Dividing Florence is the Arno River, you have heard me talk about this before. The other side, opposite from where I live, is called Oltrarno meaning simply 'across the river.' This is definitely the more authentic side of Florence. There are not as many tourist attractions here, however, plenty of things to see in one day and that's exactly what I did.
Visuals. They always help me!
I started the day with Alexis. Her and I walked north on our side of the river to purchase ballet tickets for Saturday night (flash forward: Alexis and I saw "A Mid Summer Night's Dream the next evening. It was pretty awesome). We crossed the river 3 bridges north of the Ponte Vecchio. After grabbing lunch at her favorite deli and a cup of coffee just down the road, Alexis ran off the the studio and I found myself ready to start my 'across the river' adventure.
My first stop, the Brancacci Chapel. This chapel is located in Santa Maria Del Carmine. The beautiful fresco-ed walls of the chapel depict the life of St. Peter (same guy who the basilica in the Vatican was named after). These frescoes were painted partially by Filippino Lippi.
Front of Santa Maria Del Carmine. Inside is the Brancacci Chapel.
Brancacci Chapel
Brancacci Chapel - Right Wall
Brancacci Chapel - Left Wall
Brancacci Chapel - Ceiling
Next up, I was headed back to Palazzo Pitti. One of my newer room mates told me that the other half of the visit (if you remember, I only bought one of two ticket options upon first going to Palazzo Pitti) was worth viewing. Palazzo Pitti was where the Medici Family moved to after leaving the San Lorenzo area. Once they headed across the river, other aristocrats followed. The palace has since been inhabited by other families and much of the original architecture and design of the rooms has changed. They don't allow photos in this area of the palace because it now houses an art gallery. A quite impressive one at that.
However, those of you who have followed me on this blog might recall a fountain. 'Street corner fountain, Florence.' Sound familiar? Well, I hit up the internet again prior to my journey to attempt to locate Street corner fountain, Florence. However, my new directions led me awry, yet again, and I decided that faulty internet leadership would cause my hunt to wait another day. As I began the walk to Palazzo Pitti, I was having one of those meaningful moments, trying my best to enjoy strolling down Florentine streets when I happened to look up:
Boom! FOUND! Good moment..
I spent a lot of time climbing to the top of "things" while in Italy. Whether it was a bell tower, church, hill, steps, you name it. I calculated that I walked up more that 1,000 stairs while I was in Italy (not to mention the 4 flights to reach my room every day). When I was at the top of multiple monuments in Florence, one distant building caught my eye.
Hard to see here, but this picture was taken from the top of the Giotto's Bell Tower.
This was taken at the top of the duomo. What is this?!?! Across the river... Large white, marble faced building... AHH!!!
None of my travel books highlighted this building so I had to dig a little. But the effort paid off. This church, San Miniato al Monte, is located high atop a hill. So, I hoofed it up there and, well, the pictures get better.
And there it was. The illusive white-faced structure I had seen many times but from a great distance.
San Miniato al Monte
Mosaic of Jesus centered on front of San Miniato
While walking through the church, taking pictures and exploring, I stumbled across an elderly gentleman dressed all in white as the figures above. This was a mural painted hundreds of years ago and turns out the clergy men of San Miniato still dress the same. I said, "Boun giorno" but he shuffled off. I think I scared him.
View of Florence from San Miniato.
I was told by many, including my Mom before she left, that one location to visit was Piazzale Michelangelo. So I made it my last stop of the day. I'm not even going to bother trying to explain what I saw because it is, just, absolutely, indescribable.
Florence at Sunset
Ponte Vecchio, River Arno, and Florence
Replica of Michelangelo's David resides in Piazzale Michelangelo
Needless to say, I saved one of the most beautiful views of the city for one of my last days in Florence. I had a wonderful day, walking the streets, enjoying the culture and people, spending time with those I knew I would miss and taking in as much as I could.
I was determined not to take this city for granted, as I only had a few more days until my arrival back in The States.
Venice. Venice! So much to say before I even tap into Venice. But one more time. VENICE!
Ok, rewind. During my college days, (I could follow this phrase up with so many thoughts and ideas, but college was college and I'll leave it at that), I had a very good friend, Kyle. Kyle was my buddy from freshman year until he left Eastern to join the Air Force just before my junior year. Kyle and I knew how to put them down (and by them I mean beer). And put them down we did. But before I tarnish anyone's rep here, we were good friends and had a lot of fun together. And a lot of laughs.
