Europe '81: Florence

September 7, 1981

If you only have one day to spend in Florence, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, don't go on a Monday. The city's great art museums, like the Uffizi Gallery with Botticelli's Birth of Venus and the Accademia Gallery with Michelangelo's David, will be closed. But this was the day I arrived in Firenze in September of 1981.

Michelangelo's David, Accademia Gallery

I have no slides, and few memories, of my visit but I can fill in the gaps with more recent travel photos. My journal tells me I arrived on a train from Rome at 1:17 p.m. and the one thing I do remember about that afternoon is shopping.

Florence Straw Market

According to my notes I was at the Mercato Centrale where there were good buys on gloves. But this is a covered food market so I suspect I'd actually been browsing the outdoor stalls of the nearby San Lorenzo Market not far from Santa Maria Novella train station. I bought a scarf (4,500 lire or $4.50) for my mother and a poster of The Birth of Venus (1,500 lire or $1.50) for my friend.

San Lorenzo Market

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, Uffizi Gallery

I also made my way to Piazza della Signoria, the city's most popular square. In front of the Fountain of Neptune I found the plaque where Savonarola burned. I wonder if I noticed the replica of David in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. I made no note of the famous sculpture in my journal.

Piazza della Signoria

Replica of David, Palazzo Vecchio Entrance

Loggia dei Lanzi

Palazzo Vecchio, Town Hall

Fountain of Neptune

Savonarola Plaque

On the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence, I found the shops tempting but didn't purchase any shiny gold trinkets.

Ponte Vecchio

Vasari Corridor

Gold Jewellery on the Ponte Vecchio

The Arno River

The Duomo, or Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, impressed me with its vibrant marble exterior.

The Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore

Cathedral Facade

Marble Detail

The adjacent Baptistery had a lovely mosaic ceiling and the "Gates of Paradise" as Michelangelo dubbed Ghiberti's bronze doors. At the time of my visit I would've seen the original doors. In 1990 they were moved to the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo for safekeeping and replaced with a copy.

Baptistery of San Giovanni

Mosaic Ceiling of the Baptistery

Ghiberti's Bronze Doors, The Gates of Paradise

Bronze Panel from the Baptistery Door

My whirlwind first visit to Florence introduced me to some of the historic city's highlights but after a few brief hours I had to say ciao to Italy and return to the train station for my 8:20 p.m. departure to Vienna, Austria.