A group of ten women and one intrepid man set out on an eight day Florentine adventure. This blog will attempt to keep up with them as they discover the masterpieces of the former Tuscan Republic, sometimes Duchy, and currently, the commercial and cultural center of Tuscany.
Day One:
We set out bright and early to Piazza della Signoria, the central plaza of Florence, where the seat of government ruled from Palazzo Vecchio.
First and foremost a copy of Michelangelo's David which we will see the next day for "real" in the museum. Things to notice: David is very large, he is nude, his head and hands are not proportional to his body, symbolizing power. This is the Republic's response to the Medici who were banished from the city several years before the statue was completed in 1504.
The Loggia dei Lanzi, the largest loggia in all of Italy, where the Swiss lancers (and therefore the name- they actually were soldiers with lances) were housed for several years and where currently , wonderful sculptures can be found including the Rape of Sabine (far right).
From there on to the Bargello Museum, which originally served as the courts, the jail and then the police station for the growing city of Florence.
Currently it houses a wonderful museum including Michelangelo's Bacchus. Notice the satyr that is holding up Bacchus, and the fact that he is holding the cup in the "wrong" hand.
There are also two sculptures of David by Donatello. This one, the one with the shepard's hat, is the most well known. Notice the androgynous David, standing on Goliath's head, with his moustache tickling David's foot. What does that mean??
Wednesday was all in all a very full day leaving us all very happy and with a taste for more. Lucky for us we have seven more days.
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