Of Art and Florence

It is official, I have become one of those people who you stare at when you go to museums. You know those types: the art students, or wannabe artists, who stand in front of the statues in the Greco-Roman galleries, pensively studying the works of art, lost in their own little world. You walk past them and try to sneak a glance into their sketchbook. Sometimes you admire what they are doing and wish you had that kind of skill…and other times you just shake your head and walk away. I hope I was the former, though from what I heard of the people around me while in Florence, the reception was not that bad, even quite positive in some cases (including the lady who gave me a thumbs up when she saw my sketch of "Perseus").

Which leads me to Part II of my Grande Tour, Florence, the city for the artist.

Florence, or Firenze

To my surprise, Florence ended up being the city where I felt the most connection to in Italy, mostly in terms of the art. After all, the city that gave birth to the Renaissance, to Michelangelo, Giotto, Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci is bound to be filled to the brim with art. And I was not disappointed. I had not thought that I would love it as much as I did, maybe because I had always been partial to Venice when studying art history (it's the gondolas). Yet, Florence exceeded my expectations and I attribute it mostly to the art, so excuse me while I gush about it.

The Piazza della Signatora - "On a central square, in a city made of statues and stories..."

My favorite place in the city ended up being the Loggia dei Lanzi, with its multitudes of original Baroque sculptures, all looking out at the Piazza della Signatora, the Palazzo Vechio (city hall and the original site of Michelangelo's "David"), and the Uffizi Gallery (the mecca of Italian Renaissance art and the site of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus"), I found myself screaming in excitement at seeing the Loggia for the first time. There was so much beauty and art to entertain in such a small area, it was almost overwhelming. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to take out my sketchbook, to pretend that I was an art student of the 19th century, going to Italy to learn about art, to live in it and breathe it.

My rendition of Michelangelo's "David," located in the Academia, and standing at 16 ft tall (in actuality, for the most perfect human being, his head and hands are too big for his body and his arms too long).

Being able to draw in the Loggia, standing in the Florentine sunlight, feeling the wind rustle against my skin and the sounds of the Piazza, there was nowhere else I wanted to be at that moment. As I was standing there, drawing my version of the "David," (ironically located at the Academia, in an obscure sidestreet) not caring about the people walking past me and what they thought, I realized that I had never felt at one with myself and centered in my element. It was a peaceful feeling, almost as if nothing existed except me and the paper. You know you’re an artist when you are looking at a person and instead of seeing them as they appear to be (or even hearing them), you see the shadows on their face and the color gradations in their skin. I think I may finally be getting to that point…and I like it.

Not to mention that as I was drawing in the Loggia ("Perseus"), the woman next to me looked at the statue, my sketch, and gave me a curt nod. How is that for validation?

The view of the Uffizi Gallery from across the river

The artistic mood was also helped since the days in Florence were the most beautiful in terms of the time spent in Italy. The sun shone clear and warm, amidst a light breeze, and for one brief moment, I felt as if I was back home in California, basking in the winter light. The first day we climbed to the Piazza Michelangelo (which functions as a car park on the way out of Florence, with a copy of David in the middle) and treated with a breathtaking view of the sunset over the city, along with a panoramic sight of Tuscany's rolling hills.

The view from the Palazzo Michelangelo..."Like a beacon coming out of the dark"

If you want to save money at the Duomo (aka, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which also offers a wonderful view of the city) but still want a delightful view of Florence, the Piazza Michelangelo is the place to go (though the Duomo is still a beautiful cathedral to visit). It is no wonder that so much inspiration for art, culture, and philosophy came from such a city. Looking at Firenze at dusk, bathed in golden light underneath an overhang of lavender and orange clouds, the air was full of poetry and possibilities.

The ceiling of the Santa Maria del Fiore, which is commonly known as the Duomo

The time spent in Florence seemed to be filled to the brim with looking at art, admiring art, or walking along to find more art to admire. For the art historian in me, Florence equaled Paris in its artistic splendor with the main difference being the lack of large car-filled boulevards and crepes. No matter, I had gelato and the Masters to keep me company. Not to mention that I also had sticker shock since Florence seemed inexpensive in comparison to non-budget friendly Venice. I now have another favorite city in the world, one where I cannot wait to someday return and fully study and fully render on paper.

"Now I see it...the light in the piazza"

Tips:

• Florence is the place for cheap souvenirs, especially leather goods, silk and cashmere scarves, and ties (all for under 20 euros, you can easily find silk scarves here for 5 euros). Look for the open stands near the Medici chapel.
  
• A number of museums and churches, such as the Uffizi Gallery, Academia, and the Medici tombs, do not let you take photographs. The solution, just enjoy what you are looking at and make a note to look it up on Wiki later.
• To save money on lunches, go to a snack bar (they have them all around Italy though Florence tended to be the cheapest in my opinion) and get a slice of pizza to go. For 5 euros at the most, you get a gargantuan, wonderfully oily piece of pizza that you can carry with you as you stoll along the piazza.
• Unless you want to wait an hour or two for the Uffizi Gallery (which houses the most impressive collection of Italian Renaissance art in Europe), reserve a ticket in advance. It's only 4 euros more and you save a large amount of time, which can later be spent exploring the city.
• "prego" is a multipurpose word, used for "you welcome," "please," "thanks" and many other fun options. When in doubt as to how to respond to an Italian statement, just say "Prego!"
  

Florence: the photo album