The awe-inspiring wonders of Florence
FORLI, Italy — We are in a beautiful hotel here in Forli because our pilgrimage chaplain, Fr. Rey Gella, belongs to the congregation of the Servants of Mary, based in this small city near Florence.
But the whole day tour was spent in the city of Dante Alighieri (author of Divine Comedy), Galileo Galilei (father of astronomy, physics, and modern science, although born in Pisa, worked here extensively) and of Guglielmo Marconi (inventor of the telegraph and the radio, although from Bologna, also worked here a lot), aside from the famous Michelangelo, Italy's top painter, architect, sculptor, and poet. Florence is the popular place to buy pure leather and my friend bought two fantastic attaché cases. Florence, or Firenze, is dubbed as the new Athens, being the cradle of the Renaissance. Although Florence is second to Rome in fame and grandeur, it’s much more preferred to Venice, Naples, Milan, and other cities.
Like Pisa and Forli, Florence is a part of Tuscany. Florence is the place of great architecture where the famous Brunelleschi, Michelozzo, and Alberti showed their best masterpieces in the still-existing cathedrals, basilicas, churches, monasteries, and government buildings. The paintings of Botticelli, Lippi, Ghirlandaio, and Paulo Uchello adorned the ceilings and the walls of Gothic and Romanesque buildings. The monuments and statues by Donatello, Verrocchio, and Della Robbia still amaze tourists for their beauty and durability. Lorenzo Ghibberti's Door of Paradise (in the Baptistry of St. Giovanni in the iconic Cathedral of Florence) is a center of attraction that never fails to make foreign tourists sigh in awe and admiration as it depicts scenes from the Old Testament.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was erected in 1294 byArnolfo de Cambio. It should never be missed by serious tourists who are interested in history, art, culture, and religion. Behind the apse of the cathedral is the beautiful Museo del Opera del Duomo. Its most expensive treasures are the original Pieta by Michelangelo in 1550, the Maria Magdalena, Habakuk, and Jeremiah by Donatello. Abeautiful square is Piazza de la Signora in front of the magnificent Palazzo Vecchio built in 1310. A great palace, the Palazzo Pitti was built by Brunelleschi in the mid-1440s in honor of Lucia Pitti, a rich Florentine merchant.
The Church of Santa Maria del Carmine was built in the second half of the 13th century for the Carmelite Order, and decorated inside by big names in arts as Giotto, Tadeo Gaddi, Masolino, and Masaccio. The Church of Santa Maria Novella was built by the Dominicans in the first half of the 14th century by Alberti. The tombs of the noble families are so grandiose they had first-class marbles and semi-precious stones. Near them is the Sacrestia Nuova executed by Michelangelo himself in 1524. Another impressive palace is the Palazzo Medici Ricardi built by Michelozzo in 1460. To top it all is the Santissima Annunciata, a lavish edifice built by Michelangelo from 1444 to 1481.
This space isn’t enough to fully portray the beauty of Florence, and my column does not do justice to such a magnificent and aweinspiring city ever built by human artists some 800 years ago. Our pilgrimage is so educational and enlightening especially because of the incisive, detailed, and truly enlightening explanations done by our professional tour guides from Florence itself.