Thursday, July 1,
1982
When we arrived
at the Ospedale, this time the Dutch and the Germans were there.
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| della Robbia tondi/roundels at Ospedale degli Innocenti/Foundling Hospital |
Dr. Gidoni
described where the horizontal wheel was located in the foundling hospital,
where babies were dropped off anonymously. We had been through there already,
and there is no wheel at this time, just a painting and barred windows. We had
a slide presentation of equipment (“clinical demo”) and an insulting session
describing archaic physical therapy. During the break the tour group was led
off to see David. Jan and I went in the Santissima
Annunziata/Blessed Annunciation Church (1481), which was full of paintings
and gold flourishes as is typical with the Baroque period. I noticed that in
many churches, a coin offering would light up an electric votive candle (to
decrease smoke pollution?)
We ended after
13:30 and Jan and I headed to the train station to find S Maria Novella
(1246-1360), on the other side of the station. It wouldn’t open until 15:00, so
we sat at a café with drinks and wrote postcards. Finally got in at 15:30 and
saw paintings along the aisles marking chapels and a fresco behind the altar.
We didn’t see anything familiar, so went to the sacristy (now usually a gift
shop) and looked at the postcards to see what we were supposed to see, and
checked a guidebook to see where to find them. We returned to the church to
re-examine the fresco to see the artist Domenico Ghirlandaio’s men looking over
a wall, just a tiny detail of the whole. You could have the fresco lighted by
dropping an offering in a slot. Also a painting of the crucifixion by Masaccio
in the left aisle. The cloisters were closed. Coming out of the church we saw a
beggar, which was not a usual sight for Florence. The façade of S Maria Novella
was covered with scaffolding.
Across the square
was a building (15C by delle Leopoldine) with a loggia similar to the Ospedale,
and it also had the tondi/roundels by
Andrea della Robbia. Saw another beggar on the way to the Duomo/Cathedral. We followed a narrow street with wrought-iron
lamps and each building was unique in design, some with overhanging balconies.
Passed a couple tiny squares the size as if a building went missing. Down
another street we saw a pastry shop, il
Fornaio/the baker, that Jan said had a similar branch in San Francisco.
Across the street was a card shop that was probably a branch of a California
store. Found Via Dell'Isola delle Stinche and the world-famous Vivolo Gelateria
(although I had never heard of it before!) for an ice cream break (melone/melon, ghianduia/chocolate with hazelnut, and panna/cream). As we left, some of the seminar folks arrived. We
waved and continued to San Croce (1294-1442). Inside we weren’t impressed until
we looked up. Painted wood beams, and frescoes in and behind the altar and in
chapels. Some frescoes appeared restored and others had big chunks of plaster
missing. The sacristy contained several large missals with giant print and
music. Next door was the souvenir shop where we examined the postcards. We
passed a Scuola del Cuoio/leather
school in a back room and found the Medici Chapel with Andrea della Robbia’s
“Madonna with Child and Angels.” Returned to the church to take a closer look
at two Giotto chapels to the right of the altar. The Bardi Chapel contained the
fresco of the life of St Francis, and the postcard showed the scene with the
birds in a different position than in situ! We saw our seminar friends again,
and Dr tenBaensel read that the significant features of this church were the
painted wood ceiling, the tiled floor, and the whitewashed walls. It is hard to
believe the basilica was once entirely covered with frescoes and they painted
them over! Also, Michelangelo and Galileo were buried here, and there is a
monument to Dante. We exited the church and paid 500 ITL/35 cents to enter the
cloister to see the Pazzi Chapel with the tondi/roundels
of the twelve apostles by Andrea della Robbia.