So, Kyle leaves college and joins the military. He is currently stationed at Aviano Air Base, just outside Venice. So, not only do I get to see an amazingly awesome town, I get to hang with a friend from the good ol' days.
I left Florence on Tuesday evening and caught up with Kyle in a small northern Italian town called Sacile. Kyle told me that back in the day, the rich Venetians would have homes here as well as in Venice. Quite a pleasant little Italian town, but not my final stop for the day. Kyle lives in smaller mountain community called... Ahh... I forget. The town only has about 100 people in it and I know it starts with a 'p.' Sorry Kyle.
So, I arrived at Kyle's home and we grabbed dinner at a local hot joint, Casa Bianca (a.k.a.The White House). I indulged in the pumpkin ravioli. Yep, just as good as it sounds! Later we headed back to Kyle's abode, reminisced about college times, drank like in college times and realized the next morning we are not as old as we were in college and drinking like that makes you pay a hefty price. The wine was really good, though.
We caught a train to Venice, which is an island for those who don't know (don't feel bad, I didn't know either). The train ride to the city/island was pretty nice, you take a long bridge from the mainland to Venice. Once we arrived, it was very difficult to put my camera down. Venice is incredible.
Right off the train.
Market in the middle of the street.
Common bridge. And when I say common, I mean common. There is very little automobile access in this city/island. Transportation is done with legs or on boats. In other words, you'll walk over a bridge ever 5-10 minutes. For reference, I'm standing on a bridge taking a picture of a bridge. I can't walk on water. Disappointed? Me too...
Kyle down the street. Looks like an alley, right? Nope. These are common streets in which tourists flood during the peek season. Lucky for us, it was smooth sailing (pardon the pun).
Cute flower shop. Couldn't help it...
Our first stop was Piazza de San Marco. He's pretty much the main guy to see in Venice. Rome has St. Peter, Florence has the marvelous duomo and Brunelleschi and Venice has San Marco. He must have been a pretty awesome guy/saint, because he had one of the best churches (Basilica di San Marco) I've seen yet.
Basilica di San Marco
And, of course, what have we learned while traveling through Italy? You can't have a basilica without a bell tower.
Basilica di San Marco
The spectacular golden alter in Basilica di San Marco
Canopy over none other than.... Yep, Mark. Or Marco, as the Italians refer to him.
I have been to my fair share of churches while in Italy this last month. But none of them had a floor quite like this one. An intricate marble flooring covered every inch of the bottom of the beautiful church.
The marble floor could only be topped by the mosaic ceiling. The entire ceiling designed with elaborate pictures from the bible was completely covered by mosaic tiles. For reference, one tile is probably about a quarter of an inch by a quarter of an inch. Every color imaginable was used and created one of the most astonishing sights I have ever seen. The above picture is a close up, but imagine the ENTIRE ceiling covered in little square tiles.
Quite an impressive sight inside the Basilica di San Marco are the Triumphal Quadriga. These four horses were moved inside the church for preservation, however the fascination behind them remains. The exact date these horses were created is unknown, however it is speculated at the second half of the second century A.D. They were apparently brought over from Constantinople as war booty by a past doge (more on the doge below).
Climb to the top of the basilica?! Of course we did!!! The view of San Marco Piazza facing the ocean. This is a picture taken from the loggia. The loggia is an opening at the top of the basilica where the doge (or the man in charge of Venice) would address the public. He's like Venice's Pope.
An interesting way to keep time, the Torre dell'Orologio is not just a clock. Between two large quadrants, a spectator can tell the phase of the moon and corresponding zodiac sign, as well as the time. Kyle told me that the creator of this contraption was blinded after its completion. According to legend, this was done in order that the masterpiece never be duplicated. The gentlemen at the top are what we would call 'animatronic.' They actually swing their hammers upon the hour.They toll the bell.
This is the original location of the four horses, atop the loggia. These are replicas made in Milan in the 80s, I think. Not as impressive.
Next up, a trip into the doge's home, Palazzo Ducale. For the record, Kyle and I could not figure out exactly how to pronounce 'doge.' dOH-sha? dog-eh? Doe-g? Doe-ga? It's a mystery for the ages (I could probably just google translate it, but you know, the mystery part is more fun).
Inside of the Palazzo Ducale. Again, they frown on taking pictures inside the palace, but we may have snuck at least one...
Entrance from the courtyard into Palazzo Ducale.
