Florence with Linda

"quando s'ode cosa o vede che tegna forte a sè l'anima volta, vassene 'l tempo e l'uom non se n'avvede"

"when we hear or see something that holds the soul strongly turned to it, time passes and we do not notice its passage." -Purgatorio Canto 4:7-9

Battistero-1225-early 1300

Our second visit to "Dante-ville" (aka Florence) was hot. The temperatures rose steeply all day and culminated in a 100 degree baking heat that climbed up from the cobble stones and undulated in from the sides of the buildings. We sought refuge in the cool churches to discuss some of late medieval art and drink in  visual links to Dante.

First stop was Sta. Maria Novella, a Dominican church that houses the Trinità of Massacio and, more impressively situated, the amazing cross by Giotto. But the highlight for me was the painting to the left of the main altar which depicted Inferno, Purgatorio  and  Paradiso  so vividly that I felt as though I were reading the poem itself. The images are by Nardio di Cione (1357) and certainly inspired by the poem. We were not allowed to photograph the interior but here is a link with some excellent information and images: Nardo di Cione-Last Judgement

We took a tour of streets nearby and paused at the intersection of Via del Inferno and Via del Purgatorio  for the obligatory group shot:

For me there were two highlights to this trip-being able to share the sights with Linda, and the beautiful baptistry in front of the Duomo. The mosaics in this last class stop were done between 1225 and the early 1300s by skilled Venetian mosaic artists working from the designs of Coppo di Marcovaldo. The Christ figure in the photo at top is 26 feet tall. It is an enormous dome and each band centers on one story from scripture: the life of Jesus, the life of John the Baptist, corresponding stories from the Old testament, and the acts of the Apostles. Like the Commedia, the dome leads you to want to read more! The stories just draw you in so fully.

Time did flow quickly inside both wonderful places, but as we stepped outside we were keenly aware of the world. The heat and crowds were unbearable. Not having made reservations online in time, I wasn't able to go see the David statue with Linda. The lines were enormous and even people with tickets had a half hour wait in the hot sun.

On the side streets of Florence

We opted for simpler sights-which were equally fun. It seems that when you are with a like-minded friend your eyes open wider and, cheesy as this sounds, so does your heart. Despite the oppressive heat, Florence was beautiful to me this second visit.  

Linda makes sure I am still following-I tended to get a little ga-ga at the buildings

We went to the Ponte Vecchio and I searched for the padlocks which lovers leave. The tradition is to lock the padlock on the side of the bridge and throw the key into the Arno river to symbolize everlasting love. Last time we went, the locks must have all been removed to make way for more (apparently there is a limit to " everlasting" in the material world).

The locks were there!

 We caught the 3:40 bus to Siena and it felt like coming home. The city was sleeping out the hottest time of the day and we quickly followed suit.