Florence - first stage: Piazza della Signoria

Hier die deutsche Version: https://steemit.com/photography/@mundharmonika/florenz-erste-etappe-piazza-della-signoria
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Hello and servus dear Steemians,

today I am taking you to one of the most beautiful and artful cities in the world. In order to you don‘t get the Stendhal Syndrome ;-), I share my Florence presentation full of pictures in not too big mouth-watering bites. The Piazza della Signoria (square of the [republican] government) is located in the center of the city.

If some of the pictures are too big for you, let me know, then I decrease them. Trick: With Ctrl and + you can increase and with Ctrl and – decrease all elements of the website. With Ctrl and = you go back to original size, at least in Firefox and Chrome.

Here the quote which is the reason for naming the Stendhal syndrome:
„I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty... I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations... Everything spoke so vividly to my soul. Ah, if I could only forget. I had palpitations of the heart, what in Berlin they call 'nerves.' Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling.“
From the Wikipedia-Site linked above

Let‘s go with an impressive, unusual work of art:

It is a so-called figura serpentinata named „The robbery of the Sabines“ from the Roman mythology from Giovanni da Bologna, called Giambologna, from 1579 in the Loggia dei Lanzi. Note that the lower figure is seen from the front, the middle one from the rear, and the upper from the side. It is probably one of the most famous sculptures of this art form from the late Renaissance and the subsequent Mannerism.

If you want to look at the group of figures completely, you should go around them, but this is not possible here. However, as can be seen in the next photo, you can go into the loggia and look at them from behind and from the sides.

The equally striking sculpture to the right behind it represents Herkules und Nessos from the Greek mythology from the same artist from 1600.

Now to the Loggia dei Lanzi:

Every Munich inhabitant and Munich connoisseur, the great resemblance with a very prominent Munich building will be immediately noticed, namely the Feldherrnhalle. Her builder, King Ludwig I, was a great lover of Italy (Goethe was one of them at that time, too), and made many Italian travels, and had bought many works of art there.

He has thus recreated the Loggia dei Lanzi, and this is not the only building in Munich after a Florentine model: the royal building of the huge Munich residence was modeled on the Palazzo Pitti and the Palazzo Rucellai.

The Loggia dei Lanzi is the second most impressive building in Piazza della Signoria after Palazzo Vecchio. In the Wikipedia (copied on 17/10/05) stands:

"The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, is a building on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery. It consists of wide arches open to the street. The arches rest on clustered pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The wide arches appealed so much to the Florentines that Michelangelo proposed that they should be continued all around the Piazza della Signoria.
Sometimes erroneously referred to as Loggia dell' Orcagna[1] because it was once thought to be designed by that artist, it was built between 1376 and 1382 by Benci di Cione and Simone di Francesco Talenti,[2] possibly following a design by Jacopo di Sione, to house the assemblies of the people and hold public ceremonies,[1] such as the swearing into office of the Gonfaloniers and the Priors. Simone Talenti is also well-known from his contributions to the churches Orsanmichele and San Carlo.
The vivacious construction of the Loggia is in stark contrast with the severe architecture of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is effectively an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art.
The name Loggia dei Lanzi dates back to the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo I, when it was used to house his formidable landsknechts (In Italian: "Lanzichenecchi", corrupted to Lanzi), or German mercenary pikemen. After the construction of the Uffizi at the rear of the Loggia, the Loggia's roof was modified by Bernardo Buontalenti and became a terrace from which the Medici princes could watch ceremonies in the piazza."