Kyle is a collector of rare, old keys. He often attempts to open various locks with them. Above is one of his many attempts. PSYCH!!!! That's actually just the key to Kyle's home. He's being funny.
After an hour and a half walk through the Palazzo Ducale, we chose one more must-see destination: Ponte di Rialto. This famous Venice bridge is comparable to Ponte Vecchio in Florence, however much shorter and with less pizazz.
Ponte di Rialto
View from the middle of Ponte di Rialto
View from the middle of Ponte di Rialto
Kyle and I on the Ponte di Rialto
The rest of the afternoon was spent venturing around the island. Kyle was kind enough to watch me shop and didn't complain as I randomly stopped to take multiple pictures.
When I say Venice, what comes to mind? Murano glass? Gondolas? The Grand Canal? Please view below, as I have attempted to gather, via photograph, as much of a feeling of Venice as I could. Keep in mind, pictures will never do this city/island justice. Outside of Florence, I would recommend that anyone go to Venice. It really was quite exquisite.
The Grand Canal
The Grand Canal
Gondolas facing the sea
Old Wooden Sides (or at least that's what I called it)
Anyone for a gondola? When walking down the streets and over the bridges, the gondola guys (I know they have an appropriate name, but I'm a fan of alliteration) would ask, "Gondola, gondola, gondola?" This must be why. Slow time of the year for them.
Our view from a cafe where we stopped for a cup of coffee. Well, that's really misleading. Let me, once again, rephrase. Italians do no drink 'cups of coffee' like we know in The States. They drink espressos, which is basically a shot of caffeine. It does not take long to drink and this way they can get moving with extra energy to spare. I par-took in the espresso drinking. But, I'll tell ya, there is nothing like an actual cup of coffee, or cafe Americano as they call it (I ordered one once, got a sour look and never did it again. Live and learn, amiright?!).
This particular spot, Taverna San Trovaso, was our lunch destination. Notice the steps down to hop on a boat. No railing, no chain, no barricade of any kind. How do these people keep from falling in the water? No clue. Kyle and I made it through the day without a dip in any canals... As Americans, I think there is something to be said for that.
Gondola Guys. : )
All in all, Venice is a MUST-SEE when traveling to Italy. The streets, buildings and architecture are majestic. The people are warm and the jewelry is a-mazing!
So after a nice long, caffeine induced walk, Kyle and I caught the train back to Sacile. We stopped at a pub he knew and I had my first cheeseburger in three weeks. Now, that may not sound like a long time to some of you, but I love cheeseburgers. And there really is something to the whole, "You want it more because it's not available" argument. All I know, it was a damn good cheeseburger.
Exhausted, half from walking around all day and half from a caffeine crash, we made it back to Kyle's place and promptly said, "Bueno Notte." We woke in the morning and had a cup of coffee (American style, YEAH!) and concluded our catch up. It was a super nice mini vacation in a vacation.
Kyle and I have grown since our college days. We no longer stay up until 4 a.m. polishing off a case of beer. Now we stay up until midnight and consume fine red wine. However, our conversations have grown to become more important and adult-like. Guess this means we are growing up...
Kyle, thank you for a great time. I look forward to when we get to hang again. Double date in March, eh?!?! Oh and hey, if you can post the name of your town on this blog, that would be great!
But for now, it's back to the home front. Back to Florence.
I decided that while living in Italy certain cities and sights would not escape my visit. One of these cities was Rome. Naturally, I planned my trip a few days before I decided to leave.
Upon what I have heard through others who had been to Rome, it really can't be done in one day. After I made a list of all the places I wanted to visit, I determined one day would not be enough. This had to be an overnight excursion.
So, I booked myself a room in a small hotel and also tickets for a guided tour of Vatican City. Outside of Tuscany, I hadn't done any guided tours so I splurged and prepared myself for a three hour tour of the Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.
But there is much to tell before my journey to Vatican City.
The morning I was scheduled to leave, I arrived at the train station only to find that my train to Rome was delayed 10 minutes. Ok, no biggie. Well, 10 minutes turned into 15, which turned into 20, which turned into 30. By the time I knew it, the train to Roma Termini was 45 minutes late and I had been sitting in the cold Santa Maria Novella Station for over an hour. Not off to a good start Rome!
