Florence was the second city we visited in Italy and the only research I had done about the city was the location of Michelangelo’s statue of David. The statue is of the Biblical hero David, who is also famous for the story of the battle between him and the giant Goliath. The city seemed more mellow and constricted after the vast open spaces of Rome. The streets were narrower, winding and more crowded, if not with the top brands. The smell of fresh bread poured out of street-side cafes.
Florence seems like a gated city at the first glance. The streets were like efficient alleys, flanked by tall brick buildings on both sides. If Rome is the city of architecture and sculptures, Firenze (as the Italians call it) is the city of music and beauty. The first stop in Florence was the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, a 13th century cathedral that is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Florence. We accidentally chanced upon the Church as we were plodding towards the Statue of David.
It looms up beautifully, glistening in the pale winter sunlight in the Piazza del Duomo. The church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. A long passageway greets you as soon as you squeeze past the security checks. Over 40 stained-glass windows line the church, depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament. The dome, which was completed almost a century after the original cathedral, has a fresco by Vasari, depicting scenes of the Last Judgment and more.
The Santa Maria cathedral was built on an earlier church and excavations of these underground vaults are currently in progress. These underground vaults were used to bury bishops in Florence over the centuries. The next stop was naturally at Accademia di Belle Arti, or the Academy of Fine Arts, where the original statue of David was moved to in 1873. A replica has been placed at Piazza della Signoria where the government was housed.
The statue was commissioned by the Overseers of the Office of Works of the Duomo in the 1500s as a part of 12 sculptures that were to be placed on the Florence Cathedral. After work on the sculpture was abandoned several times by artists like Agostino di Duccio and Antonio Rossellino, the official body finally awarded the work to the young Michaelangelo.
After wandering through the Academy’s gift store, we made our way to the next big attraction in Florence — the Uffizi Gallery. The museum is housed in the Palace of Uffizi, which had also served as an administrative office and state archive during the Medici period. The museum is one largest galleries in the world and has paintings by almost every painter you can think of.
The museum is sheer heaven for any lover of art. Boticelli’s Primavera, also known as the Allegory of Spring, is housed here. Caravaggio’s interpretation of the Gorgon, da Vinci’s The Adoration of the Magi and Titian’s Venus of Urbino are among some of the art jewels that are housed here. After the orgy of art, we headed down the road to the river, dodging live statues outside the museums. Live statues are a popular form of hawking in Italy, where people paint themselves in gold or silver and stand for hours like sculptures.
The sun was almost gone by the time we reached the river. Lamps glowed on the Ponte Vecchio, the most famous bridge in Florence. It once held butchers and currently has jewellers and art dealers setting up their stalls. Flanked by Ponte Santa Trinita and Ponte alle Grazie, the bridge is the perfect place to be at late evening, eating a gelato from the numerous shops lining the road.
The writer is a travel enthusiast
