Palace of Parte Guelfa, Baptistery Doors, Duomo

It seems when you're in Florence every weekend, even surrounded by gorgeous architecture and lively culture, you can somehow run out of things to say? I guess I should mention I have really liked how they've cut off cars from entering the area around the Duomo though. Personally, I actually think that more areas should just be pedestrian only (not just in Florence, but everywhere, even Seattle). There's so much that's missed by getting place to place by car: the smells in the air, the sounds of the things around you, the temperature on that specific day. I will admit, a lot more people in Florence walk than people in Seattle. It's funny how my friends will ask me why I don't drive to the grocery store (my answer: it's less than a mile!). But I do think I appreciate walking at home more than here because 1. not as many people do it and 2. there's not quite as much hustle and bustle. To Italy's benefit, I'm sure it's much more quiet outside the city walls and people do take advantage of walking as a therapeutic exercise there. I guess just in my own experience, it's not quite as relaxing here.


Speaking of the Duomo, this week's tour went to the very place! I think my favorite part was getting to watch the video on how it came to be. Even the most artistic minds sometimes have a hard time imagining what a city looked like back then. So when we watched the video, it put me in a good mindset on the origins of the Baptistery (begun as a spot for baptizing, of course) and the foundations of the cathedral. In such old cities, you often forget that things developed through a series of reconstructions and remodeling. Once the spot held a small church, which grew bigger and grander, and then grew bigger and grander, all to accommodate a changing populace. Henry James writes on the subject,

"the white walls of Milan must be likened to snow and ice from their base, while those of the Duomo of Florence may be the image of some mighty hillside enamelled with blooming flowers. The big bleak interior here has a naked majesty which, though it may fail of its effect at first, becomes after a while extraordinarily touching. Originally disconcerting, it soon inspired me with a passion. Externally, at any rate, it is one of the loveliest works of man's hands and an overwhelming proof into the bargain that when elegance belittles grandeur you have simply had a bungling artist." (James 563)

Inside of the Duomo hangs a 15th Century Liturgical Clock (whose face was painted by Paolo Uccello) which is still utilized today in orchestrating the ringing of Giotto's Bell Tower. In addition to this, the Duomo boasts frescoes by Uccello, Andrea del Castagno, and Domenico di Michelino. Building aspects of the Duomo have been described in an earlier post.

Something interesting to note, according to Anna Jameson's Sacred and Legendary Art,

"the Duomo at Florence was formerly dedicated to S. Reparata; but about 1298 she appears to have been deposed from her dignity as sole patroness ; the city was placed under the immediate tutelage of the Virgin and S. John the Baptist, and the Church of S. Reparata was dedicated anew; under the title of Santa Maria del Fiore." (Jameson 79)

Bibliography

James, Henry. Collected travel writings: the continent. Library of America, 1993.

Jameson, Anna. Sacred and Legendary Art. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1850.