Wednesday, November 18, 2009

FLORENCE - Art & History

2nd stop - FLORENCE
for more pictures go to:
www.flickr.com/photos/trishastrove

We took a half-day guided walking tour with 5 couples from the U.S. and Canada and were well-informed on the history of The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or otherwise known as the Cathedral, the Cathedral Dome and the Cathedral Museum, major original artefacts from the Duomo and the original panels of the Baptistery, the so-called "Gates of Paradise".

In the pixs here you can see the exterior of the Basilica (Cathedral) is faced with marbel panels in various shades of green & pink, bordered by white, with an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival facade.
The Basilica is one of Italy's largest churches and the Dome is the largest brick dome ever constructed.

What a coincidence, as my wedding colours were soft pink & mint, and white.




























In addition to the Basilica above, we delved into historical art at the Galleria dell'Accademia, where the original statue of Michelangelo's David is located, along with his other important works. The statue of David used to stand in front of Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, but was later moved indoors and a copy of Michelangelo's David is now displayed in front of the palace.




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