School And Art

We left Monterosso on Sunday by train to Pisa then on to Firenze (Florence ). I loved the trains. We arrived at the termini in Florence and one of the Michelangelo school professors picked us up and took us to our apartment. He said it was just part of his job and really didn't seem to mind. We saw him several times later and he was always very friendly, asking how we were doing. Bobbe had class M-F from 9a.m. to 1p.m. I had class every other day 1p.m. to 3p.m. Bobbe was in a middle level Italian class and I in a beginner's cooking class. By fate we had the same teacher. His wife cooks in Washington D.C. for several months a year and I think he just used this class to prepare himself lunch. But I did learn a lot and had fun. I also got my lunch. It was interesting how much Bobbe's speaking skills changed in just a week. Next time a month or two.

On days when B was in class I would scout out our afternoon tour. The first day I got lost. No mountains to mark the horizon and the direction. No Tonto either. The second day I found the Duomo and these magnificent doors. 1200-1300 a.d. these are by Lorenzo Ghiberti and they took 27 years to complete. These actually are fakes - the real ones are next door in a museo for preservation. These are only a couple hundred years old. Like me!

This is the Duomo. Began in 1296 and taking 150 years to build. Its real name is Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore ( St Mary of the Flower )

The most famous part of the Duomo is the Brunelleschi designed Dome. It's really two domes in one with a staircase in between to keep it lighter. 463 steps lead to the top. So for 6 euros you get to climb up 463 steps and down 463 steps. Here's Bobbe on one of the last sections of steps going up. You go out at the top through a trap door to a walkway with the best view of the city of Firenze. Just don't stand too close to the railing.

Just another magnificent entrance. You walk around with your mouth open looking at all the beauty then you begin to get tired and say" let's get a glass of vino and some limoncello."

This is a statue in the Museo del Bargello. It's Italys' most comprehensive collection of Renaissance sculpture. It was only open from 9 to 1 so I went alone and really loved the place. Lots of Michelangelo and Donatello. Lots of nude guys and perky women con bambini and some lions. Oh and a lady who was restoring a statue. She was scraping away dirt and grime from a Michelangelo, the left side of the nose upper portion. Now that is a job with responsibility!

I loved this lion in the Bargello.

After we got home Bobbe took out her College 'Art History' book and would say things like , Did you know we saw this or did you know we saw that. It was over whelming how much is concentrated in that city. I found this museo when I got lost and thought it was miles from our apartment. Two blocks . Getting lost got me acquainted with the city and I really had a good grasp of it afterwards. So go and get lost.

This is a replica of "David" the real one is a few blocks

away at the Accademia Italiana museo. David stood in the Piazza Vecchio until the 1800's then this replacement was put in and the real one was cleaned and put inside. The Piazza is filled with sculpture and restaurants. We lived about 3 blocks from here near Santa Croce, where all the dead guys are buried. But that's another story.