Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Andy Steves (my son) runs
Weekend Student Adventures,
offering active and experiential
three-day weekend tours from €199, designed for American students studying abroad
(
www.wsaeurope.com
for details on tours of Florence and other great cities).
(See “Renaissance Walk” map,
here
.)
Duringthe DarkAges,it wasespecially obvioustothe people ofItaly—sitting onthe rubble
of Rome—that there had to be a brighter age on the horizon. The long-awaited rebirth,
or Renaissance, began in Florence for good reason. Wealthy because of its cloth industry,
trade, andbanking; powered byafierce city-state pride (locals wouldpee into the Arnowith
gusto, knowing rival city-state Pisa was downstream); and fertile with more than its share
of artistic genius (imagine guys like Michelangelo and Leonardo attending the same high
school)—Florence was a natural home for this cultural explosion.
Take a two-hour walk through the core of Renaissance Florence from the Duomo
(cathedral) to Ponte Vecchio on the Arno River. You can download a free Rick Steves audio
Begin at the Duomo to marvel at the dome that kicked off the architectural Renaissance.
StepinsidetheBaptisterytoviewaceilingcoveredwithpreachy,flat,2-D,medievalmosaic
art. Then, to learn what happened when art met math, check out the realistic 3-D reliefs on
thedoors;themanwhopaintedthem,Giotto,alsodesignedthebelltower—anearlyexample
of a Renaissance genius who excelled in many areas.
Continue toward the river on Florence's great pedestrian mall, Via de' Calzaiuoli—part
of the original grid plan given to the city by the ancient Romans. Stop by any gelato shop
for some cool refreshment. Down a few blocks, compare medieval and Renaissance statues
on the exterior of the Orsanmichele Church. Via de' Calzaiuoli connects the cathedral with
the central square (Piazza della Signoria), the city palace (Palazzo Vecchio), and the Uffizi
Gallery, which contains the greatest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings in captivity.
Finally, walk through the Uffizi courtyard—a statuary thinktank of Renaissance greats—to
the Arno River and Ponte Vecchio.
