May 26, Monday:
CATHEDRAL, BELL TOWER
Video covers Duomo and Campanile,
Video covers Palazzo Vecchio
Duomo climb
Since many museums are closed on Monday and the Duomo is
open, we chose to do the Duomo climb as well as the bell tower climb first
thing in the morning on Monday.
The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore ("Basilica of
Saint Mary of the Flower") is the main church
of Florence
Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio. It took 140 years to be completed in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi
Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style by Arnolfo di Cambio. It took 140 years to be completed in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi
The exterior is covered in a decorative mix of pink, white
and green marble.
Statues of Arnolfo di Cambio and Brunelleschi can be
found outside to the right of the cathedral, both admiring their work for
the rest of eternity.
The dimensions of the building are enormous: length 153
metres (502 ft), width 38 metres (124 ft), width at the crossing 90 metres (295
ft). The height of the arches in the aisles is 23 metres (75 ft). The height of
the dome is 114.5 m
On top of the façade is a series of niches with the twelve
Apostles with the Madonna with Child in the middle. Between the rose
window and the tympanum, there is a gallery with busts of great Florentine
artists.
.
The dome is egg-shaped and was made without scaffolding. The
raising of this dome, the largest in the world in its time, was no easy architectural
feat.
Brunelleschi looked to the great dome of
the Pantheon in Rome for
solutions. The dome of the Pantheon is a single shell of concrete, the
formula for which had long since been forgotten. Soil filled with silver
coins had held the Pantheon dome aloft while its concrete set. This could not
be the solution in the case of a dome this size and would put the church out of
use.
For the height and breadth of the dome, starting 52 metres
(171 ft) above the floor and spanning 44 meters (144 ft), there
was not enough timber in Tuscany
Brunelleschi employed a double shell, made of sandstone and
marble. He had to build the dome out of brick, due to its light weight
compared to stone and being easier to form, and with nothing under it
during construction. To illustrate his proposed structural plan, he constructed
a wooden and brick model with the help of Donatello and Nanni di
Banco, a model which is still displayed in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
The model served as a guide for the craftsmen, but was intentionally
incomplete, so as to ensure Brunelleschi's control over the construction.
Brunelleschi, like all cathedral builders, had to rely on
intuition and whatever he could learn from the large scale models he built. To
lift 37,000 tons of material, including over 4 million bricks, he
invented hoisting machines hoisting large stones. These specially designed
machines and his structural innovations were Brunelleschi's chief contribution
to architecture!
Read up on the details and you’ll appreciate the beauty
more!
We reached the Duomo by 8 am
and were the first to climb the 465 steps...
Inner view of the dome as we climb is awesome…
Giorgio Vasari's frescoes of the Last
Judgment (1572-9) can be seen up close; they were designed by Vasari but
painted mostly by his less-talented student Frederico Zuccari by
1579.
Inner view of the dome as we climb is awesome…
Of course the views are incredible from the top.
Giotto's Campanile--bell tower
Then we decided to climb the bell tower also as we wanted to
beat the crowds.
Standing adjacent to the Basilica and the Baptistry,
the bell tower is by Giotto, it has rich sculptural decorations and
polychrome marble… geometric patterns of white marble from Carrara ,
green marble from Prato and
red marble from Siena .
Stands on a square plan with a side of 14.45 m (47.41 ft). It attains a height of 84.7 m (277.9 ft)
Stands on a square plan with a side of 14.45 m (47.41 ft). It attains a height of 84.7 m (277.9 ft)
Entrance to campanile (bell tower) is just adjacent to the
basilica. We did not even stop to rest for a few minutes.
We started our climb up the 405 steps here...
In Giotto's campanile there are seven bells:
We started our climb up the 405 steps here...
