Marilyn's Odyssey: Florence

Florence is the home of the Renaisance and considered to be the birthplace of the modern world. Florence has the largest collection of Renaissance art in Europe and is certainly an art lovers delight. We really enjoyed the museums and the Cathedral but the city on the whole felt like a big tourist trap to us.

After doing a Renaisance walk through the core of Florence we went to the. Accademia which is the home of Michelangelo's David. At the age of 26,in 1501,he was commissioned to creat a large scale piece from a single piece of marble. He created David from the bible story of David and Goliath as a symbol of divine victory over evil. David stands 17 feet tall and Michelangelo's attention to detail is astounding as he brings the stone to life. David stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio until the 1800's when he was brought inside for protection.

We also could not help but admire the. Duomo which is the large Gothic cathedral in the center of town. The exterior is covered with pink, green and white marble and is spectacular. It's claim to fame is the large dome which was the first ever and the model for ones to come. The inside of the church,though it is the third largest in the Christian world is not very inspiring. Next to the church stands the Campanile which is the bell tower. We climbed the 414 narrow steps up and were rewarded with panoramic views of the whole city including the dome.

Our visit to the Uffizzi Museum with an extremely knowledgable guide was exceptional. This museum holds the greatest collection of Italian art and includes many paintings by Leonardo, Rapheal Carrvaggio, Michelangelo and Botticelli. The building itself is also a work of art with frescos decorating all the ceilings.

Ponte Vecchio is quite a fascinating covered bridge used by the powerful Medici family to travel back and forth between their home and palace. Before their time the bridge was lined with meat markets so scraps could be thrown into the river but they would have none of that so elegant gold and silver shops replaced the meat. Though the shops are no longer as elegant they certainly attact a huge number of tourists.