Sometimes, when you say things out loud, they happen.
“From your lips to Gods’ ears” as they say.
So I’m putting it out there.
I want to hang out in Italy.
Watching the wonderful Kevin McCloud on the fab series Kevin McCloud’s Grand Tour awakened pangs I’d long forgotten.
There is something incredibly seductive about Italy, and my particular favourite, Florence.
Florence with the Duomo and the Campanile dominating
I don’t know if it’s the colour of the stone, the blues of the sky, the orgy of classicism – art, architecture, the imprints left by the Medicis, by Michelangelo, by Brunelleschi – but the whole place just wraps you in a blanket of sensuality.
In an ideal world, you’d visit off-season, mid-Spring or mid-Autumn, stay in a delicious little pensione, and give yourself the luxury of just kicking back and exploring the city for 5 days. The weather won’t have turned to hot yet, but in the sun you’re warm enough. The city is busy, but not with the hordes that descend in the summer.
The best thing about Florence is that all the major sites are within walking distance. I’m guessing in the mid 16th century that was still the best way to get around ; )
No tour buses, no guides with flags. All you need is a little bit of reading before to familiarise yourself with the history, and time to stop, stare, absorb and just gaze. Do a bit of research before (with the internet, you don’t need a guidebook) then just show up and TAKE IT ALL IN!
You do not have to be an art lover, an architecture student, an Italian speaker, a connoisseur or a classicist to appreciate the magnificence of Florence.
Sit in the Piazza della Signora with a capuccino and people watch. Get up close to Ammanato’s Fountain of Neptune.
an unusually empty Piazza della Signora
Wander round the Palazzo Pitti and imagine the Medici’s living there.
imagine this as your living room (or one of them)
Take a book to the Boboli Gardens and have a quiet couple of hours.
The mid-16th century gardens built for the Medicis. Formally laid out with lovely quiet corners
Spend a couple of hours everyday exploring the Uffizi. I promise you, everyday you’ll see art that will move you. Botticelli, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vince, Michelangelo, Coreggio, Raphael – an amazing collection of Renaissance art.
The Loggia at the Uffizi, by jwallace at flickr
Marvel at the wonder of Renaissance art all around you - sculptures in street corners, statues in churches – beauty is everywhere.
Feel your feet on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). Stop for a moment and think of how many generations have stood before you.
est built AD996
Go and stand under Brunelleschi’s Dome at the Duomo and wonder how he built it.
inside the dome - by Rachel King
Just take it all in.
And of course, pasta, and ice cream.
And when the boys on scooters pinch your butt, don’t get mad, do what I did and yell “Thank you!”
Read Irving Stone’s The Agony and The Ecstasy. It tells the story of Michelangelo’s life, based in Rome and Florence. You get a wonderful flavour of life at the time, and it’s a really good read. For architecture buffs, read Brunelleschi’s Dome – How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King. The dome is still stunning and breathtaking today, but at the time, it was gravity-defying and groundbreaking.
The Venus of Urbino, Titian, at the Uffizi
The Birth of Venus, Botticelli, at the Uffizi
she captivates me...Maria dei Medici, by Bronzino, 1551 at the Uffizi
