Florence: David & the Duomo
WHAT BENNIE'S BEEN DOING: Week 7 (Florence & Rome)
Part 1: Florence - David & the Duomo
Buongiorno!
It was no doubt ambitious if not downright crazy to add Italy to our already packed itinerary...but, it was definitely worth it! From Michaelangelo's famous "David," to the fantastically constructed Duomo in Florence... to Michaelangelo's famous Sistene Chapel and the fantastically constructed Colosseum in Rome, it was one sacred, incredible, mesmerizing experience after another. And, that's an understatement!
We departed Lyon, France very early Monday morning, October 8, to travel by rail across the alps to Milan, where we would pick up a high speed train to Florence. The whole trip took about 8 hours, which isn't near as bad as it sounds... however, we are quite fortunate it didn't take longer because we very nearly missed making our connection in Milan!
And, it wasn't because the train was off schedule or anything like that. We didn't have a lot of time to make our connection, but it was enough time... if you were familiar with the platform designations and knew enough Italian to ask for help if you weren't!
We went to the platform we thought our train was departing from only to find no train! So, I had an Italian phrase book, but by the time I figured out how to ask for help in Italian, we were running out of time to make our connection and starting to panic. Out of desperation, David ran into a women's clothing store and begged for anyone who could speak English. A nice young lady helped us decipher the platform codes and we ran like the wind to catch our train down on a lower level of the station. When we got there, it was clearly the wrong platform because our tickets weren't the kind you could insert into the machines.
How, I don't know, but somehow I knew we must have looked at the wrong train on the departure schedules, so hoping against hope, I looked up and saw a departure schedule listing a different time and platform for our destination, but it was leaving in one minute! We ran like our lives depended on it back up to the main level with our packs on our backs, up two flights of stairs, praying that if indeed this was the right train that we could catch it before it left the station.
Thank you Jesus it was still there... and, it was the right train! We jumped in the first open door we saw and stood in the aisle, red-faced, sucking wind, gasping and coughing... and grateful beyond belief as we felt the train wheels rolling beneath our feet, not 10 seconds after we hopped aboard!
We couldn't believe we made it! And, I can't believe I didn't think to take a picture - the looks on our faces must have been priceless ;) We had to walk through about 6 cars to get to our seats, but that was a piece of cake compared to what we had been through. Never have I been so glad to get on a train in my life as I was to be on that one! And, because our son is a train fanatic, I did think to take a picture of how fast we were going...
So, 299 km/h is about 186 miles an hour! And, 24 degrees Celsius is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Italy was the first place we were able to wear shorts... quite a change from our previous travels, as evidenced here in the pictures I took from the train crossing the Alps.
And, I took this picture when we finally got our feet on the ground. It wasn't as bad as Milan because we didn't have another train to catch, but I think it took us 20 minutes just to figure out how to exit the train station. We were just so glad to finally be standing on the streets of Florence and off the train!
Our lodging, Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti, was fantastically located between the Duomo and the Academia Museum, where Michaelangelo's original David resides.
I didn't take a picture of the Academia, but it was the building directly behind our hotel! That was a beautiful thing because we had a 7:45 tour time to skip the line to see David. And, it was absolutely worth it! Not only did we get to skip the line to buy tickets, we were the very first people to step foot in the Academia that morning, giving us plenty of time and space to enjoy David without the crowds!
I have a whole lot more to show and tell about David when I return. But, just as a teaser... one of the big questions is whether Michaelangelo meant for this sculpture to represent David before or after he slew Goliath. What do you think?
After David, our amazing guide, Angelo, took us to tour the Duomo, or more formally Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The first place we visited was the baptistery - but it wasn't inside the cathedral. It was a separate building all by itself. Seems weird, but it was built during a time when people believed you could not enter the church unless you were baptized... which made it difficult to get baptized if the only place you could do so was in a church, which you could not enter! The baptistery had a domed roof like the cathedral, only not near as large.
After the baptistery, we not only learned about the fascinating construction of the dome by Brunelleschi, but we also enjoyed climbing to the top!
