"Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.[2]
Florence is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time,[3] Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages.[4] A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions.[5] From 1865 to 1871 the city was also the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.
It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world,[7]and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments.[8] The city also contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace, amongst others, and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics.[9]
Florence is also an important city in Italian fashion,[9] being ranked within the top fifty fashion capitals of the world."
The first place I visited in Florence is the Uffizi Museum (which I reserved the ticket in advance). I was a bit disappointed as my expectation was too high. But at the same time, I was very impressed by the Renaissance paintings especially "Doni Tondo" by Michelangelo (unfortunately, photography is not allowed).
"The Uffizi Gallery is a museum in Florence, Italy. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.
According to Vasari, who was not only the architect of the Uffizi but also the author of Lives of the Artists, published in 1550 and 1568, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo gathered at the Uffizi "for beauty, for work and for recreation."
(Taken from Wikipedia)
"The Doni Tondo or Doni Madonna, sometimes called The Holy Family, is the only finished panel painting by the mature Michelangelo to survive.[1] Now in the Uffizi in Florence, Italy, and still in its original frame, the painting was probably commissioned by Agnolo Doni to commemorate his marriage to Maddalena Strozzi, the daughter of a powerful Tuscan family.[2] The painting is in the form of a tondo, or round frame, which is frequently associated during the Renaissance with domestic ideas"
(Picture taken from Uffizi Museum)
" The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge",) is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridgeover the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. The Ponte Vecchio's two neighbouring bridges are thePonte Santa Trinita and the Ponte alle Grazie.
The oldest and most famous bridge over the Arno; the only Florentine bridge to survive WW2."
Close-up view
Arno River
Retailers on the Ponte Vecchio bridge
Panorama View of Florence City
Panorama View of Florence City
Close-up
Creative Grafitti
Creative Grafitti
"The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (English: Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) is the main church of Florence,Italy. Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambioand completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-centuryGothic Revival façade by Emilio De Fabris."
Front Facade
Ceiling
Tower
"David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 5.17-metre (17.0 ft)[1] marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art ofFlorence.[2] Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end ofFlorence Cathedral, the statue was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504.
Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome.[3] The statue was moved to the Accademia Gallery in Florence in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica."
Statue of David
(Again photography is not allowed, but I can't help myself)
Initially, I was visiting it because it is a very famous statue. My first impression was it was huge and more beautiful than I expected. It is one of the most beautiful sculptures I ever seen. Michelangelo is really the archetype of the Renaissance Man (so talented in different fields). Impressive!
Factory Outlet in Florence
Admittedly, I had quite enough of Duomo, Piazza, Museum etc... Time for a change - Shopping! The factory outlets were literally flooded with mainland Chinese. They were really the big spenders. They bought the designer goods fast and swift, as though the goods were free.
I was deciding between 2 purses for my mother as gift, and one PRC tourist just took away a purse I was viewing. Well, they might be rich, but they have a long way to go in terms of social etiquette and behaviour.
Treated myself to Michelin-rated restaurant (no star given), but still expensive.
Avocado with Squid, Pasta with Truffle (recommended by the waiter)
It was good, but I have tried better Italian food (prepared by Italian chef) in Singapore.
No comments:
Post a Comment