Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
129
a watershed in the rediscovery of perspective painting. Just try to ignore the signs
that command
DO NOT LINGER
—you've paid, so enjoy the fresco, which is as
much a testament to friendship as to anything else. After Masaccio's untimely
death, at the age of 27, Fra Filippo Lippi faithfully continued to work on the
piece, using his colleague's ideas and techniques.
You shouldn't leave Florence without getting a bird's-eye view of town from
Piazzale Michelangelo
5
. While buses and hordes of tourists don't exactly make
this a reflective spot, it is quite accessible, and the vantage point over the cityscape
is phenomenal, particularly at sunset. If you're walking, take Via del Monte alle
Croci from Porta San Miniato, or the slightly less steep Via di San Salvatore al
Monte to reach the piazza. For a quieter setting, climb the extra 10 minutes to the
front steps of the Romanesque
San Miniato church
5
, which is the second-oldest
religious building in Florence (after the Baptistery). If you make it there before
7:30pm, enter for a look at the funky 13th-century mosaic floor, with the signs
of the zodiac and the spare furnishings, frescoes, and 11th-century crypt (with
additional frescoes by Taddeo Gaddi, better known as the architect of the Ponte
Vecchio).
FLORENCE FOR KIDS
You'll need a bus (no. 4) or a taxi to get to the site, but the kids will thank you
for a visit to
Museo Stibbert
5
9
(Via Stibbert, 26;
%
055-475520;
€
5;
Mon-Wed 10am-2pm, Fri-Sat 10am-6pm).
It's essentially the giant toy box of an
eccentric Scottish-Italian arms-and-armor collector, which was made into a
museum in 1906. Enter into the “Hall of the Cavalcade” to see a scene from King
Arthur and Camelot, with gangs of life-size knights sitting fully armed on horse-
back. Dozens of their compatriots are geared-up through the Salone della Cupola,
sort of a United Nations of medieval mayhem, with every variety of weapon,
armor, and shield imaginable. Even the samurai warriors have made the trip, as
the museum boasts the biggest collection of Japanese armor outside of Tokyo.
Amazingly enough, the
Museo di Storia della Scienza
5
9
(Piazza dei
Guidici, 1;
€
5; Mon-Wed 10am-5pm, Fri-Sun 10am-6pm)
actually displays a bone
from Galileo's middle finger. It also has a wide collection of scientific instruments
from early-Arab scientists, as well as Galileo's telescopes, including the one he
used to discover the moons of Jupiter. Kids (and inquisitive adults) will appreci-
ate the old maps and globes, scary doctors' instruments, and a medieval pharmacy,
all of which are a nice change from the religious art of Florence.
Another group of attractions good for kids, and for those interested in engi-
neering, are the dueling Leonardo museums. Two independent companies have
set up nearly identical exhibits of life-size versions of Leonardo's inventions based
on his codex drawings. Visitors can see wooden models of everything from a
medieval tank to a machine gun, parachute, glider, and hydraulic press.
The
Leonardo Museum
5
9
(Il Genio di Leonardo, Via dei Servi, 66R;
%
055-
282966; www.mostredileonardo.com;
€
7,
€
5 for kids; daily 10am-7pm)
is the
better of the two because it actually encourages visitors to touch and play with the
33 interactive models: Spin the drill and push the flying machine while you read
the English description. The
Macchine di Leonardo da Vinci
9
(Via Cavour, 21;
%
055-295264; www.macchinedileonardo.com;
€
5,
€
4 for kids; daily 9:30am-
7:30pm)
is nearly identical, but newer, with a better presentation of the models
