has the video of Pisa
has our video of Santa Maria
We had booked the 9am
climbing slots online as soon as it was available.
There are unscrupulous agents selling spurious tickets
online; so always buy from official site
There are a few tickets available on the day also but there
is no point risking non availability if you are keen on climbing the tower.
Also later slots get filled up fast.
There is limited number allowed to climb during every
slot. For our early slot, there was just one British family and a couple of
other people with us.
From Florence we
have to take the train to Pisa Central and then transfer for Pisa
s. Rossore. It is a short walk from here to the cathedral square
Piazza dei Miracoli
Piazza dei Miracoli ( Square of Miracles), formally
known as Piazza del Duomo ( Cathedral Square), is a wide walled area located in
Pisa.
It is an important center of European medieval art and one of the finest architectural complexes.
The square is dominated by four great religious edifices:
the Pisa Cathedral,
the Pisa Baptistry,
the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and
the Camposanto Monumentale (
The heart of the Piazza del Duomo is the Duomo, the medieval
cathedral of the Archdiocese of Pisa, entitled to Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary
of the Assumption)
The building to the foreground is the Baptistry...
Leaning Tower Pisa
The Leaning
Tower Pisa Pisa Pisa
It is known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side.
It is situated behind the Cathedral, is the third oldest structure in
The tower's tilt began during construction, caused by an
inadequate foundation (3m foundation for a 56 m tall tower), on ground too soft
on one side to properly support the structure's weight.
The tilt gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The tilt gradually increased until the structure was stabilized (and the tilt partially corrected) by efforts in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the
ground on the low side and 56.67 m (185.93 ft) on the high side.
The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in).
Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons
The width of the walls at the base is 2.44 m (8 ft 0.06 in).
Its weight is estimated at 14,500 metric tons
Prior to restoration work performed between 1990 and
2001, the tower leaned at an angle of 5.5°, the tower now leans at about 3.99°.
The top of the tower is displaced horizontally 3.9 m (12
ft 10 in) from where it would be if the structure were perfectly vertical.
The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor in 1178.
This was due to a mere 3m foundation (for a 56 m tall tower), set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning.
Construction was subsequently halted for almost a century, This allowed time for the underlying soil to settle. Otherwise, the tower would almost certainly have toppled
In 1272 construction resumed. In an effort to compensate for the tilt, the engineers built upper floors with one side taller than the other. Because of this, the tower is actually curved
On
The bells were removed to relieve some weight, and cables were cinched around the third level and anchored several hundred meters away.
Apartments and houses in the path of the tower were vacated for safety.
The final solution to prevent the collapse of the
tower was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle, by removing 38
cubic metres (1,342 cubic feet) of soil from underneath the raised end.
The tower was straightened by 45 cm (17.7 inches), returning to its 1838 position.
The tower was reopened to the public onDecember 15, 2001 , and was declared stable for at least
another 300 years.
In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons (77 short tons) of ground, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized
It had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years
The tower was straightened by 45 cm (17.7 inches), returning to its 1838 position.
The tower was reopened to the public on
In May 2008, after the removal of another 70 metric tons (77 short tons) of ground, engineers announced that the Tower had been stabilized
It had stopped moving for the first time in its history. They stated it would be stable for at least 200 years
The tower has 296 steps; the seventh floor has two fewer
steps on the north-facing staircase.
Baptistry:
Construction started in 1152 to replace an older baptistry,
and when it was completed in 1363, it became the second building, in chronological
order, in the Piazza dei Miracoli, near the Duomo di Pisa and the cathedral's
free-standing campanile, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Constructed on the same unstable sand as the tower and
cathedral, the Baptistry leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral. Originally the
shape of the Baptistery was different, with its pyramidal roof. After the death
of the architect, Nicola Pisano continued the work, changing the style to the
more modern Gothic one.
Also an external roof was added giving the shape of a cupola. As a side effect of the two roofs, the pyramidal inner one and the domed external one, the interior is acoustically perfect making of that space a resonating chamber.
Also an external roof was added giving the shape of a cupola. As a side effect of the two roofs, the pyramidal inner one and the domed external one, the interior is acoustically perfect making of that space a resonating chamber.
The interior is huge and lacks decoration.
This octagonal font at the centre dates from 1246 .
The bronze sculpture of
There is a great sound effect when you whisper from this
balcony as it has a pyramidal roof enclosed by an external dome roof.
The Cathedral
The Duomo, the medieval cathedral, entitled to Santa Maria
Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption) is a five-naved cathedral with a
three-naved transept. Construction (1064-1092)
The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the aisle came originally from the mosque ofPalermo , captured by the Pisans in 1063.
The coffer ceiling of the nave was replaced after the fire of 1595. The present gold-decorated ceiling carries the coat of arms of the Medici.
The granite Corinthian columns between the nave and the aisle came originally from the mosque of
The coffer ceiling of the nave was replaced after the fire of 1595. The present gold-decorated ceiling carries the coat of arms of the Medici.
