After internetting yesterday, I talked to a gal who works here about putting some pictures on CD. They can read my memory card (or cards since it will take more than one to fill a CD). It's only five euros to make a CD. And they also do UPS shipments here, so I can bypass the potentially flaky italian post office. I'll definitely be doing that just before I leave to free up lost of memory for Rome. It's hard to believe I've still got four more days here after everything I saw today. A day trip to the world's greatest monument to mediocrity (Pisa) may be in order.
- Ufizzi. It supposedly has more important works than any other museum on earth. My ignorance was definitely showing in that I didn't recognize most of them. I saw a very nice painting by Michaelangelo (maybe the only painting of his still around), one and a half by Da Vinci (one wasn't finished), and a lot of stuff I knew I'd seen in books, but really didn't make a huge difference to me. My appologies to my christian readers, but I get really burned out on devotional art after a while. I've seen Christ on the cross, off the cross, as a baby, as a child, back from the dead, etc. more times than I can count. It ceases to have any impact after a while. Especially when you've seen it done better by some other painter. Oh yeah, and almost no painters know how to do babies, or want to make baby Jesus unique or something because baby jesus looks freaky. Seriously, the poses, lumpy bodies, and disturbingly adult facial features on baby jesus (and other babies) in paintings are just wrong enough to be truly unnerving. The first painter who starts doing babies right will make a place in history. I also figured out part of why I find paintings so taxing to look at. Painters are frustrated storytellers. Seriously. They try to cram in so much symbolism, extra scenes in the background, etc. that you either go through a really arduous process of examination, or realize you're probably missing a great deal of what paintings have to offer. All things considered, I think they should have invented comic books sooner.
- Pizza. I met some nice folks from LA in the Uffizi and joined them and a gal from the Phillipines they also met at the gallery for pizza. This was my first pizza in Italy. It was good. The crust was thin, and the edges were very crunchy. For a topping, I chose to try the scalloped potatoe pizza. It was basically potatoes cooked in oil with herbs and salt. It was pretty good, but I'm betting there's much better to be had here in Florence, nevermind Rome.
- Academic Gallery. David.
- Academic Gallery. A lot of other stuff that is pretty cool (a Stradivarius violin, viola, and cello, unfinished Michelangelos, plaster originals of a lot of sculptures by his nephew, Leonardo Buonarroti)
- Duomo. This was mostly just a stopover, but the architectural triumph known as the Duomo is another cathedra. The main feature of the Duomo is a huge gothic dome over the alter/choir/apse area. It was built without any internal supports. You can't really get close enough to appreciate that from the inside, but that may just have been because we were there during confession.
- Bell Tower. Outside the Duomo is a bell tower you can climb for six euros. It was a bit trying for some of us, but we made it. If you want the highest view, climb the Duomo itself. It's maybe twenty feet higher. But since it renders you unable to view the Duomo, I consider the tower the better use of your six euros. Actually, I consider gelatos a better way to spend six euros. Most of Florence is just red roofs. If you want to see the scenery of Tuscany, take a walk.
- Gelatos. I hadn't had a gelato yet, so my companions were eager to induct me into the fan club. Gelato is definitely nice. It's not as heavy as ice cream, but it's more flavorful, or the one I had was, at least. There's no replacement for New York Super Fudge Chunk, but gelato is certainly refreshing on a hot day.
2 comments:
No worries, beautiful. If you think of anything in particular you want, just let me know. If you want anything with Michelangelo's David on it, this is the place to get it. I must admit though, no postcard, no picture I have seen, even come's close to giving the same impression as walking into that long gallery and seeing David at the other end. In fact, they built the gallery to display it just like a cathedral, with David as the altar.
I don't know, dad. I never really considered you jaded regarding art. You certainly love the blues. :)
I think I'll take up this topic in the next update.
I had a pistachio and hazelnut chocolate gelato today. I think you would have liked it okay. Heck, add some strawberry and you can make spumoni. :) I haven't actually heard or seen anything about spumoni since I've been here.
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