Firenze

On the first evening after we got to Florence, a few of us rode the bus up to San Miniato al Monte, a basilica that overlooks the city.


From San Miniato al Monte, the view is pretty impressive.


Here the view becomes a little less impressive:


Here, you can see, from left to right, the Palazzo Vecchio (Florence's city hall), the dome of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, and Florence's beautiful cathedral, the Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore.


This is the facade of the Duomo, which was not completed until 1887. Construction of the church itself began in 1296, and Fillipo Brunelleschi's famous dome was finished in 1436.


Here is the dome from street level.



Of course, no visit to Florence is complete without an ascent to the top of Brunelleschi's dome. The design and construction of this dome atop Santa Maria del Fiore is considered by most the be the starting point of the Italian Renaissance. Here, you can see the roof over the nave of the cathedral and the bell-tower (which is far more impressive than that piece of crap in Pisa).


Here you can see the Basilica di San Lorenzo in the shadow of the Duomo. This church was also designed by Brunelleschi. The Laurentian Library (the wing extending to the left of the church in the photo) was designed by Michaelangelo Buonarroti.


Florence from the dome of the Duomo:


The subdued interior of the Doumo stands in stark contrast to its heavily-ornamented exterior.


An exception, of course, is Vasari's massive painting, "The Last Judgement," which covers the interior of the dome. This is one of the largest paintings in the world.


Here is a close-up of the condemned being skinned and having torches stuck up their butts by the demons of Hell.



This is the Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge across the Arno River in Florence that survived WWII.


And a photo of some of the shops on the bridge:


Here is the tower of the Palazzo Vecchio.


For hundreds of years, Michaelangelo Buonarroti's masterpiece "David" stood here in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Today, a replica stands in its place. The replica sucks by comparison.


Michaelango's original stands in the Accademia Gallery in Florence.