The elaborately carved pulpit (1302–1310), which survived the fire, was made by Giovanni Pisano and is one the masterworks of medieval sculpture.
It was packed away during the redecoration and was not rediscovered and re-erected until 1926.
It was packed away during the redecoration and was not rediscovered and re-erected until 1926.
This pulpit is made by the son of the sculptor who made the baptistry pulpit....
The upper part of the pulpit has nine panels showing scenes from the New Testament, carved in white marble with a chiaroscuro effect and separated by figures of prophets:
Annunciation, Massacre of the Innocents, Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, Flight intoEgypt , Crucifixion, and two panels of the Last Judgement.
The upper part of the pulpit has nine panels showing scenes from the New Testament, carved in white marble with a chiaroscuro effect and separated by figures of prophets:
Annunciation, Massacre of the Innocents, Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, Flight into
The pulpit is supported by plain columns (two of which mounted on lions sculptures) on one side and by caryatids and a telamon on the other: the latter represent St. Michael, the Evangelists, the four cardinal virtues flanking the Church, and a bold, naturalistic depiction of a naked Hercules.
A central plinth with the liberal arts supports the four theological virtues
A central plinth with the liberal arts supports the four theological virtues
The massive bronze main doors were made in the workshops of Giambologna, replacing the original doors destroyed in a fire in 1595.
The original central door was in bronze and made around 1180 by Bonanno Pisano, while the other two were probably in wood.
However worshippers never used the façade doors to enter, instead entering by way of the Porta di San Ranieri (St. Ranieri's Door), in front of the Leaning Tower, made in around 1180
Lunette above the middle door of the cathedral, picturing Blessed Mary
Impressive mosaic, 1302, in the apse, of Christ in Majesty,
flanked by the Blessed Virgin and St. John
the Evangelist
The cupola, at the intersection of the nave and the transept, showing the ascension
of the Blessed Virgin.
Museum
We visited the museum as well.
Then we retraced our journey and returned to Florence .
Here's a street artist... he paints and sits at the spot for an hour or so and then cleans up and leaves. Another artist takes up the space... it all seems so organized!
Here's a street artist... he paints and sits at the spot for an hour or so and then cleans up and leaves. Another artist takes up the space... it all seems so organized!
Piazza Santa Maria
The square in front the church was used by Cosimo I for the yearly chariot race (Palio dei Cocchi).
This custom existed between 1563 and late in the 19th century.
The two obelisks marked the start and the finish of the race.
They were set up to imitate an antique Roman circus.
The obelisks rest on bronze tortoises, made in 1608 by the sculptor Giambologna
Basilica di Santa Maria
The façade of Santa Maria Novella, completed by Leon Battista Alberti in 1470.
This church was called Novella (New) because it was built on the site of the 9th-century oratory of
Building began in the mid-13th century (about 1246), and was finished about 1360 with the completion of the Romanesque-Gothic bell tower and sacristy.
At that time, only the lower part of the Tuscan gothic facade was finished. The three portals are spanned by round arches, while the rest of the lower part of the facade is spanned by blind arches, separated by pilasters, with below Gothic pointed arches, striped in green and white, capping noblemen's tombs. This same design continues in the adjoining wall around the old churchyard. The church was consecrated in 1420
The church, the adjoining cloister, and chapterhouse contain
a store of art treasures and funerary monuments.
Especially famous are frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance.
They were financed through the generosity of the most important Florentine families, who ensured themselves of funerary chapels on consecrated ground.
Especially famous are frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance.
They were financed through the generosity of the most important Florentine families, who ensured themselves of funerary chapels on consecrated ground.
Cloister of the dead in the Santa Maria Novella Basilica:
frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance....
The polychrome marble decoration was applied by Giuliano da Sangallo (ca.1503).
Here, on the back wall, is the famous wooden Crucifix by Brunelleschi, one of his very few sculptures.
The legend goes that he was so disgusted by the "primitive" Crucifix of Donatello in the Santa Croce church, that he made this one.
The chancel wall has a large mullioned window of three lights with stained glass, provided in 1492.
The cycle portrays on three walls the Life of the Virgin and the Life of St John the Baptist, the patron saint ofFlorence .
The left and right walls each have three rows, each divided into two rectangular scenes framed by fictive architecture, and surmounted by a large lunette beneath the vault.
Each side wall has a total of seven narrative scenes which are read beginning from the bottom.
There is extensive intarsia (wood on wood mosaic)...
On this right wall is the fresco St Philip Driving the Dragon from theTemple of Hieropolis
and in the lunette above it, the Crucifixion of St Philip
On this left wall is the frescoSt John the Evangelist Resuscitating Druisana
Tornabuoni Chapel (Cappella Tornabuoni) is the main chapel (or chancel) in the church of Santa Maria Novella
It is famous for the extensive and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete in the city, which was created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490
On the lower part of the wall is a donor portrait of Giovanni Tornabuoni and his wife Francesca Pitti, while on either side of the window are four smaller scenes portraying Dominican saints.
