Florence: A Renaissance Masterpiece
When I wrote about Burano, I said that every town in Europe need not have “royalty and grandeur oozing out of it”, but some towns in Europe are straight up unreal! I mean, there’s just no way such royalty can exist right? Well, it does. This beautiful city from the Tuscany region in Italy was like a work of Renaissance art and just the sight of its city centre was enough to make artists cry tears of joy!
Florence was in stark contrast with Burano, and traveling to both these just one day apart was a cultural shock, to say the least. Thanks to the short days, I saw most of Florence in the dark, and that really added a different charm to the whole experience. Would I love to see it during the day? Sure. But well lit nights in December are much brighter than dull winter days, so I have nothing to complain about!
We started first at a square that gave a lovely panoramic view of the city of Florence. Despite being cold and dull, the view was amazing with the river Arno flowing along the city. I did feel a little upset because had we not come here on a dull winter day, we could have witnessed a gorgeous sunset. However, it soon dawned on me that we were looking at a city that had given birth to so many important artists and scientists. Great artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci were born in this city, and Florence proudly displays their art all over the city. By this time, all I had seen of Florence was this view and yet I had already promised myself that I will visit again, for a longer time probably in summer!
Just as dusk was setting in, we enjoyed a walk along the river Arno and saw the bridge Ponte Vecchio beautifully lit up. Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge across Arno that was not destroyed by the Germans in World War II. Our tour guide soon took us to the city centre which was absolutely stunning. One grand building followed the other and there were beautiful sculptures at every bend!
Left to Right: Palazzo Vecchio (the town hall of Florence) and Ponte Vecchio
The jewel of the city was certainly the majestic Florence Cathedral which stood tall over the Florence skyline! It had this huge Renaissance dome and the architecture was very unique. It was dark by the time we reached the Cathedral and the lighting of the Cathedral just lit up my night! Our guide turned our attention to the Florence Baptistery, which had the most gorgeous doors. Michelangelo called them “the Gates of Paradise”. The doors consist of 10 rectangular panels, displayed in two lines. They depict scenes of the Old Testament from left to right and from top to bottom. Watching these scenes from the Old Testament depicted in bronze seemed a fitting way to spend the Christmas day!
Florence Cathedral and Gates of Paradise
Florence had many such gorgeous Churches! The last one we visited was the Santa Croce church. This Church is the burial place for the great and good in Florence, including Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei. In the words of our tour guide, “If you die a rich and accomplished Italian, there will be a place for you in Santa Croce, also called as the Temple of the Italian Glories!”
Basilica of Santa Croce
After our guided tour ended, we were on our way to eat Gelato (apparently Gelato was invented in Florence) but soon got distracted by a Magnum store (an ice cream store). We satisfied ourselves with Espresso and desserts (all Italian delicacies) and to say Florence left a sweet taste in my mouth would be an understatement. Not all places have the abiity to light up dark nights and winter days, but Florence did that, and did it in style. I don’t understand a lot about paintings and sculptures, but I sensed that Florence was special. And how could it not be? It had witnessed the birth, life and death of great artists; the artists buried here continue to live through their art!