Where the Bodies are Buried . . . Or Not

Not Photoshopped, Just Awesome Timing
Basilica di Santa Croce, Florence, Italy

Our final sight in Florence was the Basilica di Santa Croce, or Holy Cross Basilica. The draw of this church was the vast quantity of influential Florentines buried inside. There are monuments to Dante, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo to name a few. But wait, monuments aren’t bodies. Dante has large detailed monuments both inside and outside the church, but he is actually buried in Ravenna. Dante was in exile when he died, so he wasn’t buried in his home city. Florence seems to have realized its mistake in exiling Dante though, because they tried numerous times to retrieve his remains. However, Ravenna went to great lengths to protect them, even hiding them at one point. Eventually Florence gave up this pursuit, but built Dante a tomb anyway. It’s empty and probably always will be.

Dante, the one that got away

It's all a LIE!

 Side note about exiling: the first time I read Romeo and Juliet I thought it was really strange that they banished Romeo, and that he was losing his mind over. I thought to myself, who banishes someone? Really? Banished? But apparently, there is historical evidence of this actually happening. If Dante were ever to return to Florence, he would have been burnt at the stake. Also, when he was exiled, all his assets were seized, so it may have been difficult to start a new life. Still, exiling and banishment are interesting punishments. I wonder why they didn’t survive.

. . . but we all know who the Golden Child is.

Yeah, Machiavelli was all right . . . .

Back to Santa Croce, and their monuments . . . Florence clearly used these monuments to display the perceived importance of the deceased. Comparing Michelangelo to Machiavelli leaves poor Niccolo looking like a red headed step child.

Don't get burnt

Also scattered around the basilica are seemingly unmarked tombs in the floor. These have been here for centuries and their words have been rubbed off by countless generations of careless feet. Personally, I try not to walk on any graves (inside or out) because I was taught that doing so would be disrespectful. Attempting this in Santa Croce was like playing “the floor is lava” game. Several times we ended up boxed in and had to retrace our steps.

The Cloisters

In addition to the tombs and monuments the church is adorned with art from many of the masters, including the purple turtle namesake, Donatello. Outside and immediately adjacent to the basilica are the former cloisters of the monks. These walkways still retain the peace and serenity of their previous intention. Sitting there among the columned park was a lovely way to wind down and meditate on a hectic day Florence.



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Santa Croce Basilica

Florence City Card We weren't in the city long enough to get full use out of the card, but if you are staying more than a few hours, city cards are usually worth buying

The (On) Foot Clan

It was too big to fit into a single photo, so I spliced 6 together
to achieve the Firenze Duomo Facade

We spent the rest of our day in Florence wandering around on foot. Our first stop after lunch was the impressive Duomo, the 3^rd largest cathedral in the world, its façade of white and green marble very domineering. The entire building, but especially the dome, is a feat of architectural innovation. The dome, often called Brunelleschi’s dome, is actually composed of two domes with a hollow space between them for ascension. It is the largest masonry dome ever constructed. Inside the cathedral seems even larger, perhaps because it is so sparsely decorated. The lack of art stems from a call for asceticism by religious leaders at the time, and from the removal of many of the pieces to the Museo dell’ Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore.  Nevertheless, art remains, especially in the frescos of the dome. If you are so inclined, you can climb the 500+ ladder-like steps to the top of the dome for €8 each. Having experienced the vertigo associated with the climbing of tight renaissance steps many times already on this trip, we did not pay the €16, and satisfied ourselves with the views from Piazzale Michelangelo, and from the ground.

Interior of Brunelleschi's Dome

Next stop after the Duomo was the Uffizi museum. Just a reminder, tickets for the Uffizi, like the Galleria, are best purchased ahead of time. The Uffizi building was commissioned by the first Medici, Cosimo I, to house the offices (Uffizi) of the government. Comsimo’s successor, Francesco I began using the passageways in the newly finished Uffizi as areas to house ancient sculpture. He also commissioned the Tribuna, a domed room in the midst of the Uffizi to house the Medici treasures. When we visited, much of the first floor was under construction to expand the gallery. This gallery is colossal in size and scope. So many artists are displayed here in the labyrinth of rooms. Like the Galleria, the Uffizi does not allow picture taking, but they too have a virtual tour of the exhibits online. There is an entire room of Boticelli, with many familiar paintings. It’s always wonderful to see in real life the paintings you’ve only seen previously in books.  We saw works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and Rafaello. Donatello kept guard outside, rounding out all the turtles. We were ready to take on any members of the Foot who dared to challenge us. None did. I guess there is too much namesake influence for them to gain a stronghold in Florence.

