Tour of Florence

On Sunday, we went on a tour of Florence. For those that don't know, Florence was one of the most influential cities during the Renaissance, and so it is filled with amazing structures and beautifully done statues. The tour was led by Holly, another person who is working for CET Academic Studies. Randall and Professor Cooperman also added their insight on what we were seeing on the tour.

We started off between the Duomo and the Baptistery. The Duomo is a huge cathedral, taking about 150 years to build. The cathedral is in the shape of a cross, and has a giant dome on the top that was built by Brunelesschi. Across from the entrance of the Duomo are the Baptistery Doors. These bronze doors are also referred to as the "Gates of Paradise", a name made famous by Michaelangelo. On these doors are 10 panels reflecting different stories from the Torah (Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Esau, etc.).

From the Piazza Del Duomo, we went to the Piazza della Repubblica. During the Roman Empire, this was where the town's forum was. Here, we also saw where the Jewish Ghetto once stood. Then we went over to the Piazza della Signoria, Florence's political center. This is where the Uffizi Gallery is, along with varius statues. Statues include Donatello's "Judith", Michaelangelo's "David", "Fountain of Neptune", and others.

We then made our way to the Ponte Vecchio (Italian for "Old Bridge"). It was built in stone in 1345, and was the only bridge to make it through World War II. It is one of two bridges that have shops on the bridge, the other being in Bath, England (where I also visited). It is also believed to be where the concept of Bankruptcy began.

After we crossed the bridge, we walked outside the remains of the city wall up a huge hill (it puts "Big Bertha" at the old Franklin HS to shame). This led to the Piazzale Michaelangelo, which gave a breathtaking view of the city and the Tuscan hills.

That was the end of the tour. I'm glad we got to see the sites in the beginning of the trip, so I can now begin to focus on things other than what the casual tourist comes to see.