Travels in the 2nd half

Main altar in the Capella Dei Pincipi Being really rich can make a family do some strange things. Being really powerful can give that family the ability to carry out those things without anyone saying “maybe this is not a great idea.” Being rich and powerful allows a family to create something that lasts over 400 years and still attracts crowds. The Medici family of renaissance Florence were rich and powerful, and the Medici Chapels are strange and beautiful, and they make me wonder “what were they thinking?” Carrying on my theme of visiting smaller museums, I decided to spend some time at the Medici Chapels. The chapels were built during the 16th century as the mausoleums for Medici family. They were additions to the Basilica of San Lorenzo, which was the Medici family’s parish. While the basilica was built  between 1415 and 1450, it wasn’t until the mid-1500’s that the Medicis decided to create this memorial to themselves. And it is one of the most beautiful and s...

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella As an atheist, the following statement sounds strange, but, I really have a favorite church in Florence. It is the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. This church is often overlooked, but definitely worth a visit. Santa Maria Novella was built by, and to be the home of, the Dominican order of the Catholic Church, starting in 1246 and finishing in 1360. The designation “novella,” or new, comes from the fact that there was already a Santa Maria church on the site, that was torn down so this one could be built. This new church was built in the Renaissance-Gothic style, with a rounded bell tower at the center of the church. Its facade is decorated with white and green marble.  My love of Santa Maria Novella goes back to my first visit to Florence, twenty-two years ago. The Amazing Ms. D and I stayed near this beautiful church because it was also near Florence’s main train station. In the evenings, the piazza in front of the church was a gat...

I am not a big fan of large, overcrowded museums. They draw tourists who are trying to check off the “important sites,” and who stand in front of the major pieces of art, taking pictures that will come out worse than the post cards available in the store. This is especially true since I live in New York City, and have The Met, MOMA and the Whitney at my beck and call. When I travel, I am much more likely to look for smaller exhibits. I mean, I have been to Florence three times, and I have yet to visit the Uffizi or the Academia. Yet I have seen amazing art on these trips, and this one was no exception. In order to fulfill my passion for walking old cities and visiting smaller museums I usually try to stay as close to the center of the city I visit as I can afford. On this trip to Florence The Amazing Ms. D and I chose the Hotel Olimpia , which is on the Piazza della Repubblica. The Olimpia is a nice 3.5-star hotel that occupies the top two floors of a building built in 1800...

Ponte Vecchio from Piazzele Michelangelo As I started to write this piece, I was enjoying my last day in Florence. I might seem counter-intuitive to write my first piece in this series on the last day, but it was at the end of my trip that the themes of my Italy writings came together. I had been in Italy for almost two weeks, and this was my sixth day in Florence. I started my tips there, and I returned to Florence to end it. Now, some of you might ask “Why Florence?” If so, you have probably never been there.   The Arno at night To me, Florence sits at the heart of Italy. It sat along major trade routes between the north and the south of the country, and its role as the banking center during the renaissance has made it a center of trade and culture for over 500 years. As I walked around the “Centro Storico” that history was all around. The streets are narrow and winding, with sidewalks that can barely fit one person, let alone two. The buildings come righ...