Exiting the Uffizi led us back into Piazza della Signoria with its Loggia dei Lanzi. In front of the Palazzo Vecchio, or town hall, is the 4^th David statue of the trip; this is where the original stood. One side of the square is taken up by the Loggia, a pavilion housing sculpture and previously used for state ceremonies. There is also a fountain of Neptune on the other side of the square. The whole area is like a public, outdoor, sculpture gallery. We enjoyed passing by the fountain of Neptune on our way to the Basilica di Santa Croce, or Holy Cross Cathedral. 

David #4 Outside the Palazzo Vecchio

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Uffizi Gallery

Piazza della Signoria This site has lots of information about many sights in Florence

Duomo Cathedral Museum

Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore Website If you leave this site in its original Italian and let google translate it for you, there will be more information provided

Florence City Card We weren't in the city long enough to get full use out of the card, but if you are staying more than a few hours, city cards are usually worth buying

Galleria dell’ Academia or David's Home

Let me just say that the real David lived up to the hype. It truly is a masterpiece carved flawlessly out of a single piece of Carrara marble. This statue is truly awe inspiring, and it was as imagined, unlike the Mona Lisa. Before Michelangelo got a hold of it, the block of marble was sitting in a field, destiny unfulfilled, partially carved and abandoned by Agostina di Duccio. At age 26, Michelangelo began the project, and he finished two years later. When completed, the statue was established in the Piazza della Signoria outside the Palazzo Vecchio. David remained in this square for 369 years before being relocated indoors to the Galleria dell’ Academia, where it rests today. Our second David sighting in Florence.

David stands on an elevated plinth, so the crowd of people around his feet was not actually part of the viewing experience once you lifted your eyes. He holds court at the end of a long hallway lined with other works by Michelangelo that appear unfinished. These are called the prisoners, as they have not yet been liberated from the marble. They almost look as though they are being put into the stone, not being drawn from it. Think Han Solo in the carbonite. I found these captives more beautiful in a way. Each stroke of the chisel is evident, and the David seems more glorious once you have considered the works in progress. Unfortunately, the Florence museums have a no photographs policy, so we were unable to capture permanently the beauty before us. Perhaps they should institute a photography permit like Prague Castle. As one of the guys in our group pointed out, David sat outside for hundreds of years; photos probably aren’t going to hurt him. Luckily, for everyone not in the planning stages of a Florence vacation, the museums have virtual tours, allowing distant visitors to see the artwork for themselves. On our way out of the museum we passed through a gift shop with a courtyard. In the courtyard was the 3^rd David of the day. This one was more modern, and painted. The body was pink, and all the hair was blonde. The carpet matched the drapes, if you take my meaning. It was quite a sight. 

After basking in all the glory that is David, we decided to grab some lunch. Passing observation, Italians eat lunch much later than Americans do. After having breakfast at 6-7am, come noon, we are ready for some lunch, but in Italy, they tend not to eat until 1 or 2pm. When on a tour with a guide, this makes those last hours tortuous as you stomach rumbles every time you pass a café, but when alone, you can eat lunch a little early, which we did. We had wandered into Piazza della Repubblica, and now all we had to do was settle on a venue. I was in the mood for some aglio e olio. As Joe pointed out, this is peasant food, and we would be unlikely to find a place that would serve it to us. We did however find one, and the maître de was very enthusiastic about our decision to eat at his restaurant. Apparently all the maître des have contests to see who can draw in the most business, and at noon on Friday, he won. We sat outside and had a lovely view of the square around us. We had a nice glass of Pinot Grigio and, as expected, delicious pasta. Unknown to us at the time, this square was the site of the old Roman forum. It was also home to a ghetto before being restructured during the same risanamento, or rebirth, that brought to life the Piazzale de Michelangelo. It was during this time that an arch was added to the square in the French tradition. The demolition of the Piazza during the rebirth was highly controversial, and many felt that in doing so, Florence was abandoning its roots.

