Hello everyone! Yet again, I am back with more stories from my trip in Florence! This time, I wanted to focus on the arts that Florence is home to. Paintings and sculptures from all throughout time call Florence their home.
The premier stop for all art in Florence is the famous Uffizi Galleries. It is absolutely chock-full of almost all time periods of art, from old Roman era busts to medieval panel paintings to Renaissance canvases and even baroque sculptures. The gallery starts out at the beginning, showcasing a chronological timeline of roman sculpture, and more specifically of busts of Roman emperors. All the way from Julius Caesar (though he was not an emperor) all the way to figures such as Septimus Severus or Caracalla, the gallery hosts an impressive collection of Roman statues. Unfortunately, however, not many of them are completely antique. Many have had restoration done during the Renaissance or after, often quite extensive. Afterwards, the gallery leads into the medieval section which is dominated by panel paintings such as triptychs. The contrast between the snow-white, extremely lifelike roman statues to the gilded, more simplistic medieval paintings was a very interesting contrast. Then, the Renaissance happened, and paintings slowly evolved to become more and more realistic, both in backdrop and anatomy. A great example of this is the Birth of Venus. Though it has not yet reached the level of expressiveness and likeness of later paintings, it still shows the increased focus on natural settings, the human form, and the movement of the subjects. Lastly, the baroque style took hold, with the utmost detail given to the dynamic movement of subjects, both in painting and sculpture, and anatomical accuracy reaching its peak. Seeing the slow evolution of art over time was a very cool experience.
Right next to the Uffizi Galleries is another big art museum: the Palazzo Vecchio. This castle, once belonging to the Medici family, the rulers of Florence, is full of all kinds of art. The most impressive type that it boasts is its vast amount of ceiling and wall art. Almost every room has some kind of painting on the ceiling, most often inspired by Greek mythology. My favorite had got to be the central chamber, as it was absolutely colossal, boasting 6 massive wall paintings as well as countless smaller works on the ceiling. The wall paintings all represent different important battles in the history of Florence, often against different Italian city states. Lastly, there is the Galleria dell’Accademia. This last one had a bit of everything in it: medieval triptychs, baroque sculptures made of plaster, and of course, many Renaissance sculptures including Michaelangelo’s David. Speaking of the David, it has got to be not only the largest sculpture I’ve ever laid eyes on, but also the most beautifully detailed too. The posing, musculature, and gaze of the statue all render it almost more than lifelike, as if it is even more realistic than reality itself. The monumental size only serves to accentuate the extra-realness of the sculpture.
Well, that just about sums up my experience in Florence! In total, I stayed for a week. What was my experience, you may ask? Well, first off, Florence is very walkable. Everything is within a 30 minute walk of each other, meaning it’s very easy to get around. The flip-side of this is that Florence also has almost no public transportation, except for a few buses, but those are often slower than walking due to the narrow roads and traffic. Florence is also super dense, even for a European city. Some roads are so small cars can barely fit through them. However, the denseness also had its advantages. Florence is full of small shops and restaurants, all of which are really fun to stop by and admire. Do be warned, however, that unlike Paris or other big metropolitan cities, there is little fast food or cheap dining options in Florence. Most restaurants are within the 20-30 euro range, so be prepared to spend quite a bit if you plan on eating out. Florence is in Tuscany, however,which is famed for its cuisine, so that money is almost always worth it.
Well, now it’s off to somewhere different! I still have one more week of vacation till final exams, and I intend to make the most out of it. Now, as for where I am going next, I will let you know in my next post!
