Italy: Florence to Rome

We couldn't leave Florence without seeing the David!  Our hotel was two blocks away from the Galleria dell'Accademia so I hobbled down the street (arthritis in full effect).  The museum was already a little busy even though it had opened thirty minutes earlier.  Unlike peak tourist season, however, we were still able to walk up and buy tickets without a reservation (a must at other times of the year).  The museum was originally meant to be dedicated solely to Michelangelo but it contains only a handful of pieces by the artist.

The main hall houses Michelangeo's four Prisoners, thought by some to be unfinished works.  Michelangelo believed that figures already existed inside stone, and his job was to merely remove the excess.

And now onto the subject of David.  As you may have noticed, there are many Davids in Florence.  The biblical symbol of rising up to thwart tyranny was an important subject during the Renaissance.  The city states of Italy were often at war with other cities, other countries, the Papacy, or internal government factions.  In the case of Michelangelo's David, a large and ungainly leftover piece of marble had originally been given by the Duomo works commission to Donatello, nearly 80 years old, in 1466.  He was to create a large David  that would be placed inside a large niche on the cathedral.  The famed sculptor was too frail to work on the project so he directed one of his young apprentices, Agostino di Duccio.  Donatello died soon after and the sculpture was abandoned for almost 40 years.  At age 26 Michelangelo was approached and he agreed to complete the project.  The result was a 17-foot-tall representation of Florence defending the civil liberties of its citizens.  It was deemed too wonderful to be placed high above the ground and relatively out of view, so it was crated and hauled to Piazza della Signoria (an action that took three days to complete).  David's stern and determined gaze was interpreted as a message of "don't mess with Florence".

There was a hall of plaster models to demonstrate an artist's workshop.

Of course, since it was our last day in Florence the sky was absolutely clear!  We checked out of the hotel and stowed our bags in a luggage storage locker near the train station.  We got lunch at a popular trattoria and watched as other customers were served Florentine steak by the kilogram.

A last view from our room

Also near our hotel was the former medieval convent of San Marco.  From 1436 to 1445 Italian painter Fra Angelico lived in the monastery and dedicated his time to creating airy frescoes inside the chapels and each individual dormitory.  His Annunciation remains one of the most copied representations from the Renaissance.

The angles of the pillars and ceiling look a little strange when you stand immediately before "The Annunciation" because it was meant to be viewed from the stairwell as you approach the dormitory hall. 

 Cosimo di Medici and his brother were the monastery's most generous patrons, so they had a private prayer room.  Up until his death Cosimo sent money, food, and supplies to the convent every week.

 Monastery exterior and piazza

For the next couple of hours in Florence we did a little bit of shopping.  I went to Alice's mask studio where a family of artisans has been keeping the tradition of mask making alive for decades.  Angostino Dessi's talents are widely known.  He has worked with film production crews and showed his masks around the world many times.  If money were no object I would have loved to come home with several hand-tooled leather masks but in the end I was happy with my purchase.  Mr. Dessi gave me a key chain souvenir as a little freebie.  We also visited a leather goods store and bought a few small items.  I eyed the leather jackets longingly.  Maybe next time...

Baptistery, cathedral, and bell tower

I had never noticed the gargoyles before

Piazza di Santa Maria Novella

The 90-minute train to Rome was a little bumpy.  We had to use Rome's metro service to get to our home-base for the rest of this trip, the neighborhood of Testaccio.  This area to the south of Rome's Circus Maximus has been left largely untouched by tourism so that was the appeal for me.

We walked to nearby Lo Scopattero for dinner as soon as they opened.  Most Roman restaurants of note are generally reservation-only but the very nice greeter offered us a table as long as we would be done by 9:15.  No problem!

We proceeded to have an amazing meal.  We ordered a carafe of wine and went a little crazy.  I thought I was being conservative by ordering the chicken as my main but the rigatoni alla carbonara was enormous (and completely delicious).  Hans had spaghetti alla cacio e pepe and lamb.  We both shared a Roman artichoke, the seasonal vegetable.  I can't figure out how they prepared it so perfectly.  With my limited Italian we waived off the offer of dolce and staggered back to the hotel.  I promised myself that I was going to take it easy tomorrow when it comes to food.