Day 6

   Fri, 21 Oct 2022

Day 5

The Autostrada del Sole to Florence

Sunrise on Capri! Just before we leave for Naples.

One last look at Capri

Duration: 00:00.09 sec.

This is the dock we will leave from in about 15 minutes.

Jetfoil to Naples (Napoli)

Duration: 00:00.07 sec.

This is the jetfoil that took us to Napoli.

Now it's time to board the bus to Florence.

On our way I thought of my brother who always
adds more syllables to my last name...

How's this one, Bill? Bergamasco?

More port pictures at Naples.

On the bus journey our tour guide
gave us a test on Italian sayings.

Heading north on the Autostrada del Sole passing Rome and 

continuing through the Province of Umbria

Duration: 00:00.08 sec.

The building on top of the lower plateau is an old
monastery called Mt. Cassino. It was occupied by
Nazi troops during WW2.

No trains, but there are tracks.

Another train picture of tracks, but no train.

Inside the Accademia Museum with our
local tour guide.

This sculpture is a cast of the original.
Later in the blog you will see the original...

This is a bust of Michelangelo by another artist.

Now to see some of Michelangelo's sculptures...

This is one of four sculptures which went
unfinished before Michelangelo's death.

On the back is a trademark showing his choice
of marble. It's an inscription of a face.
Do you see it?

Parental Alert

Some images may not be suitable for children

(your call)

What is so amazing about this sculpture?
Perfectly formed
Michelangelo was only 26 when he started sculpting David.
He finished in 18 months.
He portrayed David, not as a young shepherd boy, but as a strong young man.
It gave courage and strength to the nation just in time for the renaissance.

This is another unfinished sculpture.
However, it should be noted other artists
tried to finish it after his death.
One obvious point is Mary's hand which is oversized.

The other amazing thing about David is that Michelangelo didn't produce a plaster copy statue built to be used as a model for the original which was a common practice among artists of that time.

Another view with a different perspective.

One more different perspective.

We entered another room with many other sculptures done by other artists.

One of the well-known artists was Lorenzo Bartolini.

This one was done by Luigi Pampaloni.
Several of his sculptures of children were in this exhibit.

This is the outside of the museum which holds Michelangelo's David statue

Galleria dell 'Accademia

Duration: 00:00.13 sec.

We proceeded down the cobblestone street to see
the 4th largest cathedral in the world, here in Florence.

This building is called the Battistero (Baptistry) in the Piazza San Giovanni.
There is a statue of John the Baptist above the entrance.

The front of the 4th largest cathedral in Europe.

I was amazed by the gold relief in these entrance doors
to the Baptistry aka Battistero.

They tell the story of the Old Testament
beginning with Creation, Adam & Eve,
Cain & Able, the Flood, Abraham
& Isaac, to name 5 of the 10 panels.

Another look at the 4th largest cathedral in Europe.

Looking down another side of the cathedral.

The front with the bell tower to the right.

And finally, the bell tower.

As we proceeded down the street, we
saw this and thought of Josiah.
What do you think of this, Josiah?

I don't remember the significance of this building, but I do know it was built a long time ago and parts were added later and that's why the clock tower isn't located in the middle.

One of many "Town Squares" in Florence

Duration: 00:00.18 sec.

Remember the statue inside the Accademia Museum I said later you would see the original?
Here it is in the town square. Play the video above and look closely to see it again.

I'm pretty sure this is the burial site of Michelangelo and other famous artists.
It's called the Santa Croce Basilica.

Here is a map showing the locations of these landmarks.