Russell had mentioned many times that he feels like he’s coming home when he returns to Florence. He passed through the city as a teenager, visited again for 4 months as a student in his 20s, and has returned numerous times thereafter, not including a couple weeks each summer for the past 5 years of this field study.
After 2 days in the city, I can already understand why. Florence, unlike Rome, is a very welcoming city. Many people know some english here, along with the foreign students or tourists, and if not, they’re very open to helping you out as best they can. But more than the people, this city simply feels intellectual. I find I keep needing to remind myself the number of amazing works of art and architecture hidden here.
Yesterday morning we biked over the Arno to the Chiesa di San Spirito; one of the few full buildings Brunelleschi bad built. I remembered a little bit of it from the presentation by Morgan and April in the spring, but it wasn’t one of the churches I was eagerly looking forward to. So when I stepped through the doors, I did not expect what I received.
Mass was still underway, but the tourist information guard allowed us to sit at the back until it finished. When it was over, we explored the church, admiring Brunelleschi’s fine architectural science, and Rus came over to me and said it was my kind of place. And it was. We talked about it for a bit, and when I walked a little further it really hit me.
This was perhaps the first time I had visited a building of this type that was specifically designed (and designed well at that) to illicit the sort of awe-inducing reaction I was having: it was a cerebral space created to bring people closer to God.
And in knowing that, and seeing that, I was inspired to think that I might someday be able to create the same experience for someone else.
Here my love of architecture found context.. and a base from which to build upon. What this church did for the renaissance, is perhaps what a creation of my own could do for the 21st century. Hey, I’m in Florence, I’m allowed to dream big.. nay, I’m required to.
Continuing on that theme, we visited the Santa Maria del Carmine to view the early renaissance frescos in the Brancacci Chapel before going back across the river to the Santa Croce. The basilica was undergoing rennovations to the timber roof structure, but we were able to see most of the restored work, as well as the tombs of Michelangelo and Dante, to name a few. We then headed into the central court to view Rus’ favorite piece of architecture in the world: the Pazzi Chapel.
Built by Brunelleschi before his San Spirito, the chapel is a perfect example of his reinterpretation of Roman classicism. Although, my favorite place within the Santa Croce complex was most certainly the cloister. The contrast in space was palpable, and silence was in abundance. Florence had been treating me well and this was a wonderful gift to round out the afternoon. We sat in the shade in the southwest corner while Rus told us the following assignments, and the rest of the day was ours, so most of us explored the works in the other buildings before closure at 5:30.
… at which time Brad, Morgan and myself biked over to the rental place to pick up some biking gloves, then headed back to our ‘hood for some food. We found a decent pizza place where we met an leather-designing Argentinian living in Spain and working in Florence, who had lived in New York for 35 years previously. He reveled in the wonderfulness of Spain, particularly Barcelona, and so my post-Italy plans were solidified. I would indeed need to spend as much time in Barcelona as possible. We biked our 15euro, 30″ pizza to the nearest green space and enjoyed before heading home to watch Espana vs. Italia (where i quickly fell asleep)
They are so different, Rome and Florence. I thought Rome was my kind of place, but Florence has already given me so much. I could spend months here and still not be ready to leave. I suppose I’ll have to try my best with the week I’m given.. thankfully our main assignment for this place is to seek out moments of truth. Transcendent moments: 3 moments in which I feel alive.. moments that answers the reasons I’m here.. moments unique to this place, and this time. Moments of interaction, or conversation, or realization, without other members of the group. What a great project, no?
