For the last gallery visit, I went to Galleria degli Uffizi. A bit of background from the tourist guide: In 1581, Francesco de'Medici decided to gather his family's extraordinary collection of Italian and European paintings under one roof. This collection includes works by Botticelli (The Birth of Venus and Primavera), Michelangelo (Holy Family), Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Giotto, Caravaggio, and many other masters of art.
I made an online reservation, and like the Borghese Gallery, I had to line-up to pick up my ticket (and pay). Judging by the size of the line without reservations, looks like planning ahead saved me once again! With my ticket in hand, I was in the gallery within a few minutes.
Following the signs (and other visitors), I explored an exhibition of Rembrandt (and Morandi) drawings first. These showed the artist's skill in rendering portraits, still life, and landscapes through etching, drypoint, and engraving. The past few days, all the two-dimensional art I've seen has been paintings and frescos, so it was refreshing to see how much can be accomplished with just black and white, and the use of lines and geometry, given a (in my opinion) more limited toolset.
It wasn't until I walked through all the works in the Rembrandt exhibit that I realized my ticket had not been taken yet. That's because I hadn't even gotten to the main entrance of the Uffizi! The gallery is designed to be appreciated chronologically, so there's a one-way path starting from the 2nd floor, working down to the 1st floor, through almost 100 rooms of art. There are ongoing renovations for "the new Uffizi", so some of the rooms were closed - which was fine, since it took me more than 4 hours to get through everything that was open.
The 2nd floor had rooms that were connected with long corridors lined with statues similar to those I saw in the National Museum of Rome, and endless portraits representing both famous men of every period and country, and members of the Medici family. The rooms had art from as early as the 12th century! A lot of the ancient art had religious themes, due to the fact that most art was commissioned by churches - so lots of paintings featured Santa Maria and Jesus. As I was walking through the gallery, the pieces that left the strongest impressions on me were the ones with deeply engaging facial expressions. Some of the artists were so talented at capturing emotion and movement, the resulting art could hold your attention for hours.
Another detail I grew to appreciate was the medium used for each painting - early works of art used tempera on wood panels (pigment mixed with egg white). It wasn't until the 1400s that artists starting using oil on wood, and oil on canvas. Even after oil paint (and pastels) was introduced, some of the masters still stuck with the familiar tempera on wood, and it was amazing to see how the art evolved using the same technique.
One of the grandest rooms was the Tribune - a room with walls lined in rich, red velvet, and clad in precious metals, including 6000 shells! Another room that was beautiful in itself was the Sala della Niobe - a room dedicated to art depicting the Greek character, Niobe, and her children - because there was so much gold used in the decoration of the ceiling and pillars.
My favourite works of art were the paintings by Botticelli and Allori, as well as Michelangelo's Holy Family - which was revolutionary because of the complexity in how the figures are positioned. Prior to that painting, humans were depicted in very similar actions and behaviours - Michelangelo showed his ability to rise above other artists and subsequently gained many followers.
When in Florence, you cannot miss seeing the city's landmark - the Duomo (the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore). Thus, after the Uffizi Gallery, I sought the entrance to the Cathedral and wandered through the church to look at the inside of Brunelleschi's gigantic dome (153m long and 90m wide). The cathedral began construction in 1296 and the Duomo was built between 1420 and 1436. I thought the church itself was not as fantastic as the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella because it didn't contain as much artwork - it is quite bare in comparison. The highlight is definitely the dome, which is a sensational enhancement to the center of worship. When looking up, it was easy to marvel at the sheer size of the cupola - a feat of engineering at its time and even now, having the structural integrity to last hundreds of years.
With that, my visit to Florence was almost done. A visit to Vivoli for gelato resulted in a chocolate-hazelnut and strawberry treat, this time in a cup. Between Vivoli and Santa Trinata, it would be difficult to choose which gelateria is deserving of "best in Florence" - you can't go wrong with either. In terms of price, I'd say Santa Trinata wins because for €2.50, you can get your gelato in a cone... and it does taste so much better in a waffle cone!
For dinner, it was not a difficult decision to return to Trattoria Sabatino. This time, I met another Canadian there - not a Vancouverite, but a Torontonian! I wonder if I stay in Florence, will I continue to meet more Canadians?
Alas, tonight is my last night in Tuscany - farewell Florence!
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