Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
time among the Medicis' over-the-top gold and jewel-encrusted household items).
The
Boboli Gardens
(
%
055-2651816;
€
4, free for kids under 18; daily Nov-Feb
8:15am-4:30pm, Mar 8:15am-5:30pm, Apr-May and Sept-Oct 8:15am-6:30pm,
June-Aug 8:15am-7:30pm, closed 1st and last Sun of the month)
and the
grounds of the palace, with well-manicured shrubbery and fine views of the city
from the fortress, are quite pleasant. However, I'd advise spending that
€
4 admis-
sion fee on a panino and Coke, and then walking up to Piazzale Michelangelo to
enjoy a spectacular view of the city for free.
And before you leave the Pitti Palace complex, be sure to stop by the grotto in
the central courtyard. This covered area--with its grotesque statues, its fountain,
and dripping water--suggests a Renaissance version of the grotto at the Playboy
mansion. One can imagine the Medicis were up to some high jinks here after their
upper-class fiestas.
And as long as you've gone to the “other” side of the river, seek out the non-
touristy
Santo Spirito
5
(Piazza Santo Spirito, Oltrarno; Mon-Tues and Thurs-Fri
8:30am-noon and 4-6pm, Wed 8:30am-noon, Sat-Sun 4-6pm).
Brunelleschi's last
project, the simple yet elegant structure was erected in the mid-1400s. Inside, it's
dark and usually empty, a stark contrast to the overvisited Duomo. Many of its
original works were destroyed in a 1471 fire, so most of the replacements came
from the same era just afterward, creating a unified feel to the many side chapels.
One of the notable works in the left transept of the church, in the second
chapel, is a severe
St. Monica and Augustine Nuns.
The 1472 Francesco Botticini
painting shows serious nuns in black and gray gathered around the saint. A cou-
ple of sisters glare at the viewer, and you almost want to apologize for interrupt-
ing them. On the right transept seek out Filippo Lippi's
Madonna and Child
for
the detail of the figures, as well as for the background. Many of the other fine
works throughout the church have English descriptions.
In order to visit the morgues beneath the church's hospital, Michelangelo used
to sneak through the side door to the left of the main entrance. With the permis-
sion of the church director, Michelangelo studied the corpses for help in his paint-
ing and sculpting of the human form. As a thank you, Michelangelo carved a
wooden crucifix and donated it to the church; pass through a door on the north
wall, and you'll find it in the sacristy. The crucifix's thin, delicate body is a sharp
contrast to most of Michelangelo's muscular figures, leading some to question the
attribution. But written documentation seems to verify the authenticity of the piece.
In the 18th century, a massive fire destroyed much of the nearby
Santa Maria
della Carmine Church.
Miraculously, its
Brancacci Chapel
55
(Piazza Santa
Maria della Carmine;
%
055-2382195;
€
5.50; Wed-Sat and Mon 10am-5pm, Sun
1-5pm)
survived intact, as did the masterpiece it contained within, a 1425 fresco
cycle by painters Masaccio and Fra Filippo Lippi that is arguably one of the most
influential of the Renaissance. Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, among oth-
ers, came to study and sketch the colorful biblical scenes with their contemporary
Florentine background. One of the most famous scenes is that of Adam and Eve's
expulsion from Eden.
While I'm not pleased by the
5.50 viewing fee, which was added in 1980
after a highly successful restoration of the piece (during which they removed the
prudish fig leaves painted onto Adam and Eve), this is an important work, really
€