In the center of the picture you can see another outstanding work of art, which is considered the main artwork of the famous Benvenuto Cellini and was erected there in 1554. It is the bronze sculpture "Perseus with the head of the Medusa" and its completion took 8 years because of the enormous difficulty. But in the year of revelation he was solemnly incorporated into the Florentine nobility. Here is this masterpiece from the close:

And now the space-dominating building with its mighty tower (Torre Arnolfo, the Arnolfo tower), the Palazzo Vecchio (the old palace, on the right you can see the northwest corner of the eastern part of the Uffizi and a little from the eastern corner of the loggia):

The tower is 94 m high and thus higher than the Campanile (bell tower) next to the Cathedral, which has 85 m. The Cathedral dome is even higher with 114 m. Note the blinds directly under the tower, which are due to the statics, as the tower stands directly on the front facade. It nevertheless hangs about 1 m in the direction of Piazza. The Palazzo was built 1299 - 1314. I endeavor again here Wikipedia (copied on 17/10/05), as it is there again handy and concise written:

„The Palazzo Vecchio (Italian pronunciation: [paˈlattso ˈvɛkkjo] "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the Piazza della Signoria with its copy of Michelangelo's David statue as well as the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi.
Originally called the Palazzo della Signoria, after the Signoria of Florence, the ruling body of the Republic of Florence, it was also given several other names: Palazzo del Popolo, Palazzo dei Priori, and Palazzo Ducale, in accordance with the varying use of the palace during its long history. The building acquired its current name when the Medici duke's residence was moved across the Arno to the Palazzo Pitti.“

Here are some views from an elevated perspective, who has taken care and has a good spatial imagination, can determine my photographer's location (it is not freely accessible):

The two towers in the background belong to the Abteic Church of Badia Fiorentina (left) and the Palazzo Bargello with its Museo Nazionale del Bargello (National Museum).

Well, did you come from where I made the pictures? - From the roof terrace of the Loggia dei Lanzi, there is a café and is accessible only through the Uffizi, which are directly behind it.

And again from the ground:

Below you will see the course of the Florence Marathon 2016. If you look closely, you will see on the right a transition in airy height from the Palazzo Vecchio to the Uffizi, partially hidden by the Loggia dei Lanzi. This makes it a very special one, more in the next article.

The evening sun gives it a friendly warm color as a contrast to the deceptive, burgundy, rather repellent construction.

Opposite it stands the splendid Palazzo delle Assicurazioni Generali (Generali Insurance), which is, however, much younger, namely from 1871.

Now a few views in the other directions (west to northeast) and on the other works of art and buildings on and in the piazza, but previously two plan extracts from Google Maps, so that you can better place it, first only the piazza and then together with the surrounding area:

The roof terrace of the Loggia die Lanzi can be seen very clearly in the lower left. The Uffizi west tract directly afterwards is also well recognizable. On the right and next to the palazzo is a small piece of the east tract. Palazzo Vecchio and Torre Arnolfo are more recognizable by their shadows. The complex stretches almost to the right edge of the picture. The Neptune Fountain is under the winter cover.

In the middle our Piazza, right beside and next to the river the Uffizi complex with several outbuildings, almost at the top the Cathedral, the Campanile and the Baptistery, at the bottom left edge a part of the Palazzo Pitti, diagonally to the left, below the Piazza, the famous Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) with its many goldsmith and jeweler shops, diagonally to the left, above the Piazza, Piazza della Repubblica (Place of the Republic) and a little further to the right of the Piazza and slightly below Basilica and Piazza di Santa Croce (to the Holy Cross)

Here you can see a large part of the piazza, the Neptune made of marble can be seen clearly between the two mentioned towers. Further to the left is the equestrian statue of Cosimo I de Medici.

The Loggia dei Lanzi is not seen anymore, which would be left. The road, which goes from the right at the bright green cross, leads to the Cathedral.

Here you can see some of the Neptune Fountain (which unfortunately I forgot to photograph from the vicinity, will be fetched).

Here is the world-famous David of Michelangelo, but it‘s a copy since more than 100 years. Before the original stood here. This I already admired, it was extremely impressive and it is quite rightly so famous! One last time Wikipedia (copied on 17/10/05):

"David (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdaːvid]) is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504 by Michelangelo.
It is a 5.17-metre (17.0 ft)[a] marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence.[1] Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was placed instead in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria where it was unveiled on September 8th, 1504.
Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome.[2] The statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica."

Finally, take a look from the Uffizi east tract and down onto the Loggia dei Lanzi and the Piazza. If you look closely, you will see the Perseus with the head of Medusa.

So, now I hope that you enjoyed my post and my photos. I thank you for your attention and report me soon with the continuation!