Our Last Days in Florence!

In my final week of my semester abroad, I had to visit every land mark in Florence that I had yet to see, with some final exams here and there. And maybe a few hours of studying. I admit that I was terribly remiss - having spent every weekend traveling to other places, I had missed a large part of seeing Florence. I hear this is a common lament of students who study abroad. But luckily, I did get to see most of the things I wanted to see in those last days.

First and foremost, I went to see Michelangelo’s David. It is in the Galleria Dell’Academia, a small gallery on a small side street in downtown Florence built specifically to house Florence's much loved masterpiece. I had walked past this dilapidated looking building almost every day not knowing what was inside it:


But I finally found my way to David:




It is so beautiful. There are millions of lovely sculptures of gods and biblical characters all over Italy, and I've have always wondered exactly why some of them were considered more important than others. Well, this one is perfect, that's why. It's really stunning.

The museum has a few other things in it, mostly a bunch of alter artwork from churches. There is also a wing devoted to musical instruments, though you have to wind your way there through a little corridor through a courtyard. I found a pair of hurdy-gurdies!




I did not know that a hurdy-gurdy actually existed. There is also a piece that may have been labeled "first upright grad piano," according to my very poor Italian:


There is one last part of the museum, which is actually beyond the gift shop and up three flights of stairs. It doesn't even seem like you're allowed to go up there, since it appears that you have already exited the museum after the gift shop. However, there are three rooms filled with Russian iconography, evidently the largest collection in the world outside of Russia. There are also more alter pieces from around Italy. Granted, this is a little bit boring, but I thought I'd discovered such a find, having wandered into the secret chambers of the museum, that I spent a long while in there. I also evidently have a cousin whose life's work is the study of religious iconography, so if I ever meet her I can talk about it! My favorite piece in the secret museum was this:


That is the story of the nativity with some very Italian looking backgrounds. There is no way that is anywhere in the middle east, which, you know, is where Jesus would have actually been born. So it's not just Americans - everyone wants to the that Jesus looks just like them. Cute.

Now, the famous statue of David used to sand in the public square outside the Palazzo Vecchio (the "old palace"), which of course the old palace of the Medici family (rulers of Florence for 300=years) and is currently a museum and houses the mayoral offices and city hall meetings:




This here is San Lorenzo, the name of both the church in the background and the marketplace. The church is extremely old, having been consecrated in 393.




It's been rebuilt a few times, but the Medici family insisted that the original plain exterior be respected. As you can see, there are no windows or fancy marble decorations, and it is a tremendous contrast from Florence famed Duomo a few blocks away. This was one of many shrewd moves by the Medici to align their name with humility and tradition. Which worked, very well.

I also finally saw Santa Croce, thought I did not get to go inside:


Santa Croce is the largest Franciscan church in the world. The legend is that this church was actually founded by Saint Francis. It is decorated with many world famous frescos by Giotto, and Michelangelo is buried inside.

I also finally made it to the Uffizi, Florence's most art gallery. Which, in a place as rich in art history as Florence, is saying a lot. It's a U-shaped gallery; this is the courtyard where you enter:


I snapped a few clandestine shots of the famous and exquisite Birth of Venus by Botticelli:


This piece is mostly famous for being a very prominently pagan subject, painted in a time where only religious themes were really condoned (14??).

I also got some good shots of the Ponte Vecchio (the bridge with all the little buildings on it.) This was the only bridge in Florence that was not bombed by the Germans during WWII. The top portion with the row of square windows is a passageway that spanned from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Pallazzo Piti, a way for the Medici family to get from work to home without having to walk among the riff-raff.


And to give you some perspective, here is the dome of the Duomo and the tower of the Pallazzo Vecchio from the Uffizi:


I also unexpectedly happened upon Dante's house while trying to find a grocery store, so here's that:


And that's all for my sight-seeing of Florence. I missed a few things which I would recommend you see if you visit Florence: La Specola, an 18th century museum devoted to the study of anatomy. If you are familiar with the "Bodies" exhibit, where there are actual preserved human bodies on display, this is something similar, only made of wax. And incorrect in many instances. Originally intended for scientific education, it is now more a museum of the history of medical and scientific knowledge. Also visit the Mercato Centrale, a food market housed in a huge iron building. It's kind of like a farmer's market.

Having all my touristing and packing done for the semester, we dressed up for our end-of-year ball at La Pietra, the largest of the five villas on our beautiful campus:




Lemon trees lined the garden, a tradition that has been going on for centuries that NYU still continues:


And a nice dinner was set out for us:


At the end of the evening, I shot one last picture of the villa:


My suitemates and I had one last fun evening together before we all grabbed taxis to the airport. We made "tipsy fruit fondue," where you soak delicious fruit in champagne, then dip it in chocolate fondue:


Yum! And then I headed back to New York. And as depressing as it was to leave Florence behind, I cannot tell you how happy I was to see processed American cheese and cherry seven-up. Ciao, Florence!