Campanone ("biggest bell"): 1705, diameter 2 m, height 2.10 m, c. 5385 kg, note A2, cast by Antonio Petri of Florence
La Misericordia ("mercy bell"): 1830, diameter 1.52 m, almost 2100 kg, note C3, cast by Carlo Moreni
Apostolica: 1957, diameter 1.25 m, 1200 kg, Note D3, cast by P. Barigozzi
Annunziata: 1956, diameter 1.15 m, 856.5 kg, Note E3, cast by P. Barigozzi
Mater Dei ("God's Mother bell"), 1956, diameter 95 cm, 481.3 kg, note G3, cast by P. Barigozzi
L'Assunta, 1956, diameter 85 cm, 339.6 kg, Note A3, cast by P. Barigozzi
L'Immacolata, 1956, diameter 75 cm, 237.8 kg, Note B3, cast by P. Barigozzi
It was great looking at the views and the bells!
After our climb, we saw a long line waiting and we were
happy we had been early!
The mosaic pavements are certainly its main attraction within.
The biggest artwork within the cathedral is Giorgio Vasari's frescoes of the Last Judgment (1572-9): we had seen it up close during our climb and its color palette was impressive from down below too
The clock above the entrance on the inside of the church. was designed in 1443 in accordance with the ora italica, where the 24th hour of the day ended at sunset... and it still works!
We visited the museum next, sadly the gates of paradise are not open for viewing!
Duomo di Firenze, The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore
(Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower)
A small line was forming in front of the cathedral. We joined it and entered the cathedral. The interior, by contrast, is pretty stark and plain.
The mosaic pavements are certainly its main attraction within.
The clock above the entrance on the inside of the church. was designed in 1443 in accordance with the ora italica, where the 24th hour of the day ended at sunset... and it still works!
We visited the museum next, sadly the gates of paradise are not open for viewing!
Then of course our target was the Baptistry
Battistero di San Giovanni:
Florence Baptistery also known as the Baptistery of Saint
John
The Baptistery, dedicated to Florence 's
patron saint, has an octagonal plan and an octagonal lantern with a
cupola. Outside it is again clad in geometrically patterned colored
marble, white Carrara Prato
It was built over the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated
to Mars dating back to the 4th-5th century A.D. It was first described
in 897 as a minor basilica. In 1128, it was consecrated as
the Baptistery of Florence and is the oldest religious monument in
Florence Florence
were baptized within its doors. Today, young children can still be baptized
here on the first Sunday of the month, but as they only have space and time for
4, you have to make the request with ample time.
On three of the four sides there are three large
doors famous for their decorations. The most important door has always
been considered the eastern doors, the ones that lead to the Duomo. All of the
doors have been originally located on the Eastern side before being moved.
The oldest pair of doors are the bronze doors presently
found on the South side of the baptistery. Made by Andrea
Pisano around 1330, the doors consist of 28 quatrefoil panels
depicting scenes from St. John's
life. They are the only remaining original doors still in
situ at the Baptistery, and are in need of restoration. You can still see
traces of gold on some of the panels, while the bright spots are oxidized
bronze from the patina of millions of hands that have touched sections.
Today's Northern Doors are by Lorenzo
Ghiberti (1403-1424) and depict Stories of the Life and Passion of
Christ taken from the New Testament. The original doors are currently
under restoration (since 2014), and copies are being made of each panel as
they are restored. For this reason, you'll see the doors are not
"complete" at the moment as they are missing panels. Once restoration
is complete, the original doors will be inside the Opera del Duomo museum
East doors, or Gates of Paradise ,
by Lorenzo Ghiberti
The Gates of Paradise received their name
by Michelangelo who is believed to have exclaimed: "They are so
beautiful that they would be perfect for the gates of paradise".
In each panel, Ghiberti described more than one scene so
that there are over fifty scenes depicted. For example, In "The Story of
Joseph" is portrayed the narrative scheme of Joseph Cast by His Brethren
into the Well, Joseph Sold to the Merchants, The merchants delivering Joseph to
the pharaoh, Joseph Interpreting the Pharaoh's dream, The Pharaoh Paying him
Honor, Jacob Sends His Sons to Egypt and Joseph Recognizes His Brothers and
Returns Home.
All around the frame of the doors Ghiberti added 24
small bronze busts of famous Florentines. The two central busts are
portraits of the artist and of his father, Bartolomeo Ghiberti
The panels are included in a richly decorated gilt framework of foliage and fruit, many statuettes of prophets and 24 busts.