Our other destinations in Florence included the Uffizi museum and the Brancacci chapel, so stay tuned for more great art and delizioso food in Florence Part 2!
Ciao!
Part 1: Florence - David & the Duomo
Buongiorno!
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| Michaelangelo's David |
We departed Lyon, France very early Monday morning, October 8, to travel by rail across the alps to Milan, where we would pick up a high speed train to Florence. The whole trip took about 8 hours, which isn't near as bad as it sounds... however, we are quite fortunate it didn't take longer because we very nearly missed making our connection in Milan!
And, it wasn't because the train was off schedule or anything like that. We didn't have a lot of time to make our connection, but it was enough time... if you were familiar with the platform designations and knew enough Italian to ask for help if you weren't!
We went to the platform we thought our train was departing from only to find no train! So, I had an Italian phrase book, but by the time I figured out how to ask for help in Italian, we were running out of time to make our connection and starting to panic. Out of desperation, David ran into a women's clothing store and begged for anyone who could speak English. A nice young lady helped us decipher the platform codes and we ran like the wind to catch our train down on a lower level of the station. When we got there, it was clearly the wrong platform because our tickets weren't the kind you could insert into the machines.
How, I don't know, but somehow I knew we must have looked at the wrong train on the departure schedules, so hoping against hope, I looked up and saw a departure schedule listing a different time and platform for our destination, but it was leaving in one minute! We ran like our lives depended on it back up to the main level with our packs on our backs, up two flights of stairs, praying that if indeed this was the right train that we could catch it before it left the station.
Thank you Jesus it was still there... and, it was the right train! We jumped in the first open door we saw and stood in the aisle, red-faced, sucking wind, gasping and coughing... and grateful beyond belief as we felt the train wheels rolling beneath our feet, not 10 seconds after we hopped aboard!
We couldn't believe we made it! And, I can't believe I didn't think to take a picture - the looks on our faces must have been priceless ;) We had to walk through about 6 cars to get to our seats, but that was a piece of cake compared to what we had been through. Never have I been so glad to get on a train in my life as I was to be on that one! And, because our son is a train fanatic, I did think to take a picture of how fast we were going...
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| Italian High Speed Train: 299 km/h! |
So, 299 km/h is about 186 miles an hour! And, 24 degrees Celsius is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Italy was the first place we were able to wear shorts... quite a change from our previous travels, as evidenced here in the pictures I took from the train crossing the Alps.
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| Thank goodness we finally made it to Florence!!! |
Our lodging, Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti, was fantastically located between the Duomo and the Academia Museum, where Michaelangelo's original David resides.
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| View of the Duomo from our Hotel! |
I didn't take a picture of the Academia, but it was the building directly behind our hotel! That was a beautiful thing because we had a 7:45 tour time to skip the line to see David. And, it was absolutely worth it! Not only did we get to skip the line to buy tickets, we were the very first people to step foot in the Academia that morning, giving us plenty of time and space to enjoy David without the crowds!
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| David, Bennie & David! |
I have a whole lot more to show and tell about David when I return. But, just as a teaser... one of the big questions is whether Michaelangelo meant for this sculpture to represent David before or after he slew Goliath. What do you think?
After David, our amazing guide, Angelo, took us to tour the Duomo, or more formally Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The first place we visited was the baptistery - but it wasn't inside the cathedral. It was a separate building all by itself. Seems weird, but it was built during a time when people believed you could not enter the church unless you were baptized... which made it difficult to get baptized if the only place you could do so was in a church, which you could not enter! The baptistery had a domed roof like the cathedral, only not near as large.
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| Baptistery Dome Interior |
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| Baptistery Altar |
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| Our fabulous tour guide, Angelo! |
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| Climbing to the top of the dome |
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| On top of the world! |
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| Amazing view of Florence and Giotto's Bell Tower |
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| Interior of dome from Cathedral floor |
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| Dome Interior |
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| Detail of Dome |
Our other destinations in Florence included the Uffizi museum and the Brancacci chapel, so stay tuned for more great art and delizioso food in Florence Part 2!
Ciao!