63. 3-in-1-Thursday! The Laurentian Library (staircase), Santa Maria del Fiore and the Museo del Opera del Duomo.

Well January is almost over, but today sees a flourish of cultural activity. I'm in the centre of Florence for a meeting with one of my bosses and I have a few hours to spare... I decide to check out the Laurentian library next to San Lorenzo. Last time I tried to see it, I got as far as the cloister and today I get one step closer, the staircase! The actual library is closed... apparently its's only open to the public when there are special exhibitions on. However the monumental staircase is pretty impressive. Designed by Michelangelo in 1523, the building was only completed in 1571 after his death, but is considered one of his architectural masterpieces. This is what art historian Giorgio Vasari said:

"The admirable distribution of the windows, the construction of the ceiling, and the fine entrance of the Vestibule can never be sufficiently extolled. Boldness and grace are equally conspicuous in the work as a whole, and in every part; in the cornices, corbels, the niches for statues, the commodious staircase, and its fanciful division-in all the building, as a word, which is so unlike the common fashion of treatment, that every one stands amazed at the sight thereof." -Giorgio Vasari

I guess I'll have to return to have a look inside the library, but make do with just the staircase for now.

Santa Maria Del Fiore

For part two of my cultural morning I decide to have a peak inside the largest building in Florence, the cathedral. Unbelievably this is going to be my first time...

Usually there are throngs of tourists queueing to get in, but today, there appears to be nobody.

The cathedral was built on an earlier site dedicated to Santa Reparata, founded in the 5th century. The new church was designed by Arnolfo di Cambio and the first stone laid in 1296. The complete church took 170 years to finish, that's longer than my kitchen!

The dome's design, which Brunelleschi famously won the contract for by demonstrating how to make an egg stand up, was built between 1420-1436. It was the first octagonal dome in history to be built without a wooden supporting frame. Work on the exterior, which had begun in the 14th century, wasn't completed until 1887, when the facade was completed!

The inside is not nearly as impressive as the pink, white and green marble exterior. A dark, almost empty husk, with only a very few pieces of art. My advice to visitors to Florence would be... don't bother! The insides of Santa Croce or Santa Maria Novella or the Cathedral in Siena are far more interesting!

There is a well-known painting of Dante with scenes from the divine comedy, a very plain fresco by Paolo Ucello of English statesman, John Hawkwood and the vault of the cupola, painted by Vasari, is so high up you can barely make out the last judgement... Maybe you can get a more interesting perspective from the 400+ steps up to the top of the cupola? Another day.



There is an interesting underground crypt with some excavations of the foundations and Brunelleschi's tomb, but by and large a disappointing experience... and so it's on to part 3 of my cultural morning and by far the most interesting...

Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore 

(The Cathedral Museum)

The museum of the works of the Cathedral is a little gem of a place.

It's hidden round the back of the Cathedral and was originally the site of the workshops of all those famous artists, sculptors and architects - it's quite funny that many of their masterpieces that were destined for the cathedral have ended up back at their place of origin... to be replaced with copies!

In the courtyard of the museum are the original panels for the 'gates of paradise' the 8 bronze panels made by Ghiberti (the ones on the baptistry that thousands of people admire every day are in fact copies!)  Michelangelo's 'Palestrina' Pieta is here too, excuted when he was 80 years old. There are many Donatello statues here: St John, Habakuk and Mary Magdalene.

The highlight here for me are two incredible bas relief choirs by Donatello and Luca della Robbia, which are quite beautiful.

You can also see some of the tools that the craftsmen used and models of the cupola.

This is a superb museum and one that no doubt gets overlooked by tourists. It's kind of a shame that these pieces aren't in the places they were intended for, but in the interests of preservation it's good we are able to admire them in all their glory here in the 21st century...

And a very nice way to spend a Thursday morning!







(Original journal entry 30/1/03)