Gone fishing: Florence and treasures of the Renaissance #2

Thursday, July 4, 2019

Florence and treasures of the Renaissance #2

Santa Croce

This Franciscan church is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians. Here are the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini, and Marconi, inventor of the radio. Works of art by major figures adorn the interior.

The altar of Santa Croce

Standing before the tomb of Gioacchino Rossini

Here is the piazza below my apartment. The apartment is directly above the arch in the background. A fruit and vegetable stand sets up every morning. The butcher shop is in the building behind, on the right. There are restaurants and bars here, and most important, a gelato shop.

For two weeks I crossed this piazza daily and walked five minutes to attend Italian language classes at the ABC Centro di Lingua

On my way to school I passed by this apartment building. It's curved shape indicates that it was an ancient arena.

View of Florence and the Arno River. Santa Croce church is at center right. The Duomo, or cathedral, is to the left, then Giotto's tower and the Baptistry. Far left is the Palazzo Vecchio.

The Duomo and Giotto's Campanile. Construction on the Duomo began in 1296 and lasted until 1436 with the completion of the dome designed by Brunelleschi. The campanile is 278 feet tall and was begun in 1334 when Giotto was 67 years old.

Side view of the Duomo showing Brunelleschi's dome:

Detail of the marble carving on the façade:

Interior of the Duomo. Note the elaborate paintings of Brunelleschi's dome, and the marble inlaid floor. Otherwise, the is little decoration inside the church.

Santa Maria Novella church, with local guide Viviana. The first stone was laid in 1279. The lower part of the façade was decorated in green and white marble in 1350; the upper part was completed in 1470

The crucifix is by Giotto (1267-1337) and first appears in documents in 1312, so probably was made at the end of the 1200s, later restored in the 1980s