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I can't believe I can actually say this, but I got to see FLORENCE, ITALY! We actually will get to see it twice more this semester, so we only hit a few lesser known but just as interesting places today (for instance, we didn't actually go to the Florence Cathedral [above] but we got a great arial view of it when we went to one of the churches).
The famous Michaelangelo's David ... his face, that is. (It never ceases to bewilder me how no matter what nationality, there will always people who feel the need to take perverted pictures. -_-)
My architecture history teacher, a native Italian, Paolo, who is very passionate about art, architecture, philosophy, and Italy, and tends to wander off topic very easily and can drone a little, but you have to respect his seemingly infinite knowledge about Italian Renaissance and Gothic Architecture. Here he is in talking to us with these nifty little headsets they gave us so we could hear him give us a personal hours long tour guide. Behind him is the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.
Inside the Basilica, above the alter, all mosaic and inlaid tiles.
Some of the beautiful intricate stain-glass windows
One of the churches had an art museum with dozens of religious renaissance and gothic paintings and scultpures. This is one I thought was particularly pretty and detailed (it's at least 10 feet tall).
Inside of Basilica di Santa Croce, a gigantic space filled with tombs and elaborate sculpture memorials for famous Italians, including Galileo, Michaelangelo, and Machiavelli.
buildings reflected along the river
Outside of the Basilica di Santa Croce
close up of Basilica di Santa Croce
statue in the Piazza di Santa Croce honoring Dante (side note, Paolo knows the Divine Comedy forwards and back and even recited some passages. He talked to us about it for at least half an hour, on more than one occasion.)
This is one of the courtyards outside the Santa Croce just before the art museum
Another statue ... forget who for...
The towering Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall where several famous statues stand guard including the David and the Neptune Fountain, also next door to Uffize (we'll visit it another time) which is now a giant art museum and displays many large detailed (and graphic - like the one where the man is holding a severed head...) sculptures.
The Ponte Vecchio, the only historical bridge to survive WWII and German's destruction of all the other bridges and the only one to still have shops along it.
A large markets in the one of the town squares, that mainly seemed to sell lots of bags, purses, scarves, chunky bead necklaces, and knick-knack souvenirs.
I can't believe I can actually say this, but I got to see FLORENCE, ITALY! We actually will get to see it twice more this semester, so we only hit a few lesser known but just as interesting places today (for instance, we didn't actually go to the Florence Cathedral [above] but we got a great arial view of it when we went to one of the churches).
The famous Michaelangelo's David ... his face, that is. (It never ceases to bewilder me how no matter what nationality, there will always people who feel the need to take perverted pictures. -_-)
My architecture history teacher, a native Italian, Paolo, who is very passionate about art, architecture, philosophy, and Italy, and tends to wander off topic very easily and can drone a little, but you have to respect his seemingly infinite knowledge about Italian Renaissance and Gothic Architecture. Here he is in talking to us with these nifty little headsets they gave us so we could hear him give us a personal hours long tour guide. Behind him is the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte.
Inside the Basilica, above the alter, all mosaic and inlaid tiles.
Some of the beautiful intricate stain-glass windows
One of the churches had an art museum with dozens of religious renaissance and gothic paintings and scultpures. This is one I thought was particularly pretty and detailed (it's at least 10 feet tall).
Inside of Basilica di Santa Croce, a gigantic space filled with tombs and elaborate sculpture memorials for famous Italians, including Galileo, Michaelangelo, and Machiavelli.
buildings reflected along the river
Outside of the Basilica di Santa Croce
close up of Basilica di Santa Croce
statue in the Piazza di Santa Croce honoring Dante (side note, Paolo knows the Divine Comedy forwards and back and even recited some passages. He talked to us about it for at least half an hour, on more than one occasion.)
This is one of the courtyards outside the Santa Croce just before the art museum
Another statue ... forget who for...
The towering Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall where several famous statues stand guard including the David and the Neptune Fountain, also next door to Uffize (we'll visit it another time) which is now a giant art museum and displays many large detailed (and graphic - like the one where the man is holding a severed head...) sculptures.
The Ponte Vecchio, the only historical bridge to survive WWII and German's destruction of all the other bridges and the only one to still have shops along it.
A large markets in the one of the town squares, that mainly seemed to sell lots of bags, purses, scarves, chunky bead necklaces, and knick-knack souvenirs.
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