Florence, Italy is to great works of art, as Athens, Georgia is to college bars. Art is everywhere. In this single city lies the majority of the work of some of the greatest Renaissance artists of all time—Michelangelo, Botticelli, Donatello, Ghiberti, Brunelleschi, and Vasari etc. etc. I pretty much had one reaction during the entire trip: Awe.
But let me start at the beginning (I warned you already, I’m bad about jumping the gun). We took a four-hour bus ride to Florence. The landscape we passed seemed all too picturesque. Think unlimited green farmland and hillsides. I felt like I was watching a movie as I looked out the window. It was that captivating. Little did I know what beauty I had yet to encounter.
When we arrived in Florence we checked in to Hotel Donatello (only appropriate right?), which is located about a 10-minute walk away from the Baptistry. The hotel was more of a bed & breakfast and was really quaint. Kat and I were fortunate enough to get a room with a balcony. I love the distinct charm European bed & breakfasts provide. After checking in, Martin showed us the route to town and as we turned the corner and took sight of the beautiful Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s campanile and the Romanesque Baptistry I couldn’t hold back my amazement.
The Baptistry
Giotto's Bell Tower
Santa Maria del Fiore
My pictures hardly do the architectural detail the justice it deserves. I guess my main enchantment wasn’t only due to the beauty of the Baptistry, but more so to the fact that I was actually seeing the building itself, in real life. There, right before me, was the building that housed the mosaic of Christ the Judge. There, before my eyes, were the Doors of Paradise that Ghiberti so intricately designed after competing for the right to create the masterpiece against Brunelleschi. These masterpieces were no longer just photographs in textbooks, but actual buildings surrounded by casual everyday life. It was like time had preserved these buildings and despite our evolving world, the great works of art remained absolutely intact and unaltered. It was surreal. Bellissima.
Left: Ghiberti's Doors of Paradise (model) Right: Florence's duomo
"Traveling is the ruin of all happiness! There's no looking at a building after seeing Italy."
-Fanny Burney
Alongside the incredible architecture and artwork, Florence is also known for its appeal to tourists, Americans in particular. In Verona I walk the streets and am forced to use my broken Italian to communicate. In Florence, I did not encounter a single storeowner, bystander or server who was unable to speak English. There were a lot of Americans in the city. How do I know this? We stick out. We’re undeniable. The stereotypes are absolutely true. We talk loudly, we wear loud colors, and we whip out our cameras to take pictures of peculiar things (pigeons, peace signs, McDonalds restaurants, etc.). We’re far from subtle, but street vendors and local businesses thrive off such easy prey. Florence’s economy revolves around tourism, so locals are more than happy to please guests and speak fluent English.
One place where I felt especially targeted was while walking through the street leather markets. Florence is known for selling fine Italian leather goods and they have purses, wallets, belts, jackets and briefcases lining the market tables and racks. After haggling with a vendor I am proud to say I am now the owner of a beautiful genuine Italian leather jacket!! I talked his selling price down a couple hundred dollars! So far it has been my only real purchase on this trip and probably the best buy I will make. It’s been worth every last euro so far. I love it!
The nightlife in Florence was more familiar to our group than the nightlife in Verona. Although Verona’s night scene is incredible, it’s also very international. Florence has a much more Americanized bar scene. In fact, as we were heading out one night, we met up with some guys who are U.S. Rangers. They had spent a little time at Fort Benning which is a few minutes from where I lived/interned this past summer. Small world huh? Anyway, they showed us to a local bar where the walls were lined with graffiti. It wasn’t just any graffiti though. The interior of the building was covered with mascots and symbols of American colleges and universities. Tons of college kids had visited this spot over the years and left their mark on the walls. We couldn’t find UGA anywhere so I decided I’d do the honors. I sharpied the Georgia “G” on the wall with our ever so southern saying, “Go Dawgs! Sic ‘em!” We all signed the wall that night. I know Florence left it’s mark on me, but now it’s kind of cool to be able to say, I left my mark on Florence. My “artwork” now is on display in the same location as the great works of Michelangelo and Donatello. Hah.
My international commemoration to the Bulldawg nation
Our first night out in Florence
I loved Florence. Of course the art was my initial attraction, but as time went on, I found myself loving every element it offered. We were fortunate enough to tour the Academia, Uffizi, San Lorenzo, and Santa Croce. I spent an entire day wandering the city by myself. I was on my own exploring for nearly 6 hours and I still wish I could’ve seen more.
Italy, my friend, you continue to outdo yourself.
…Ciao!
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