A perk of having visitors from home is the encouragement they provide to visit the treasures that are located only a few hours from us. My friend Jamie was here this past week so we planned a two day visit to Florence (Firenze in Italian), one of the great art cities of the world. It is known as the birthplace of the Renaissance since in the middle ages, wealthy Florentine noble families served as patrons to artists, musicians and architects. We visited two museums, the Gallerie dell'Accademia and the Bargello, and especially enjoyed the sculptures created by Michelangelo and Donatello. There is such a concentration of masterpieces in the museums and churches that it it is a place that needs to be visited several times and preferably next time with our own art historian (Todd...let us know when you can book your trip).
One art medium in which I have become especially interested since visiting Istanbul and Venice is that of mosaic, the creation of images with small pieces of glass and stone. In Florence, we were able to visit the Museum of Precious Stones which has some pieces of incredibly intricate design as well as samples of many of the types of granite and marble that have been used in this art form. In the relatively small museum, we were also able to see the tools and techniques that artists used to create pieces that have survived for a thousand years.
Later in the day, we walked through the city and up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo which overlooks the city and the River Arno. A large but quiet group of people were gathering on the steps to wait for the sunset which was still a couple of hours away. It was a calm and attractive place to enjoy a drink, good conversation and a panoramic view. There is something very reassuring to be in a city crowded with people who are only there to enjoy beauty and history.
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