On Monday, our last day based in Lucca, I took the train into Florence. David stayed behind at the hotel because he had ordered a new camera lens from the USA and there were some technical difficulties with customs he had to deal with (involving many phone calls and faxes). These typically Italian complications caused more than a little anxiety, but I'm very happy to report it was delivered Tuesday before we left!
I got a late start to Florence (David drove me to the station for the 1:32pm train) and my trip was highly task-oriented, so it was a very busy and tiring day. But I still had a very nice time and saw some great churches. It poured down rain my first couple hours there, but later it cleared and I had some really nice evening sun.
The train to Florence was cheaper (only €4.90) and nicer than I had expected, complete with an airplane-style readout with the current temperatures and such. The train coming back was not nearly as nice, but at least both were clean and ran on time. It was an hour and a half each way, but the time passed quickly. On the way there I studied my maps and the pages on Florence I'd torn out of my Italy book, planning my walking tour based on closing times of the various churches. And on the way back I read a novel I'd brought along (called The Time of Their Lives and set in 1950s Britain) that I'd picked up at the book exchange shelf of a previous hotel.
I've visited Florence once before, as part of a bus tour of Europe I took at the end of my studies in Edinburgh in 2000. All I remember from that visit is that the Church of Santa Croce made me laugh because its name sounded like "crotch", I tried on an apron overlaid with an image of Michelangelo's David, and I seriously considered buying a leather jacket even though I was already in major debt. What a difference eight years can make to the way one approaches travel!
Anyhoo, I started off at a church that's right next to the train station, called Santa Maria Novella. It's very large and made of brown brick with a pretty marble facade. Inside it has an empty, almost warehouse-like feel.
Many of the Florence churches had a similarly empty-feeling interior, with the main interest being in the paintings on the side altars or frescoes in the chapels, most by important late medieval and Renaissance artists. Unfortunately I don't have time to detail all the history and art here, but eventually it will all appear on Sacred Destinations.
The best part of Santa Maria Novella was the cloisters (separate admission and including a small museum), with very faded frescoes on the vault and a chapter house covered in well-preserved 1300s frescoes.
Nearby is San Lorenzo, which is the oldest church in the city and has a pleasingly plain brick facade and a not-terribly-interesting interior. (Attached to it are the important Medici Chapels, which are unfortunately closed on Mondays.) Photos were banned inside, as at Santa Maria Novella, but I used my best clandestine skills to manage a few shots.
Next up was the Duomo (Cathedral), a huge and very splendid building covered in white, green and pink marble. It was still pouring rain when I arrived and I had to stand under an awning to manage any pictures. The marble doesn't look nearly as pretty on a dreary day as it does in the sunshine but I was still impressed. And I stopped by later in the evening sun and it was absolutely gorgeous. You can compare for yourself:
Inside the Duomo, the most interesting parts (to me) are:
Next door to the cathedral is its baptistery, which makes an interesting contrast with the one at Pisa. This one is much older, with Early Christian origins, and octagonal instead of round. I liked it very much and was sorry I couldn't get better photos. It was raining when I first saw it, and when I returned later the sun was only touching the top.
I also didn't make it back before it closed, so I didn't get to see the interior. But fortunately some of the best art is outside, on the three bronze doors. Created by different artists at different times, they depict biblical scenes plus symbolic themes like the virtues.
From the Duomo I headed further on to Santa Croce, the church of the funny name (it means "Holy Cross"). This is a very pretty and interesting church; it was my second favorite of the day. On the outside, it has a nice marble facade overlooking a large piazza. While I was inside, the sky began to clear and when I came out, the sun was shining!
Inside the church are lots of tall frescoed chapels, an impressive array of tombs of Renaissance Italian VIPs, and a great museum in the cloisters.
As luck would have it, the church I saved for last is also the one I was most looking forward to, and the sun shone brilliantly during my visit! It's called San Miniato al Monte and as the name implies it's on a hill. It was about a 20-minute hike to get there, first crossing the river and then huffing up a steep road and lots of stairs. It's a beautiful Romanesque church, and as a bonus there are some wonderful views of Florence to be had once you reach it.
Inside San Miniato it was quite dark and I was sorry I didn't have a tripod - although I wouldn't have enjoyed carrying it up the hill!
San Miniato al Monte is the church of a still-active Benedictine monastery. A service was being led in the crypt by white-robed monks during my visit and a large chapel on the right side of the choir is decorated with frescoes depicting the life of St. Benedict. The frescoes were especially nice to see after being at Subiaco so recently, as they depicted many of the same events but in different ways.
Now completely exhausted, I made my way back down the hill (with a brief stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for more views) and across the river towards the train station.
Along the way I stopped for some photos of the Ponte Vecchio and the Duomo in the evening sun, as seen above. I bought my ticket and a Coke with no trouble, took the 8:08pm train, and David was waiting for me at the Lucca station at 9:30pm. A long but productive day!