Visiting Tuscany

Any visit to Tuscany would not be complete without a trip to its capital city Florence.  With my mothers appetite for art it became somewhat compulsory when she visited us in Rome for the first time, and walked us all over the city in search of works by Michelangelo.

From as far back as the 15th century Tuscany was packed to the brim with painters and sculptors who ushered in the momentous artistic movement we now know as the Renaissance, meaning rebirth.  The Renaissance movement was largely developed by the elite and wealthy, and it was with their support that Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Titian flourished.  The same is true for the architecture of Brunelleschi, Leone Alberti, Andrea Palladio, and Bramante whose works include the Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore of Florence and St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. 

Few cities in the world pack as many artistic gems into such a compact areas as Florence. Travellers often arrive in Tuscany with grand plans and a long to-do list, thinking that they can take in a few museums in the morning, a composer's birthplace in the afternoon and still have plenty of time in between to take in Florence Cathedral before heading off and onto the next Tuscan hill in search of a photo opportunity, local winery and dinner - PHEW!

But to get the true flavour of being at the artistic and culinary centre of the universe, stroll around the town , take a seat at a café overlooking one of the busy piazzas and just watch the people and world pass you by. Practice a little 'il dolce far niente' - the sweetness of doing nothing.

Somewhere in the coutryside of Tuscany

Begin to discover that Tuscany is not just a picture postcard of gentle slopes dotted with tall cypress trees and what appears to be an abandoned farmhouse under a golden sunset.  Tuscany is that and more.  There are the hill towns of Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Cortona (made famous by Frances Mayes through her writing 'Under The Tuscan Sun') and Montalcino.  The chic beach resort town of Viareggio best known for its seafood.  And of course there is the leaning tower which is found in Pisa.  Yes, all of this and more can be found in Italian region known as Tuscany. 

We only had the one day and had travelled comfortably by train from Rome to Florence.  The whole journey had taken less than 2 hours so we had plenty of time to take in the scenery and make our own to-do list.  But the moment we alighted from the train all lists were useless.   To begin with nearly every sought-after Italian designer has a shop in Florence. Although their ornate shopfront windows turned our heads, we couldn't miss an opportunity to linger at the first outdoor market we saw drawn by copious amounts of beautiful coloured scarves and some really nice leather bags, bits and bobs.

From the market at the train station it's a very short walk to the sights of Florence and in no time we were at the foot of the most ornate cathedral I had ever seen.  We took a while taking it all in, each looking this way and that. 

Our Emergency Translation and Information Device Enzo, explains Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral stands in the Piazza del Duomo, along with the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile.  The original Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore, the name full name for the cathedral or duomo, was built on this spot in 1296, but became too small to serve the ever growing population.  Today from the pavement to the top of the dome and at its widest point at the crossing, the cathedral measures 295 feet (90 metres) and is 502 feet long (153 metres).  You can read more about the cathedral dimensions and complex history at Wikipedia, it's fascinating.

Views from the Piazza Duomo

While standing before this amazing feat of architure you are immediately struck by the three enormous bronze doors which are relatively modern at 110 years old.  As your eye continues to scan the facade above the central door you find the relief by Tito Sarrocchi: Mary enthroned holding a flowered scepter.  It's difficult to find the words to express what a privilege it is to be able to stand beneath the Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore, and what a disappointment it was to find that it was closed to the public for the day.  Why?  For a football match!  Ah well, we swore at that moment that we would be back soon as we wondered into the narrow streets towards the next piazza where we took a spot on the street outside a corner café and ordered ourselves a cappuchino. You may think that taking a pause so soon is a little odd, but Florence has the capacity to overwhelm you to the point that it's difficult to know where or what to do next.  Luckily we had packed our Emergency Translation and Information Device Enzo, who suggested that we continue on towards the river.  We of course agreed that this was a great plan.