Anywho, I arrived in Rome around noon and dropped my things off at the hotel. And I started to trek. Rome is not a small city. The downtown area is beaming with shops, ruins, hurried Italians and lost tourists. Also, much like Florence, the street names change after intersections and most of the time aren't even labeled. I found that the best thing to do was head towards a major attraction, museum, or ancient ruin and determine my position from there.
My first stop was the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Colosseum is an obvious site to see in Rome, however I was curious about the other two sites around it. According to my guide book, 'Italy for Dummies' I learned that the Roman Forum was the happening place during the days of the Romans. It was the location of administrative, religious and commercial venues. Some of the ruins there date back to 203 A.D.
Palatine Hill was the location of imperial palaces meant to be grandiose enough for each emperor. This is also the site where Romulus created the first square in which the city of Rome was established. It's origins date back to the eight century B.C. and also housed one of the most famous names of ancient Rome: Caesar.
Colosseum
Inside Colosseum
Inside Colosseum - Notice the large panel to the left where the people are standing. This is a simulation of the arena floor. Underneath were animals and gladiators preparing for their battle.
Me inside Colosseum
Roman Forum
Roman Forum - Arch of Titus
Palatine Hill
Palatine Hill - Remains of the Stadium Front
Palatine Hill - Remains of the Stadium Back
Center of Stadium
Back of Stadium
Colosseum and Arch of Constantine - View from Palatine Hill
My next stop was The Pantheon. Not much to view from the outside, but a marvel of art and architecture inside. It's been said that a perfect sphere could fit inside The Pantheon because the dimensions are so acurate. Also, the ceiling of the dome does not have a cap. So when it rains, water comes into the center of the church. The floor was constructed to slant slightly inward with four small slits in the middle where the water drains out. Note: The Pantheon was built in 27 B.C. and rebuilt in 125 A.D. Architects today still marvel at the genius of The Pantheon. No one really knows how exactly it was created.
The Romans were recognized for, among MANY other things, creating a sewer system that worked so well in it's day that the people who live in the city still use it today.
The Pantheon
Alter of The Pantheon
Ceiling of The Pantheon - This design is repeated all over Rome. The ceiling of St. Peter's Basilica is based off the patterned square design of The Pantheon.
Part of the fountain in front of The Pantheon
My next destination was my very most favorite part of Rome. The Trevi Fountain. It was worth taking the time to pull up a little bit of railing to sit on and study this fountain. It was absolutely beautiful and well worth the stop. The guy in the middle is Neptune and he's commanding two tritons, or mythical sea men, to guide his chariot pulled by sea horses.
Trevi Fountain
Neptune
Sea Triton
Sea Triton
The Trevi Fountain, due to Roman superstition, requires you throw in a coin a certain way. You must place it in your right hand, turn your back to the fountain and toss it over your left shoulder. By doing so, it is said that the spirit of the fountain will then see it, and you will return to Rome one day.
Side Note: This is not just ANY fountain. It's famous! Not just because it looks really nice, or because it's an amazing piece of sculpture. Please play below clip for further explanation.
Yep, this is the fountain that Three Coins in a Fountain was based off. God, I love that movie. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Not Three Coins in a Fountain. I've never seen that one.
Moving on, I had one more stop for the day. The Spanish Steps. The history behind the Spanish Steps is as follows; Way back when, 16th Century-ish, this area was where the Spanish ambassador made his home and the piazza and surrounding area was much less enjoyable than it is today. Apparently, to walk these grounds in the middle of the night was very dangerous. People were know to just disappear. Technically, this was Spanish territory and those who disappeared were apparently forced into the Spanish Army. Today, this area and piazza displays a large beautiful scenic view of Rome. It's also a great place to people watch because the citizens of Rome use it as a fairly decipherable meeting ground.
View from The Spanish Steps - Streets of Rome
After this VERY, VERY, VERY long day, I headed back to the room. By this time, after walking almost all over the city of Rome, I knew it would take me at least an hour's walk from my hotel to Vatican City for my tour at 9:30 the next morning. I headed back, had dinner at a local restaurant and returned to my room for some much needed rest.
However, I treated myself at dinner. When in Rome, right?!
Day 2 - Vatican City
Today was already a long day by the time I got out of bed. My body ached from yesterday, walking all around Rome and wearing a backpack with an extra 20 pounds in it had taken its tole. My feet were sore and my shoulders tender. But, alas, I strapped on my bag, grabbed an apple and hit the road. After a good hour-long walk, I arrived at the main road Vatican City faces. And there it was, in all it's glory. Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica.
