Today was a day of intense neck work outs. Luckily, we started off the morning with a breakfast - not of 'Clever' (the local store-brand...like Kroger...only it makes us smarter) cornflakes, but of eggs with a provolone-like cheese thrown in, and even some toast! ...we don't have a toaster though so I had to make them with a skillet - but it was delicious nonetheless!
Afterwards, we went to class and learned more about Gothic and early Renaissance art as well as some background information on the Baptistery located in front of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (aka The Duomo) which we visited this afternoon.
The Baptistery of Saint John, or Battistero di San Giovanni, was built around the 11th century but legend claimed that it was actually once a Roman pagan temple and for a while acted as the main Cathedral for Florence before the larger Basilica was built.
Outside were bronze doors created by Andrea Pisano (first 2 pics) and Lorenzo Ghiberti (second pics) which were gorgeous and an amazing mix of 3-dimensional and 2-dimensional design.
However, my favorite part was the neck-cricking, but GORGEOUS interior! Floor to ceiling and in every corner you looked, there was mosaic, inlay, sculpture, you name it....the whole building was like a jewel box.
Afterwards a group of us decided to scout out the deals at some local market stands near the Church of San Lorenzo and the numerous department stores lining the streets. Then we made our way over to the Orsanmichele Church where we saw more stunning religious artwork as well as the famous niche statues commissioned by the guilds of Florence that line all the outer walls.
Here are a few biggies by artists like Donatello and the door guy, Ghiberti.
But the neck-craning did not stop there! Sabrina and I also went by ourselves inside the Palazzo Vecchio where we saw room after room of artwork and architecture that was more lavish than what I had even seen at the Palace of Versailles. The history of the place is very complex too - it was a Medici palace and place of residence for the ruling oligarchy of Florence, and also acts as a city hall/meeting place that is meant to portray the strength of a fortress on the outside, but elegance and wealth on the inside.
...and the pic of all the maps - they were all hand-written and showed the old, Renaissance borders of countries all over the world! ...so cool.
After that, we were pretty tired so we just headed home and somehow got our Italian tv to work while we ate some leftover pasta from our home-made lunch and later, some awesome sweet snacks from the grocery around the corner. I gotta say, watching cartoons in Italian while hearing mopeds drive by along the streets below is one experience I'll never forget...
....yum....
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