Florence

Walking Florence

City is one art gallery!

Dante

Dante basically invented Italian literature and made it so that people actually had to pay more attention to dominus, domine, etc. He was a big deal—they called him “il Sommo Poeta” – dubbed the Supreme Poet, with a cape and everything!

He wrote about Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, which is basically the ultimate real estate tour for the afterlife. He influenced the likes of Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, and Alfred Tennyson, who’d all be sitting in the front row pondering how to one-up his poetic genius.

Protestants

So, next time you’re in Florence, just remember: if Dante can turn his epic journey through the afterlife into literary gold and Savonarola can attempt to clean house (even if it led to a fiery exit), maybe your local coffee shop has a story worth telling too!

River Arno and Stone Bridge

We walked from our Hotel—Hotel David, to the stone bridge aided by umbrellas on a rainy day—some respite from the dreadful heat.

Move to a 12th-century hotel.

To prepare for our walking trip from Greve, we had to move to another hotel. On arrival, we were told to lug our luggage up about four flights of stairs. We were told—no lift. We were told that we were privileged to be staying in a 12th-century building. I woke up the next morning wondering if Dante had slept there. The next morning, the Auswalk guy was there to carry our luggage down for us to leave for Greve.

***Dedrie pondering where we could have some lasagne topped off by thirst quenching beer!***

***We found a place near the Gucci building.***

The Opera Singer

***He was belting our ‘O sole mia’—there were a few Euros in the bowl!***

Cellini

With Cellini one needed to examine his works of art in the various museums as a standalone object. For instance, we can admire the Venus of Milo without necessarily focusing on the identity of the sculptor. There is merit in exhibiting, praising, and admiring the statues of Cellini.

However, I find it challenging to celebrate the legacy of an individual known to have taken the lives of others, particularly on the Ponte Vecchio. Cellini’s approach to building his career was unconventional. He killed three rival goldsmiths, and he came off scott-free, despite facing a death sentence for the first incident.

He fled to and thrived in various cities that welcomed him. Eventually, he was imprisoned for a crime he likely did not commit—specifically, being accused of stealing papal treasures in Rome during 1537.

His patron was Cosimo I de’ Medici, which enabled him to create his most celebrated work, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, often regarded as the pinnacle of his artistic achievements.

I certainly recognize Cellini’s artistic genius, and his works hold significant value as part of our shared human heritage. However, I find it difficult to endorse the commemoration of someone who has taken lives for, in my view, lamentable reasons. The Cellini Fountain, adorned with the sculptor’s bust, is prominently displayed in the heart of the Ponte Vecchio. When I observed it, I endeavored to focus solely on the brilliance of Cellini as a goldsmith, yet I could not fully detach the man behind the artistry from my contemplation.le reasons. The Cellini Fountain, adorned with the sculptor’s bust, is prominently displayed in the heart of the Ponte Vecchio. When I observed it, I endeavored to focus solely on the brilliance of Cellini as a goldsmith, yet I could not fully detach the man behind the artistry from my contemplation.Cellini Fountain, adorned with the sculptor’s bust, is prominently displayed in the heart of the Ponte Vecchio. When I observed it, I endeavored to focus solely on the brilliance of Cellini as a goldsmith, yet I could not fully detach the man behind the artistry from my contemplation.

***Cellini was a good artist—a rotten guy!***

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall—14th century. Originally designed to resemble a fortress, reflecting the political turmoil of the time, and its imposing tower was once used as a lookout for impending threats.

Piazza del Duomo

These are all breathtaking architectural wonders.

Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is the largest medieval building in Europe. Filippo Brunelleschi designed the Dome. Giotto’s Bell Tower stands next to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistery of St. John. The tower is one of the showpieces of Florentine Gothic architecture, with its design by Giotto, rich sculptural decorations, and polychrome marble encrustations.
The octagonal Baptistery of St. Johns stands across from the Duomo cathedral. Giotto bell tower is one of the oldest buildings in the city, built between 1059 and 1128. The architecture is in Florentine Romanesque style.

Princes Chapel – the Medici

The chapel mausoleum of the Medici family is majestic by the size, decoration, and materials. The dome is magnificient.

Uffizi

The Uffizi Gallery is located in the historic centre of Florence in the Tuscany region. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best-known in the world. It holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance.

We, and thousands of tourists, went in on a rainy day. Yes, we recognised many of the famous paintings, which we had also seen transported to Melbourne, and were astounded by the beauty and brilliance of the art and sculptures.

In 1993, the Sicilian Mafia carried out a car bomb explosion in Via dei Georgofili, which damaged parts of the palace and killed five people. The blast destroyed five pieces of art and damaged another 30. Some of the paintings were fully protected by bulletproof glass. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room and classical sculptures and neoclassical interior, which have since been restored, although its frescoes were damaged beyond repair.

In 2022, members of the climate activist group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) glued themselves to the glass protecting Sandro Botticelli’s Primavera, demanding an end to fossil fuel usage. The painting was undamaged.