I knew I had about a half hour before my tour started and I used that half hour to walk around looking for just WHERE my tour started. Apparently, the map I had did not have enough space to include the area where I was supposed to meet up with my group. So, I walked and I walked and I walked. Eventually, I located a few other people who were also walking around with blank looks on their faces. I stumbled off the main road to the set of stairs and decided to post up until someone raised a sign with the tour group I was a part of. Sooner or later, all the drama ended and I was in the right place at the right time. Our tour guide Sara took to me immediately (After all I was the only solo person taking the tour. Everyone else was with their family or friends). She began asking me where I was from and what I was doing in Rome. Long story short, her and I were buds right from the get-go.
We entered through the Vatican Museums entrance on the far side of the city. It is in fact it's own city. They have their own post offices, currency, radio stations, limit to the population (Only around 1,000 people live inside the city limits, Sara told us. These are the people who belong under the Pope, cardinals and such. Each time one dies, a new one is brought in to fill his/her spot so the population never really changes.), an army (The Swiss Guard is an entity in itself. Men volunteer to dedicate 5 years of their lives to the Pope. They cannot have families, girlfriends, or social lives.), a curfew (11 p.m.) and ruler, the Pope.
The walk through the Vatican Museums was of course spectacular. We saw some of the most amazing ancient art as well as modern art. Below are some of the areas where you were allowed to take pictures.
Emperor Nero's bath tub
Mosaic beneath the tub. Very expensive and intricate.
Tour Guide Sara and a piece of modern art representing how religion encircles the Earth
The Map Room
An incredibly accurate map of Italy from the 16th century. It's around 80% accurate. How DO they do it?
This particular wall was created by Raphael. It's called The School of Athens. It a representation of the different views on 'truth.'
Sistine Chapel. Unfortunately, well... and fortunately, a television channel sponsored the cleaning of the Sistine Chapel in the 90s. Because they were responsible for current condition and look of the ceiling and walls, they have all rights to photography. What does this mean to me? Means I couldn't take any pictures. So these pictures will have to do.
The images Michelangelo painted were scenes from the New and Old Testament. He was NOT a painter. Michelangelo first and foremost was a sculptor. When this particular Pope commissioned him to paint the Sistine Chapel, he was very resistant. He was careful to put signs his of discontent for painting the ceiling through certain disrespectful gestures of the time.
The Last Judgment By: Michelangelo
The Torso. No one knows who created The Torso, but many famous sculptors from that time, Michelangelo included, took inspiration from this work.
After we toured and learned all kinds of new facts about the art in the museums, it was time to move onto St. Peter's Basilica.
St. Peter's Basilica
Doorway into St. Peter's Basilica
Bottom right corner of front door has a depiction of St. Peter being crucified upside down.
This is the Holy Door. It is only opened every 25 years by the Pope. Behind this door is a wall that is broken down. Once the door is opened, it remains open for the whole year.
The Man. St. Peter. Notice his right foot. It has been worn down from visitors who rub it for spiritual reasons.
Michelangelo's very famous Pieta. He completed this when he was only 20 years old.
Alter of St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Throne
Canopy over St. Peter's Tomb
Capula, dome, of St. Peter's Basilica
After we were given the tour of the basilica, our three hours has just about come to an end. Sara wished us all well and walked with me a bit while we talked about how I should spend my remaining hours in Rome. She was very helpful and knowledgeable and definitely made the day more interesting and fun. Thanks Sara!!!
But I wasn't done with Vatican City yet! Only a 510 step-climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica? Count me in! The below pictures were taken at the top of the Capula.
Going up!
St. Peter's Square
And with that, I will end this blog with a few pictures of St. Peter's Square and my last comments about Rome.
Rome is a large metropolitan city. It reminded me of New York or even Chicago, except the history dates much, much further back. I find that when you ask people how they feel about Rome, generally you get two answers, "I love Rome!" or "Eh, Rome..." Rome was definitely a must-see on my journey throughout this country, but do I need to return? Probably not. I came, I saw, I kicked it's ass. And it kicked mine, as well. I spent the next day recovering from very swollen feet and extremely stiff shoulders. I'm glad to have to opportunity to have visited Rome. But when I got back to Florence, I felt so good. Rome's Rome. And Florence will always, in my opinion, be more of an iconic city.You can take Rome, if I can have Florence.
Citation:
Murphy, Bruce and Alessandra de Rosa. Italy For Dummies. Wiley Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana. 2009.
