Italian Road Trip #5 - Reliving History in Florence

Hey, fellow Stemians!

History books taught us about dark ages and how intellectual degradation that lasted for a thousand years turned entire Europe into a place few would enjoy living in. Common people were oppressed and belittled, forced to hard labor and life from day to day. But at the end of each tunnel (and we’re talking about a really, really long tunnel here), there’s a light. And this light began shining in the 14th century. Science, art and literature blossomed. People were again allowed to think and create. Humanity was finally ready to move on and look towards the future. And this city was the place where it all started. Are these not compelling enough reasons to visit Florence? If not, then we hope this post changes your mind. Let us give you a small glimpse of what the Birthplace of Renaissance has to show!

Back to the 21st century! After we arrived at our hotel (which was about 15 minutes away from the Florence old town) we checked-in, dropped our bags in the room and immediately headed towards the center. We knew we were getting close when we started noticing people with cameras snapping photos and pointing at the buildings and furbished facades. And the more we walked, the busier it got (mostly with tourists). We knew beforehand that this place gets overcrowded so we tried not to pay too much attention to it. These people were there mostly for the same reason as we were.

As we neared Piazza del Duomo the cupola of majestic and well-known Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore started popping out between buildings. Huge and omnipresent, it served as a beacon that we could follow without relying on maps or passersby to point us in the right direction. We got closer and closer, until we entered the square. When we were finally able get a view of the entire structure, our jaws dropped!

This church is among the largest churches we’ve seen in our life, and watching it from the ground made us feel so insignificant and awed. Imagine what kind of architectural undertaking it must’ve been to build this thing without modern machinery! In fact, it took Florentines more than 140 years to build the entire church.

But all of this wouldn’t be possible without the genius mind of Filippo Brunelleschi who was responsible for designing and completing the cupola which, until this day, remains the largest brick cupola in the world. This guy actually wasn’t even a real architect, he was a goldsmith! And he was such a badass that he was able to convince the judges responsible for the project that he is the man for the job without revealing his plans or designs. He did it by asking them to make an egg stand upright on a table. After every one of them failed he smashed the bottom of the egg and let the rest of the shell stand straight. The jury protested and said they could’ve done it too, but Brunelleschi told them that they could’ve also built the dome itself had they known his methods.

Crossing Florence Cathedral off our bucket list, we ventured away from Piazza del Duomo. We figured it was time to eat something and we decided to try out a famous Italian pastry - cannoli. This tube-like crunchy dough filled with sweet cream made of ricotta cheese is actually a Sicilian specialty but we heard Florentines are pretty good at making them too, so we had to try them. A really good place making them is Arà è Sicilia (just a few blocks away from Duomo). Their cannoli are very delicious and having one cannolo is usually enough for one person. If you’re not a fan of this delicacy, you can try out a nice inexpensive gelato place just 10 meters away which we also visited (Caffe dell Accademia).

After we had our daily dessert, we decided to just stroll around aimlessly around the streets and soak in Florence’s vibe. We kept discovering hidden alleys and empty streets as we turned random corners. Every now and then we would pass a familiar spot and in those cases we would just take a road we haven’t taken before. Right after we passed a big square named Piazza della Repubblica, we stumbled upon a small church with a group of people going in. Being curious as usual we decided to follow them and soon enough we found out that the entry to the church was free of charge!

We spent a couple of minutes inside, enjoying the gorgeous interior with very peculiar artwork and altar. When we headed toward the exit we accidentally found a small staircase leading upwards. Since there was no sign or door telling us not to go there, we went up (of course :) ). Reaching the end of the staircase we found ourselves at the church’s first floor which held an exhibit of various sculptures. To our luck, no ticket was required to see them. Statues looked remarkably lifelike and since we’re not experts in art we could only assume how much effort and talent must’ve been required to make them.

There was another set of stairs leading to the second floor. We went up again and boy, were we amazed at what we’ve seen there! A giant open-space room with panoramic view of Florence! Every side we turned there was some Florentine landmark emerging from the cityscape, looking close as almost within an arm’s reach. Well worth the climb! If you’re coming to Florence, consider visiting this church (named Orsanmichele), it’s most likely one of the best places you can visit free of charge.

We hope you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for more material on Florence!

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