Florence - 5/26/09

Another beautiful day in Tuscany - it's hard not to feel good about life when you wake up to beautiful views of the Tuscan hills outside of your bedroom window. Il Castelluccio is the perfect base of operations - Manuel gets an A+ for finding this place. We don't waste much time getting ready to go. We only have a limited time and there is so much to see. Off to another battle with the Termini parking garage before spending a full day in Florence (Firenze).

First up is a visit to the Accademia art gallery. The Accademia was initially named the Accademia e Compagnia delle Arti del Disegno, and was founded in 1563 by Cosino I de’ Medici. It was divided into two branches, an art academy and a kind of a corporation (the de’ Medici’s loved art but also knew how to bring in the cash). Every working artist in Tuscany was encouraged to join the corporation. Only the most important artists of Cosimo’s court were members of the Academy “and had the task of supervising the whole artistic production of the medicean state”. In 1784 the Grand Duke of Tuscany decreed that all schools of drawing in Florence be combined under one roof and named Accademia di Belle Arti. The Grand Duke also decided to protect the artwork by including a school of art restoration. “The Gallery of the Accademia di Belle Arti has housed the original David by Michelangelo since 1873. The sculpture was allegedly brought to the Accademia for reasons of conservation, although other factors were involved in its move from its previous outdoor location on the Piazza della Signoria. The original intention was to create a ‘Michelangelo museum’, with original sculptures and drawings, to celebrate the fourth centenary of the artist’s birth.”

Besides Michelangelo's magnificent original sculpture of David and a variety of religious art, the current headliner was an exhibition of Robert Mapplethorpe photography. An American born in New York and educated at the Pratt Institute of Art, he is best known for a controversial retrospective exhibit of his work after he died of AIDS in the 1990's. The exhibit, titled "A Perfect Moment" was funded by the National Endowment of he Arts (NEA). Although many photographs were of flowers and the human form, some of the images depicted his interest in S&M and his gay friends. The exhibit set off a firestorm and the NEA was forced to withdraw its funding. Proponents claimed that the First Amendment guarantees the right of freedom of expression - detractors were not happy with the fact the exhibit was funded by the government. The photos on display in the Accademia were tame compared to what must have been in the 90's exhibit. The quality of the black & white prints was outstanding. The photographs were very good - he definitely had an eye for design, although some of his content choices may have been creepy. His films on display were avant garde weird. Apparently, for a time, he lived with Patti Smith, a legendary New York rocker - that must have been a ball of laughs. She is shown lounging on the floor, wasted on who knows what, showing off her unshaven hairy legs - Hey Robert, stick with the still life photos of flowers! But alas, it’s too late for advice. Another film was of Lisa Lyon, a female body builder who was a regular nude subject of Mapplethorp - weird film but at least she shaved.

After the exhibit we all decided to go our own way for a while. Anne and I decided to head for the Ponte Vecchio, one of the bridges over the Arno river that flows through the middle of Florence. We found a ceramic shop along the way and purchased some gifts to take home. Anne had been to Florence (Firenze) before when she was just out of college - I was a virgin. I couldn't get over the uniqueness and the history of this place. Florence lived up to its press as one of the art capitals of the world - beautiful city. I much preferred Florence to Rome. It was time to get back to Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) and meet up with the rest of the group. We plan to walk up the 463 steps to the top of the dome.

Santa Maria del Fiore was the third cathedral built in Florence. Started in 1296, it was designed to be the largest Roman Catholic church in the world. The building went through a series of work slowdowns and stoppages. The nave was completed by 1380, but by 1418 the dome (duomo) had not been built. At that time a design competition was held between Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi – Brunelleschi won with an inventive octagonal design. The building of the dome in itself is an amazing story. Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436. Zac, Ken, Amanda, Paul, Anne, and I decided to brave the hike to the top of the Duomo while the rest of the group headed to another museum. Claustrophobic, winding climb to the first and second landings with fantastic view of the beautifully painted ceiling of the dome - angelic at the top down to violent gory paintings at the bottom - heaven and hell. By the look of the lower part of the dome ceiling, you don't want to be in hell. At the top there was a 360 degree outdoor view of Firenze - definitely worth the climb.

It was time to head back Barbarino/Il Castelluccio for some rest and relaxation. But first, we need to stock up on some wine. We stopped at a little wine store on the walk back to the car. When I say stocked up, I mean stocked up. Manuel talked the store owner into opening a bottle which turned into a little wine and cheese tasting party. Smart store owner - we walked out with a lot of wine. Picked up pizza on the way back to eat with some of the wine. Julie kept us laughing with her tales of nursing - Maxine with her excellent comic timing. No, you don't talk too much, Maxine - I really thoroughly enjoyed your stories! Time to call it a night - another big day tomorrow.