|
The Piazza della Signora was one of our first sights in Florence. I headed for the loggia to see the Perseus holding the head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini. It had been removed for restoration. |
We then headed for the Uffizi. It is one of the world's great treasure houses of painting. Here you see the galleries of the Uffizi on either side of the photo. The tower is of the Palazzo Vecchio. |
Here is another view of the Uffizi. This U shaped building housed the administrative offices of Medici Florence. Galleries are now housed on the top two floors. |
I limited myself to displaying 5 works from the Uffizi collections--the whole museum catalogue is now online. The painting above is the Ognissanti Madonna by Giotto. |
|
Above is the Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci. |
This is the Doni Tondo by Michelangelo. |
Self-portrait by Raphael. |
The Birth of Venus by Botticelli. |
|
This is the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). It is famous for it's jewelry shops and the corridor on top linking the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace. |
A view of the Arno from the Ponte Vecchio. |
The Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) was once the administrative center of Florence. |
The Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio. |
|
View from the Terrace of Saturn in the Palazzo Vecchio. |
Santa Maria del Fiore or the Duomo. The size of this structure is staggering. We sat on the steps in the evening and listened to music played by a street band. |
A closeup of the campanile designed by Giotto. |
Our second day in Florence began with a visit to the Galleria dell'Accademia. In addition to an impressive collection of paintings, it houses the largest single collection of sculpture by Michelangelo. Above is his David. |
|
Our next stop was the Archeological Museum. In the first room was This bronze Etruscan Chimera restored by Benvenuto Cellini. |
The so-called Francois Vase is one of the highlights of the museum's impressive collection of ancient pottery. |
The National Museum of the Bargello, housed in one of the oldest public buildings in Florence, is primarily a museum of sculpture. |
The collection of the Bargello includes this bronze David by Donatello, and... |
|
this monumental bust of Cosimo de Medici by Benvenuto Cellini, and.. |
this bronze sculpture of David by Verrucchio. |
We often passed the Church of Orsanmichele during our walks through Florence. The exterior is decorated with statues by Ghiberti and Donatello. |
These are the gilded bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti that Michelangelo called the "Gates of Paradise." They adorn the Baptistry of the Duomo. |