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Informative guide about the Piazza della Repubblica 

Florence Museums Official Website

Online Ticketing for Florence Museums

Florence Tourism Website

Virtual Tours of Florence Museums

Florence City Card We weren't in the city long enough to get full use out of the card, but if you are staying more than a few hours, city cards are usually worth buying

Florence City of Art

The list in the binder for Florence was very long. As usual we would not be able to do everything on the list. We narrowed it down to 5 things, and we knew even that would be a stretch. There are tons of museums in Florence—Gucci, Galileo, Dante, Cathedrals, Medici, Uffizi, and the Galleria dell' Academia. We selected the Galleria to see the David and the Uffizi to see every artist ever (or so it seemed). Also on our list were the Basilica di Santa Croce, the Duomo, and the Ponte Vecchio.

The biggest obstacles we faced in completing our list were the museums, as we didn’t have advance tickets. I’d read “horror” stories about people waiting in line for hours to get in, and I had memories of that line we jumped at the Louvre. I wanted to buy advance tickets, but we were on a scheduled group tour, and I was unsure how much free time we would have, and where it would fall in the course of the day. Even though we didn’t book advance tickets, every travel site recommends buying before you arrive.  There are lots of websites claiming to sell tickets in advance and offering deals to get your purchase. Ignore them. There is only one official museum site  and only tickets sold by them will be accepted. There will be a booking fee of €4 for using the online service. Now, it’s possible the tickets bought from other online retailers will work, but I don’t think it’s work the risk. If they don’t work you’ll have spent money on a fraudulent ticket, and you’ll have to wait in a long line to get a legitimate one. That said, the day we showed up there was no line at the Galleria. We walked right in. This is a rarity, and I believe it occurred because we were traveling in the off-season, and over Thanksgiving. The Italians may not celebrate it, but all the Americans do, and therefore fewer will be traveling that week in November.

View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

The First David we Encountered

When we seized the opportunity to see the David, we opted to leave our tour group and guide behind. We had just picked her up an hour before, right after arriving in Florence. During the brief time we spent with her, she seemed knowledgeable and friendly. In fact, she encouraged those of us who wanted to see the David to break with the group immediately, because no lines never happens. Her first act of guidance was to direct the bus back across the river from the city and up a hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo, where we could see the entirety of the city laid out below us. The Piazzale Michelangelo is park atop the hill, built in the late 19^th century during Florence’s “rebirth” and it offers panoramic views of the city, as well as reproductions of some of Michelangelo’s works. Here we saw our first David of the day. He was a 15 foot tall, naked, green (due to the Patina on the bronze) replica. We didn’t know it at the time, but tall, naked men were to become the theme of our day.

 The prevalence of nudity in Florence is actually a topic we discussed at length over dinner, with other members of our tour group. If, in the present day, you were to have a statue commissioned of a naked man, Biblical or otherwise, would a city display it prominently? Most US cities have generals on horseback around town, but I don’t remember too many guys in the buff. Furthermore, what would people say if you put such a statue in your home or place of business? It is interesting to observe how times have changed, and to wonder where the line is. What is a masterpiece and what is crass? 

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Museums of Florence

Online Ticketing for Museums of Florence
Florence City Card We weren't in the city long enough to get full use out of the card, but if you are staying more than a few hours, city cards are usually worth buying

Inside the Castle Mount

Prince Carlo's Shield

After a near vertical climb up a final hill, we reached the town of Montecarlo. Montecarlo means Carlo’s mount. The fortress is built into the side of the hill and was commissioned by Prince Carlo IV before he became Holy Roman Emperor. Carlo’s shield is on the fortress, but it lacks a crown because at the time, he was not yet King. At the time, it was common to translate the names of the leaders. Therefore, the man is Prince Carlo in Italian, Karl in German, Karel in Czech, Charles in English, Carlos in Spanish, and Carl in French. Family trees can become confusing easily with all the intermarriages, translations, and successors. We found it interesting that man so famous in Prague had roots in rural Italy. In Prague, Charles lends his name to many monuments, including the Charles Bridge, connecting the two parts of the city. He also spearheaded the construction of Prague Castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral.

                                                       

Montecarlo Fortress

Inside we received a tour of the fortress by the owner himself, a former Nato employee, and now retired Admiral, Walter. How does one come to own a castle fortress? Well around the turn of the 20^th century, Walter’s, wife’s grandfather purchased it with the intent to restore it to its former glory. The renovations are ongoing, and funds from visitors help to purchase authentic, period materials. Walter related to us a story of a particularly interesting renovation. He was chiseling away a concrete wall because it was dilapidated and needed to be rebuilt, when he heard a hollow sound beneath his chisel. He continued to hammer away until he found a space behind the wall. It was an area for housing guns, with a hole in the outer wall for shooting. The hole had a small panel over it, and it was closed. He removed the panel and then found himself in his neighbor’s bedroom! When that gun hole had originally been built, the house next door was only one story, and the guns would be fired over the house.

