Florence is the city that pulled Europe out of the Middle Ages and into the modern world.
Fifteenth century Florence was the home of the Renaissance and birthplace of our modern Western world.
In architecture, the Renaissance brought a return to the balanced domes, columns and arches of the ancient world. In painting it revived realism and emotion. Artists rediscovered the wonder of nature and the human body.
Portraying beautiful people in harmonious surroundings, they expressed the optimism and confidence of this new age.
The Renaissance was an age of humanism, a time of confidence.
The city hall – once the palace of the Medici family – towers over the main square. Michelangelo’s David originally stood here. Now it is a copy; the original David is the centerpiece of the Academia Gallery.
The main structure of the Florence Cathedral is medieval, but its remarkable dome and much of the art decorating its façade define the first century of the Renaissance
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The Duomo – that is Italian for cathedral, it is huge – the largest anywhere when finished in the 15th century and still in the top 20.
The Baptistery across from the Cathedral is centuries older. The Baptistery is separate because in medieval times you couldn’t enter the church until you were baptized
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You can see Donatello’s Mary Magdalene – carved out of wood. The museum's most famous piece is Pieta by Michelangelo. You can see the Nicodemus – the self-portrait of the eighty-year-old Michelangelo.
Next up is Monastery of San Marco which is a museum – welcoming the public to enjoy the greatest collection of frescoes and paintings by Fra Angelico. He made the painting that creates a realistic scene set in what many consider the first great Renaissance landscape.
The Ponte Vecchio or old bridge has been busy with shoppers since before the Renaissance.
In the city museum you can see the Uffizi’s collection which will take you on a sweep through Italian art history from the 12th to the 17th century.
I hope you have enjoyed the look at the artistic splendor of Florence. Ciao.
