Florence, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, is a city filled with art. Today we will see some of the great paintings, sculptures, and tapestries. The day is cool, but sunny - perfect weather for me. My knees and back have taken a toll during the first 11 days of this trip, so I'm planning to do cab rides between places instead of walking. Our first stop is the Galleria dell'Academia and I order a taxi (along with 3 other women in the group) to get me there from the hotel.
Though this gallery houses many famous works, by far the highlight of the gallery (and maybe of the trip) is Michelangelo's David. I worried that I might not find it as magnificent as Eric kept telling me it would be. But I needn't have worried. It lived up to all expectations!
In the same room as the David are four other statues by Michelangelo known as the Prisoners. In each, the figure struggles to be freed from the stone.
What a genius Michelangelo was. Our Italian guide, Marina, lives in Florence and is extremely knowledgable about art, so the Academia gave her a chance to shine - and shine she did. She was able to provide background on artists, technique use, historical context, and all the other things that make art come alive. One of my favorite parts of the Academia was the Museum of Musical Instruments where we saw an original Stradivarius. We finished our tour of the Academia with a Melton study session that set the right tone for trying to incorporate Jews into the story of Florence.
Synagogue and Jewish Museum
Our next stop was the beautiful synagogue of Florence and accompanying Jewish Museum. No cameras, bags, purses, etc. were allowed inside, so I have only external photos to show.
Baptistry and Piazza del Duomo
After a lovely lunch (I think there is no bad food in Italy - only too much fried food and too many carbohydrates!), we headed for the Baptistry and Piazza del Duomo. Both the Duomo and Baptistry are constructed of white and gray striped materials, making for fascinating photos in the gorgeous sunshine.
I could feel my concentration flagging around 1:30 and I had trouble following the discussions for the rest of the afternoon.
Piazza del Republica and Original Jewish Ghetto
We now traced the outline of where the Jewish Ghetto in Florence had been. The Jews were forced into the Ghetto in 1571 and the Ghetto was finally razed in 1848 and the Jews were granted full citizenship in 1868.
Almost all of the original ghetto footprint was destroyed after the emancipation, but Marina was able to show us clues on walls and in buildings to help give us a sense of the size and location of the Ghetto relative to the the two seats of power in Florence - the Church (represented by the Duomo) and the civic govenment (represented by the Piazza del Republica). The Jews of Florence were squeezed between these two, both physically and metaphorically.
We had frequent stops and long walks on this portion of the day, and I was close to collapse from fatigue and pain. Although the session continued on after this, Eric and I left and caught a taxi back to the hotel. I know when I've had enough! We had started at 8:00 AM and it was not 5:30 PM, and time for a rest before dinner.
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