Hello yet again! As promised, I’m not slacking on my coverage of my trip in Florence. After getting my bearings the first day, it was time to start and take things seriously, which involved visiting the two largest churches in town: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as the Duomo) and the Basilica of Santa Croce.
I started off with the biggest one, the Duomo. This visit had a lot of attractions. There is a large bell tower, a baptistry, an archaeological site beneath the cathedral, access to the top of the cathedral’s dome, and even a pretty extensive museum next to it. All in all, this singular visit took me the whole day. The first thing I noticed was the color. Unlike most churches I have seen in France (and especially in Paris) whose exteriors, though decorated with lots of accents and engravings, are relatively colorless and grey. The Duomo, however, was full of bright whites, striking cyans, and accents of red. It really shocked me when I first arrived.
First up, I went to the bell tower. This was a much more interesting experience. It loomed high and mighty over the surroundings only being matched in height by the top of the dome. Unfortunately, in order to actually get to the top, you have to walk up over 400 steps, in a very, very narrow staircase. However, once you get to the top, you are met with an incredible view of both Florence and the Duomo itself. Next was the archeological dig. See, the duomo is not the only cathedral to have been constructed in its location. Back in the time of the Romans, they had built a temple dedicated to their gods. After the fall of the western Roman empire, the temple resumed use as an early christian church, before being enlarged over the course of the centuries. Eventually, it was demolished in order to make room for the modern-day duomo in the 13th century. The actual cathedral, however, is unfortunately a repeat of Sacré-Coeur. The outside is stunning while the inside is very bland and empty. It does score extra points though, since it has what is probably the largest piece of ceiling art I have ever seen. It’s seriously impressive how they were able to not only build a massive dome, but paint the entire thing in immaculate detail, all in the 13th-14th century. Despite the relatively empty interior, I still highly rate the visit. However, if any of you are interested in going in the future, make sure to book your tickets in advance! Access to the cathedral itself is free, but to access the tower, dome, etc. requires a special ticket, which goes out of stock very quickly.
The next day was my visit to the Basilica of Santa Croce. Unlike the Duomo, this one had a really special interior, since it hosted countless graves and tombs on its walls and floor. Most notably, it houses the graves of Michaelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, among many others. The tombs were all sumptuously decorated, and even the smaller graves on the floor were ornate, though heavily worn down by people walking over them. It was an interesting feeling to be walking in the same space as hundreds of entombed people, especially those of such high historical standing. The back of the basilica is decorated with majestic gothic paintings, as well as multiple large stained-glass windows. Additionally, there is also a monastery attached to the side of the basilica. The weather was also looking up that day, so it was very nice to walk around in and appreciate the scenery.
Well, I’ve certainly gone on a rather long rant about churches! I hope I haven’t put you all to sleep. In the meantime, stay tuned for my next post! Florence still has so much to offer!