Above the window is another large lunette, containing the Coronation of the Virgin. In the vault are depicted the Four Evangelists.
It is famous for the extensive and well-preserved fresco cycle on its walls, one of the most complete in the city, which was created by Domenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490
On the lower part of the wall is a donor portrait of Giovanni Tornabuoni and his wife Francesca Pitti, while on either side of the window are four smaller scenes portraying Dominican saints.
Above the window is another large lunette, containing the Coronation of the Virgin. In the vault are depicted the Four Evangelists.
The vault contains fragments of frescoes by 13th-century Greek painters.
The polychrome marble decoration was applied by Giuliano da Sangallo (ca.1503).
Here, on the back wall, is the famous wooden Crucifix by Brunelleschi, one of his very few sculptures.
The legend goes that he was so disgusted by the "primitive" Crucifix of Donatello in the Santa Croce church, that he made this one.
The chancel wall has a large mullioned window of three lights with stained glass, provided in 1492.
The cycle portrays on three walls the Life of the Virgin and the Life of St John the Baptist, the patron saint of
The left and right walls each have three rows, each divided into two rectangular scenes framed by fictive architecture, and surmounted by a large lunette beneath the vault.
Each side wall has a total of seven narrative scenes which are read beginning from the bottom.
There is extensive intarsia (wood on wood mosaic)...
Filippo Strozzi Chapel
The Filippo Strozzi Chapel is situated on the right side of the main altar.On this right wall is the fresco St Philip Driving the Dragon from the
and in the lunette above it, the Crucifixion of St Philip
On this left wall is the fresco
Piazza Michelangelo (Michelangelo
Square )
Took bus no 12 and reached Piazza Michelangelo, crossing
river Arno ....
Lovely views of the duomo across the river from the piazza…
Piazzale Michelangelo is a famous square with a magnificent
panoramic view of Florence , and is
a popular tourist destination in the Oltrarno district of the city.
\
It was built in 1869 and designed by architect Giuseppe
Poggi on a hill just south of the historic center, during the redevelopment of
the left bank of the Arno (the South side of the river).
At that time, Florence
was the capital of Italy
and the whole city was involved in an urban renewal.
Lungarni (riverside walkways; "lungarno", singular) were built on the riversides.
Lungarni (riverside walkways; "lungarno", singular) were built on the riversides.
On the right bank, the fourteenth-century walls were removed
and turned into the Viali di Circonvallazione referencing the French
"boulevard" design, six lanes wide and lined with trees
On the left bank winding up the hill of San Miniato the
Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at
this Piazzale Michelangelo which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view
of the city.
The panorama seen here embraces the heart of Florence
from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, across the lungarni and the bridges
crossing the Arno , including the Ponte Vecchio, the
Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello and the octagonal bell tower of the Badia
Fiorentina.
Beyond the view of the city itself are the hills of Settignano and Fiesole.
Beyond the view of the city itself are the hills of Settignano and Fiesole.
The square, dedicated to the great Renaissance sculptor
Michelangelo, has copies of some of his works found elsewhere in Florence :
the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo.
These copies are made of bronze, while the originals are all in white marble.
The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on25 June 1873 .
the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo.
These copies are made of bronze, while the originals are all in white marble.
The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on
San Miniato al Monte
San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain) is
a basilica standing atop one of the highest points in the city.
The geometrically patterned marble façade was probably begun in about 1090, the upper parts date from the 12th century or later, financed by the Florentine Arte di Calimala (cloth merchants’ guild), who were responsible for the church’s upkeep from 1288.
The eagle which crowns the façade was their symbol
The whole church complex is surrounded by defensive walls,
originally built hastily by Michelangelo during a siege and in 1553 expanded
into a true fortress (fortezza) by Cosimo I de' Medici.
St. Miniato or Minas was an Armenian prince serving in the
Roman army under Emperor Decius.
He was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates ofFlorence .
The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther refused to devour him.
Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed theArno and walked up the hill of Mons
Fiorentinus to his hermitage.
A shrine was later erected at this spot and there was a chapel there by the 8th century.
Construction of the present church was begun in 1013
He was denounced as a Christian after becoming a hermit and was brought before the Emperor who was camped outside the gates of
The Emperor ordered him to be thrown to beasts in the Amphitheatre where a panther refused to devour him.
Beheaded in the presence of the Emperor, he is alleged to have picked up his head, crossed the
A shrine was later erected at this spot and there was a chapel there by the 8th century.
Construction of the present church was begun in 1013
The interior exhibits the early feature of a choir raised on a platform above the large crypt.
It has changed little since it was first built.
The patterned pavement dates from 1207.
The centre of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448.
It originally housed the miraculous crucifix now in Santa Trìnita and is decorated with panel.
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/how-to-plan-trip-to-venice.html
covers tips on planning a trip to Venice
No comments:
Post a Comment