Okay. So in Florence we had about the same amount of time but it felt like we spent weeks in Florence as opposed to the day it was
We were pretty centrally located so we got a head start and walked over the bridge to first check out a museum we’d read about in Rick Steves but the name is escaping me right now!
Despite the name mystery I thought it was great! After being in Rome for so long and seeing all the sculptures I would have thought I could get tired of them but I’m not sure it will ever cease to amaze me the sheer amount of work that went into sculpting the marble. This place had tons of unique work – ranging from sculptures to religious relics to tapestries. Not to mention the courtyard was hundreds of years old, so that was pretty nifty.
Afterward Kara and I set out toward the general direction of the famous Duomo. Along the way we saw a church so we went to go in but unfortunately it was closed. However it was super cool because in my survey of art and architecture class we were learning about the courtyards called cloisters and I recognized it right outside the church! So hey, education really does add value to a person’s experience. Who’d have thunk it?
For real this time we set out for the Duomo and lucked out with the line situation. We were ushered in pretty quickly and sweet baby Jesus. Wow. Again, I’m terrified for the day I don’t find beauty as remarkable as I once did, but luckily I haven’t reached that point. I was floored when I saw the dome in the Duomo. In fact I was so enthralled by the fresco that I plopped myself down on the floor with my headphones in, rocking out to some Christian music, and marveling at the painting above me. I definitely got a few strange looks but I could. Not. Stop. Looking.
I think the most captivating element of the painting was how heaven, earth, and hell were depicted. It was a painting of the last judgment so you had the laypeople standing amongst the angels and heaven looks to be open to the people below. While the upper part of the painting was stunning, with bright colors and facial expressions of hope there was such a stark contrast between that scene when compared to the bottom part of the fresco. Hell was depicted as a fiery pit and had demons pulling men down into the bowels of hell and once there the men were standing naked, cowering in corners and just generally looking miserable.
I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen something so visually stimulating and to be honest I was surprised by the harshness of hell painted in a church. Definitely would go back just to sit on that floor again and stare up at the dome.
Alright. Moving on.
After we did the Duomo we headed over to another basilica and the Medici family tombs. One of my favorite parts of this tomb was that they provided a space for Raphael to be buried. I love, love, loved the fact that the Medicis, a very powerful banking family unit, recognized the value of art while the artist was still alive. Head Medici dude wrote on Raphael’s tomb: “Here lies Raphael by whom nature feared to be outdone while he lived, and when he died feared that she herself would die.”
I so admired the fact that an artisan befriended a banker (highly unusual at the time for such intimacy I believe) and I wish we could go back to this genuine appreciation for the arts.
After we visited the tombs we headed next door to the basilica. I think my favorite part of the whole place was in the chapel where we saw a crucifix. I’m not sure what it is with these depictions of the crucifix but I really enjoy every artist’s interpretation of the scene.
In this particular chapel the crucifix was a harsh reality of the time. Rather than making Jesus a hero who openly embraced death, he was shown as a weak man with no muscle definition and the wounds on his feet were openly bleeding. Definitely one of the more jarring things I’ve seen here.
On our way back we decided to stop at this photography exhibit called Hereros. It was spontaneous trip and I’m so happy we went! I didn’t want to take any pictures once I was in there because I wasn’t sure what the rules were but GOOGLE THIS EXHIBIT. It was stunning.
The culture was beyond different as far as economics, customs, politics, and everything else – But the women were crazy strong and the photographer did an amazing job of capturing the relationships between the women and children and between men and women. At the end of the exhibit the photographer wrote that he hoped through his photographs we would realize that despite the cultural barriers, one society cannot rank higher than another. At the end of the day the ties that bring us together in “modern” society are likely the ties that bring people together in all cultures. Pretty cool.
As kara and I began walking back that whole walk-run-sit ratio started to get a little too off balance. I was irate with the pace and Kara was irate with my money handling so we had a sister spat and we had a temporary break up! We parted ways (in a huff, of course) and I headed down to a little beach I found right off the side of the river. I sat there for a little while and enjoyed the sights. However as I was sitting there reading my self help book (9 Minutes on Monday if anyone wanted a good management book) it said I should have an emotional investment in my employees. And I figured if I could have an emotional connection with my employees I should probably start having one with my sister.
So I went off to find her and found her atop this Piazza looking out over all of Florence! I tapped her on the shoulder, gave her the nod, and said “Hey. I’ve been reading some self help.” She got a little squinty and said. “Hey. I’ve been reading the bible.” And then asked “Is it time for some alcohol?”
And that was the Halfaker way! We made up for it with some wine as we overlooked the Tuscan sunset and then that night we went for round 2 with the wine and found the most spectacular pizza and called it a night!
Venice and Florence go down as a success in my book. I’m super glad I was able to travel with sister, despite our traveling differences, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!
Running in Rome 