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| San Croce Cloister ticket |
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| San Croce Pazzi Chapel |
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| One Bruneschelli roundel and three della Robbia roundels |
Went for a break at the hotel, although Jan spent the time writing a critique of the course. We left at 19:30 to go to one of Jan’s favorite restaurants, Ristorante il Profeta/Prophet (Borgo Ognissanti 93). We arrived in time to get a table before the place filled up. We started with manicotti di quattro formaggi/rolled pastry sheet with four cheeses in a creamy cheese sauce, and tortellini in a tastier cheese sauce. Jan had the vitello alla Vesuviana/veal culet with mozzarella and tomato sauce, and I had vitello alla Campagnola/veal cutlet with a thick tomato-wine sauce, spinach and cheese. Dessert was a scoop of vanilla ice cream with cantalope and raspberries. The bill was 37,500 ITL/$27 including cover and service charges. Near the Profeta a plaque showed the flood level at nose-height, but that was for a flood in the 1800s. Many of the trattorias and even our hotel display photographs of their establishments during the flood of 1966.
Returned to the hotel along the river and I washed my hair while Jan called Kirby.
Friday, July 2, 1982
We left for the seminar at 8:00 and were done at 13:30, but had to get a group picture taken. Jan read her critique of the course and was given three cheers and a pat on the back, but the critique bounced off the backs of those being critiqued.
Jan and I followed Jeanie to a bar for sandwiches and macedonias. Afterwards Jeanie took us to the Palazzo Antinori (wine bar) where her husband works, so we could use the restroom at the Gonzaga University offices.
Jan and I went to the Duomo/Cathedral (1296-1436) and first entered the Baptistery (1059-1128 in Florentine Romanesque style) with its north and east bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti. The interior of the Baptistery dome was done in mosaics and we noted the devil gobbling up people. After that, the Duomo was not very impressive. Went to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo/Museum of the Works of the Cathedral for 1000 ITL/70 cents to see all the things they had removed from the Duomo to protect the items.
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| Museo dell'Opera del Duomo ticket |
Saw prophets and saints, Donatello’s “Magdalene
Penitent” (1453-55), diamond shaped medallions of various professions,
illuminations in gigantic missals, and reliquaries including the index finger
of St John the Baptist. Jan loved the unfinished Pietà (“The Deposition”
1547-53) by Michelangelo, meant for his tomb. You could feel the weight of the
body.
We checked out
the multitudes of postcards in a kiosk in Piazza Signoria, which included
“artistic” cards of scenes all over Italy, done by a Greek! Next the
Orsanmichele (1337), originally a grain market and then a church built on the
site of the kitchen garden of St Michael’s monastery. The exterior has many
niches with statues of the Madonna and saints. Inside there appeared to be two
halves. The back half was ordinary altar and pews, and the back had an
especially gaudy altar and tourists. Continued to Ponte Vecchio and crossed to
“our” little market to get bottles of water; the price had gone up 100 ITL to
700 ITL/50 cents. We had some ice cream from Gailli, stracciatella di caffe/coffee-flavored fine chocolate chip and nocciola/hazelnut.
At 19:30 we went
for dinner, taking the scenic route on streets parallel to the river and
passing a lot of luxury boutiques. Some were so hidden, we wondered how they
stayed in business. Arrived at Ristorante Natale where the walls were covered
with photos of Florence in the early 1900s (with autos). We started with panzarella (not as good as Sra.
Milani’s, but better than Angiolini’s) and insalata
Caprese/salad of slices of tomato and mozzarella. Jan had grilled swordfish
with green beans, and I had curried scampi with rice. I tasted the swordfish
and it was interesting to have the grilled taste, and Jan tried the scampi and
for once liked the curry sauce. The bill came to 35,000 ITL/$25 and we added
500 ITL/35 cents because there was no service charge. On the way back to the
hotel was my last chance for gelato, as I got stracciatella di caffe and mousse. Had a taste of croccantino/chocolate with crunchy
hazelnut bits. Jan went to get her deposit back on the glass water bottles
while I showered. Set the alarm for 4:30.
Saturday, July 3,
1982
I woke up at 5:05
and we were supposed to leave at 5:00! Readied to leave, ran down the stairs,
and had to knock to wake the night clerk. It was the joker and he probably
wanted to talk, but we had to run. We left at 5:12 and got to the station in 15
minutes. Kirby’s 5:33 train would arrive on track 10, and my 5:46 train would
leave from track 11. Another train already an hour late for Roma was sitting on
track 10, so Jan had to go find Kirby. Kirby was joining Jan for a vacation. |
| Firenze to Biel train ticket |
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