In February this year, members of Ultima Generazione glued images of flooding in Tuscany in 2023 to the glass protecting Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus in protest over the Italian government’s inaction on climate change. The painting was undamaged, and the images were removed.

Here is a collection of all we saw in this marvellous gallery.

Apoxyomenos

Nymph with a panther

Madonna and Child

Christ Crucified

Presentation of Jesus at the temple

Adoration of the magi etc

Triumph of the Duke and Duchess at Urbino

The Duke of Urbino, Frederico da Montefeltro is depicted here with his wife Battista Sforza, who died after childbirth around the time della Francesca began working on this portrait. Some theorize that the portrait of Battista Sforza was made from a death mask due to her pallid complexion and expressionless face.

Botticelli-Spring

This painting, usually known as the Primavera [or ‘Spring’] shows nine figures from classic mythology advancing over a flowery lawn in a grove of orange and laurel trees. In the foreground, to the right, Zephyrus embraces a nymph named Chloris before taking her; she is then portrayed after her transformation into Flora, the spring goddess. The centre of the painting is dominated by the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, chastely dressed and set slightly back from the others, and by a blindfolded Cupid, firing his arrow of love.

On the left, the three Graces, minor goddesses with virtues like those of Venus, are shown dancing in a circle. The composition is closed by Mercury, messenger of the Gods, recognisable from his helmet and winged sandals, as he touches a cloud with his staff.

Although the complex meaning of the composition remains a mystery, the painting is a celebration of love, peace, and prosperity. The dark colour of the vegetation is in part due to the ageing process of the original pigment, but is lightened by the abundance of fruits and flowers. At least 138 species of different plants have been identified, all accurately portrayed by Botticelli, perhaps using herbaria. The attention to detail confirms the artist’s commitment to this piece, which is also evident in the sheer skill with which the paint has been applied.

Botticelli-the Birth of Venus

A Greek Homeric Hymn may have inspired the scene:

Of august gold-wreathed and beautiful
Aphrodite I shall sing to whose domain
belong the battlements of all sea-loved
Cyprus where, blown by the moist breath
of Zephyros, she was carried over the
waves of the resounding sea on soft foam.
The gold-filleted Horae happily welcomed
her and clothed her with heavenly raiment.[34]
Greek Homeric poet

Adoration of the Shepherds – Flemish Artist Hugo van der Goes

Hugo van der Goes was one of the most significant and original Early Netherlandish painters of the late 15th century. He introduced realism and the use of colour in Italian Renaissance art.

Hugo suffered from deep depression like Vincent van Gogh. Anxiety about his artistic achievements may have contributed to his depression, for ‘he was deeply troubled by the thought of how he would ever finish the works of art he had to paint, and it was said then that nine years would scarcely suffice’.

Joos van der Cleve

Joos van Cleve was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the traditional techniques of Early Netherlandish painting with influences of more contemporary Renaissance painting styles.

Hans Grien

Hans Baldung Grien (being an early nickname because of his predilection for the colour green) was a painter, printer, engraver, draftsman, and stained glass artist who was considered the most gifted student of Albrecht Dürer whose art belongs to both the German Renaissance and Mannerism.

Throughout his lifetime, he developed a distinctive style, full of colour, expression and imagination. His talents were varied, and he produced a great and extensive variety of work including portraits, woodcuts, drawings, tapestries, altarpieces, and stained glass, often relying on allegories and mythological motifs.

Adoration of the Magi-Leonardo da Vinci

Dating from 1481-82, The Adoration of the Magi by Leonardo da Vinci, is an unfinished panel that allows us to come in touch with Leonardo’s art directly. The lack of colours makes the drawing’s composition fully discernible. The work is entirely revolutionary when compared to Botticelli a few years earlier.

The hut is a simple sloping roof, shifted to the right and not in the centre of the scene. The Virgin and the Child are immersed in nature on the edge of a rock near a brook. The other characters are caught in a vortex of admirable astonishment: they are witnessing a divine epiphany. In the background, what at first glance would appear to be a ruin has been identified as the temple of Jerusalem under reconstruction: a curious detail is the representation of bricklayers at work.

John the Baptist—Michelangelo

Mary is the most prominent figure in the composition, takes up much of the center of the image. She sits directly on the ground without a cushion between herself and the grass to better communicate the theme of her relationship to the earth.

Joseph is positioned higher in the image than Mary, although this is an unusual feature in compositions of the Holy Family. Mary is seated between his legs as if he is protecting her, his great legs forming a kind of de facto throne. There is some debate as to whether Mary is receiving the Child from Joseph or vice versa. Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, is very commonly included in Florentine works depicting the Madonna and Child. He is in the middle ground of the painting, between the Holy Family and the background. The scene appears to be a rural one, with the Holy Family enjoying themselves on the grass and separated from the curiously (seemingly) unrelated group at the back by a low wall.