Florence, Italy
The train ride from Pisa to Florence is only about an hour so we had a full day upon our arrival. After finding Andy and Julie’s hotel, we headed off for the Accademia which is home to Michelangelo’s David. We had booked tickets online a few months prior but had a slight mishap when we got to the ticket counter. Seems that our reservations were for the Accademia in Venice. Oops. Even so, the ticket guy let us re-buy admission without having to wait in the really long non-reservation line so despite paying a little extra we didn’t lose any time.
Turns out the only really notable thing in the gallery is David. Even so, it was worth the price of admission. Out of all the famous buildings and pieces of art I’ve seen since I’ve been in Europe, the David is the most impressive/least disappointing. The larger-than-life size certainly helps, but the shear artistry of the thing is phenomenal.
Following that, we headed to the Duomo and then grabbed lunch at a little place our good pal Rick Steves recommended. Good choice, Rick. The afternoon took us to the Uffizi Gallery which includes Botticelli’s Birth of Venus among others. It was alright, but I’m starting to think that I might not really care for Renaissance art that much after all. At least they had some really nice Caravaggios (including the Sacrifice of Isaac).
We also took time to wander across the Ponte Vecchio, eat more gelatto, and climb the steep hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offers a magnificent view of the city. Before too long, it was time to grab dinner and jump on the airport bus so I could return to Geneva. The Daubenmires would continue on to Rome, but my midweek journey had to end here.
Duomo
front of the church
nice candelabras
the interior of the dome
crowd in front of the baptistry
close-up of one of the bronze door reliefs (replicas of the originals, apparently)
Alessi creates the greatest knife-holder ever
Replica David
Perseus slaying Medusa
UC has two little lion statues at McMicken Hall which are kind of unofficial school mascots. They are based on this guy. Here, I display a bit of UC pride.
the Ponte Vecchio
maybe the most dramatic statue ever. The dying guy’s hand is amazing
Beautiful view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
the Daubenmires on the hill
another David replica which caps the whole thing off
Turns out the only really notable thing in the gallery is David. Even so, it was worth the price of admission. Out of all the famous buildings and pieces of art I’ve seen since I’ve been in Europe, the David is the most impressive/least disappointing. The larger-than-life size certainly helps, but the shear artistry of the thing is phenomenal.
Following that, we headed to the Duomo and then grabbed lunch at a little place our good pal Rick Steves recommended. Good choice, Rick. The afternoon took us to the Uffizi Gallery which includes Botticelli’s Birth of Venus among others. It was alright, but I’m starting to think that I might not really care for Renaissance art that much after all. At least they had some really nice Caravaggios (including the Sacrifice of Isaac).
We also took time to wander across the Ponte Vecchio, eat more gelatto, and climb the steep hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offers a magnificent view of the city. Before too long, it was time to grab dinner and jump on the airport bus so I could return to Geneva. The Daubenmires would continue on to Rome, but my midweek journey had to end here.
Duomo
front of the church
nice candelabras
the interior of the dome
crowd in front of the baptistry
close-up of one of the bronze door reliefs (replicas of the originals, apparently)
Alessi creates the greatest knife-holder ever
Replica David
Perseus slaying Medusa
UC has two little lion statues at McMicken Hall which are kind of unofficial school mascots. They are based on this guy. Here, I display a bit of UC pride.
the Ponte Vecchio
maybe the most dramatic statue ever. The dying guy’s hand is amazing
Beautiful view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo
the Daubenmires on the hill
another David replica which caps the whole thing off
posted by Aaron at 2:49 PM
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