Courtyard inside the Montecarlo Fortress

The fortress is actually composed of two sections, a more ancient one, and a modern one. The modern section was completed in the 1500s, so I use the word modern here a bit loosely. The fortress and gardens are very beautiful, and it’s easy to believe that people would want to use the area as a wedding venue. We were also able to climb the towers and walk the ramparts of the fortress, affording us an excellent view of the town of Montecarlo and the surrounding Tuscan valleys. Walter was an amiable guide, and the love he feels for his home is evident. In one of the rooms he sells small souvenirs, such as little recipe books and paintings. I bought the only 3 books in English, and am now the proud owner of The Use of Garlic in Tuscan Cookery, A Taste of Tuscany, and Cooking with Olive Oil. These books are small, about 4 by 6 inches, and contain not only recipes, but also information about the area and the ingredients. At €4.50 each, they were a steal, and now I can cook authentic meals at home.

Montecarlo Wine

After our tour of the fortress ended, we walked to a nearby farm for lunch. This farm really specialized in a single crop, grapes. Yes, Fattoria Torre was a vineyard, and we participated in a wine tasting during our meal. We were supposed to tour the farm before lunch, but we arrived well after 2 o’clock, and as we were behind schedule, we had to skip the tour of the vineyards, and dive right into the delicious food. The meal was multi-coursed, starting with hors d’oeurves of olives, breads, and sliced meat and cheeses. We were served 3 pours of wine, and then received our pasta entrée. Following this, we received a round of dessert wine. This wine was very strong, like any after dinner drink. They served it with anise biscotti, and indicated that we should dip it in the wine. I preferred to sip it instead, as I felt that the biscotti weren’t imbibed with as much flavor. The meal and drinks were very satisfying, and when we finished our meal, we were able to buy the wines we had experienced.

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Montecarlo Fortress
Fattoria Torre
Prague Pictures
Prague Castle

Hiking to Montecarlo

Montecarlo is a community close to the city of Lucca and to our hotel. It should not be confused with the gambling haven in Monaco, France. If you google Montecarlo, Italy, the internet will inform you that Montecarlo is a commune. This does not mean commune the way it does in English; something is lost in translation. The village has a walled fortress as one of its attractions, and it was to there our guide led us.

Friendly Farmer Harvesting Olives

                      

As you can probably infer from the name, Montecarlo is a hilltop community, so most of our 6km hike was uphill. We left the hotel, jumped a chain on a blocked off road, and proceeded through the woods toward our destination.

Along the way, we passed several olive groves in the midst of being harvested by the local farmers. Each tree is handpicked by farmers on step ladders, and for the best tasting oil, they must be pressed with 3 days after harvest. But I will explore all the intricacies of olive farming later. However, it is important to note there were many piles of olive boughs piled up along the trail. I picked up and olive branch and extended it to Joe, but he took it and smacked me with it. Not quite the peaceful proceeding it was supposed to be.

The Hanging Tree

We also came upon a gigantic oak tree. It’s several hundred years old, and the branches are so heavy that they must be supported by posts. This tree also has a claim to fame as the hanging tree in Pinocchio and as a hanging tree for witches. If you find yourself confused by this reference, that’s ok, I was too. Apparently, in the orginial text of Pinocchio a Cat and a Fox hang Pinocchio after they rob him, but he won’t die because he is a marionette. I thought the Disney version was a little racy, but from what I can glean, the original is worse. My dislike of Pinocchio aside, it was cool to visit the town of his origin.

Terraced Olive Valley

Our guide was excellent, and he pointed out typical Italian plant life during the hike. In addition to the olive groves we also encountered Cyprus trees and pine nut trees. The latter look just like normal pine trees, but they are the bearers of the delicious pine nut, harvested from the pine cones. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see any nuts in the cones because it was past the prime harvest time of late summer.  We also encountered a tree laden with orange fruits. We mistakenly thought they were peaches, but our guide said no, this tree bears the kaki fruit. Never heard of kaki? How about persimmon? When ripe, this variety of fruit has an inside like pudding, and can be eaten with a spoon. We didn’t get to try any though.

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Italy Pictures!

Montecarlo Homepage

The Adventures of Pinocchio at Wikipedia

About Persimmon Trees