Tag: Scuola del Cuoio

This fall I took a great trip to Rome, Florence, and Venice. This is part 3 covering Florence. Future posts include more highlights of Florence and Venice.

On the way to Florence, we stopped for lunch at the Castel Vicchiomaggio winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. High on the top of a hill, the views were amazing, and the wine was to die for!  Eventually, we all made it back onto the bus and continued on to Florence. We stayed at the Hotel Cavour, which was a modern hotel within easy walking distance of all the attractions.

 

 

Our first tour in Florence was the Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s sculpture, The Statue of the David (1504). The Accademia has a lot of historical pieces and is a bit low key, until you turn the corner and at the far end of the room, with dramatic lighting and a raised ceiling, is the Statue of the David.

 

 

The word magnificent doesn’t do it justice. Carved from one piece of white marble, Michelangelo was the third sculptor to work on the piece. It was originally commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence (the Duomo) to be part of a group of sculptures that was to decorate the building 40 feet in the air. This explains why the statue is 14 feet tall and certain features are outsized to support the structure and be seen from a distance.

Declaring the work too perfect to be high up on the Cathedral, it was on display outdoors in the Piazza della Signora until 1873, when it was moved to the Accademia. The exhibit also has some interesting unfinished pieces by Michelangelo, which give a perspective on how the artist approached his work.

The next day we toured the Baptistery, Duomo Cathedral, Duomo Museum, and the Workshop. The Duomo (also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) was built in the 13th and 14th century adjacent to the smaller church called the Baptistery. The famous dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi was added in the 15th century. The interior, especially the artwork in the dome is beautiful. It seemed wherever you went in Florence, you had a glimpse of the Duomo.

 

 

 

The Duomo Museum has a wonderful collection of art including works of Michelangelo, Luca della Robbia, and Donatello. It is definitely worth a visit. My favorite part of the museum was the workshop where the beautiful marble columns and other marble components of the Duomo are repaired. A man whose father and grandfather worked in the workshop before him showed us the tools and the process of repairing a marble column. They still use the same tools their forefathers used (with the addition of a couple of modern power tools), but also the same tools the sculptors used when creating their masterpieces.

Florence is not just about art. The food is incredible. For me the most exciting food discoveries were the GROM gelato place and the Starbene Gold Bakery. Both were 100% gluten free, which is magic to the ears of someone with celiac disease, who can’t have a speck of gluten or risk sickness. Let’s just say the woman who ran the bakery and I become fast friends.

Florence is known for its leather shops and they are everywhere, both in shops and street vendors. Some are good quality and others are not as good. Our tour guide told us about the leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) that is located on the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery of Santa Croce. After World War II, one of the friars decided to start the school to pass on leather skills to orphaned children so they would have a way to support themselves. Today the students are underprivileged residents of Florence. If you are looking for leather goods, this is the place to go. Not only can you watch the goods being made, but the craftsmanship is beautiful. Here are some pictures from the cases along with a picture of the small wallet I purchased.

See Part 4 for more on Florence and Part 5 for Venice.