The figures are distributed in very low relief in a perspective space (a technique invented by Donatello and called rilievo schiacciato, which literally means "flattened relief".) Ghiberti uses different sculptural techniques, from incised lines to almost free-standing figure sculpture, within the panels, further accentuating the sense of space
In 1425 Ghiberti got a second commission, this time for the
east doors of the baptistry, on which he and his workshop toiled for 27
years.
Ghiberti employed the recently discovered principles of perspective to give depth to his compositions.
.
Ghiberti employed the recently discovered principles of perspective to give depth to his compositions.
.
The doors are awesome and we LOVED them.
Then we went on to Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio (Old
Palace
The Palazzo Vecchio ("Old
Palace
This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace was originally called the Palazzo della Signoria, (the Signoria is the ruling body of the
It has great
art and was a pleasure to stroll through.
Great marquetry work on these ebony chests...
This is the Salone dei Cinquecento
Salone dei Cinquecento (Hall of 500)
In the niches are sculptures by Bandinelli: in the center the statue of the seated "Leo X", and on the right a statue of "Charles V crowned by Clement VII".
The six statues along the walls represent the "Labors of Hercules".
In the central niche at the south of the Hall is Michelangelo's famous marble group the "The Genius of Victory" (1533–1534), originally intended for the tomb of Julius II.
The statue was placed in this hall by Vasari, but in 1868 was removed to the
On the north side of the hall, illuminated by enormous windows, is the raised stage called the Udienza, built for Cosimo I to receive citizens and ambassadors. Above are frescoes of historical events; among these, that of Boniface VIII receiving the ambassadors of foreign States and, seeing that were all Florentines, saying: "You Florentines are the quintessence."
Hall of the Lilies
The carved ceiling of the Hall of the Lilies, as this room is usually called, decorated with fleur-de-lys, and the Statue of St. John the Baptist and Putti
The golden fleur-de-lys decorations on blue background on the ceiling and three walls refer to the (short-lived) good relations between
Hall of Geographical Maps
Hall of Geographical Maps or Wardrobe is where the Medici Grand Dukes kept their precious belongings. The cabinets and carved ceiling are by Dionigi Nigetti.
The doors of the cabinets were decorated with 53
remarkable maps of scientific interest, oil paintings by the Dominican monk Fra
Ignazio Danti (1563–1575), brother of the sculptor Vincenzo Danti, and Stefano
Buonsignori (1575–1584).
They are of great historical interest and give a good idea of the geographical knowledge in the 16th century. Danti followed the Ptolemaic system, while already using the new cartographical system of Gerardus Mercator
This globe has been ruined by bad restoration attempts...
They are of great historical interest and give a good idea of the geographical knowledge in the 16th century. Danti followed the Ptolemaic system, while already using the new cartographical system of Gerardus Mercator
This globe has been ruined by bad restoration attempts...
Palazzo Vecchio has
a tower to climb, just a paltry 416 steps again!
Yes, you guessed right, we climbed this tower too… awesome
views!
Now we had been on our feet all day and had climbed 3
huge towers, all 400 plus steps! My feet were killing me. We sat at
the piazza and I had to flex and massage my feet for some 10 minutes before
they became functional again!
The previous day we had been to Uffizi. We had checked in
our bag with extra camera batteries and just took the camera. The battery died
and ipod had discharged too. So we ended up with no pics for Uffizi. Of course
we had the Uffizi card which meant unlimited visits, so we thought we’ll visit
again and take pics. This was the time available but my feet did not cooperate.
Told son to run up and take the pics but he decided to stay with me. We thought
we’ll visit Uffizi again the next day… but no… we could not find the time. So no
pics of the lovely Uffizi gallery! I guess we should be thankful we got to enjoy
the art at least…
We wound up for the day satisfied we had managed Monday
pretty well though many museums are closed on that day!
Next post covering Palazzo Pitti and Basilica de Santa Croce is here:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/florence-trip-report-day-4-palazzo.html
Next post covering Palazzo Pitti and Basilica de Santa Croce is here:
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/florence-trip-report-day-4-palazzo.html
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