb. And it was heaven. I think the first time, and probably the second night we had it we were both speechless over the wonderful flavors in the cheese.
The second hotel, Hotel Ariel was also a nice hotel. But it did not hold the magic that the first one did. It was actually in a more exclusive section of Florence a block away from the Arno river. It was also only a few blocks from the US Consulate. The cars were bigger and more expensive and the streets were certainly a bit quieter. We enjoyed our stay and it was very close to the train station where we would both depart from so it was ideal for what we needed at the end of our trip.
The below pictures are from Hotel Villa Liana.
The first, Hotel Villa Liana was by far and wide not only our favorite but will be remembered fondly our whole lives. It was a beautiful hotel and we had an incredible room. They put us in the second floor room of a little bungalow. We climbed a stone staircase up to a gazebo and a bridge that took us to our room.
We spent several perfect evenings sitting under the gazebo having a picnic dinner. We would stop at a grocery store after a day of exploring and pick up fresh baked bread, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, and a bottle of wine. The parmesan cheese we picked was only .99euro a pound which translates to about $1.50 lb. And it was heaven. I think the first time, and probably the second night we had it we were both speechless over the wonderful flavors in the cheese.
The second hotel, Hotel Ariel was also a nice hotel. But it did not hold the magic that the first one did. It was actually in a more exclusive section of Florence a block away from the Arno river. It was also only a few blocks from the US Consulate. The cars were bigger and more expensive and the streets were certainly a bit quieter. We enjoyed our stay and it was very close to the train station where we would both depart from so it was ideal for what we needed at the end of our trip.
The below pictures are from Hotel Villa Liana.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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