Recent Research/Travel
During July 2000, my family and I visited friends at the Villa Reale, outside of Lucca, Italy, the home of Napoleon's sister and a tourist site noted for its beautiful gardens. The children stayed with the friends while Louise and I went off to Florence. The gardens we got to eat breakfast with (laid out with full silver and crystal) was with these gardens over which tourists came to enjoy and wonder who those people were at the Villa.
Nice, huh?!
Then we went on to Florence to enjoy the art while the children stayed at the Villa to play with our host's children. Our hotel was right around the corner from the Santa Maria Novella, 14th century church whose upper facade was designed by Leon Battista Alberti c. 1456 using unique design features copied by others. This church is the site of Masaccio's famous Trinity (1426-7). Unfortunately, while I was there, the Trinity was unavailable because of being being restored.
From there, we went on to the famous Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (locally referred to as the Duomo). The Cathedral was started in 1296 and finished in 1436. The facade was added much later. Huge crowds lined up to enter this cathedral. Its most stunning feature is the dome created by innovative techniques by Brunelleschi who found a way to make an unprecedentedly huge dome by a double wall system.
Also attached to the Duomo is the tower called the Campanile
believed to have been designed by Giotto (1266-1337) that has 414 steps to the
top.
In front of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, is the Battistero, built on a 4th to 5th century foundation and being an excellent example of Italian Romanesque of the 11th century. This structure holds the famous doors designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti as well as earlier doors designed by Andreo Pisano in 1330.
It was startling to be walking down a street of Florence and suddenly realize you were at the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, built in 1444 for Cosimo de'Medici. It was the Medicis who patronized so much of the wonderful art of Florence.
There was much more to see and do but this is a sample.
Revised September 28, 2000