Sally and I ended our month in Italy with a three day visit to Florence. I had last been there in 1979 and really did not remember it. What a beautiful place! We loved the soft colors of the city and the matching tiled roofs.
And of course the great gelato and fantastic deserts!
Ahh the Renaissance. The time from 1400 to 1550 when the Italians came out of the Dark Ages and embraced the rebirth of Greek and Roman culture. It was an age of optimism. They explored science and nature and celebrated three-dimensional painting and realism in art.
Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”
Titian’s “Venus”
Ok, so maybe the subjects weren’t actually “real” and maybe they celebrated the human body a little too much. But they sure knew how to do it beautifully!
The old part of town is centered around a huge cathedral called the Duomo. It is a Gothic church, with a Renaissance dome and an 1870’s facade.
Its dome was the first dome built since ancient Roman times, but Florence architect Brunelleschi figured out how to do it – part of that optimism! Michelangelo later used it as a model for St. Peter’s in Rome.
You can see the dome from all over town. While we did not climb the dome we did enjoy the view over the city from the top of the adjacent campanile (bell tower).
Our necks were a bit sore from always looking up at the paintings on the ceilings. Here is a partial view of the Byzantine mosaics from the 1200’s on the ceiling of the Baptistery next to the Duomo.
Our time was not only spent looking at art. We made plenty of espresso and gelato stops and we also bargained for leather goods and scarfs by the Mercado Centrale.
Who wouldn’t want to be a Renaissance man living in Florence surrounded by all this beauty? On second thought though I would miss out on the gelato. I would also have to walk barefoot or in sandals on their old cobblestone streets – ouch! I guess living in the present is right where I am supposed to be (although I would still like to look like David).
Bob (P.S. Sally says I don’t have to look like David. . . she likes me just the way I am.)
Wandering LeFebers 
I visited Florence in 1973 – a long time ago… I remember the artwork and architecture – both were magnificent! The gelato was tasty and sweet, and it looks the same now. (Visiting Croatia in 2015, and trying many flavors (!) my favorite gelato is cappuccino. Have you tried it?)
P.S. I also like you just the way you are, brother, dear!
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Sally tells David the same thing . . . :-). Enjoying your posts! It’s raining and dreary here . . .
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