First stop on our trip, after landing in Milan, was to take a train trip to Bertinoro, a medieval castle dating from the 10th century (yes that is more than 1000 years old), where our conference was held. On Tuesday, the conference had a field trip to visit nearby Ravenna, where a Christian cathedral dates to 500 A.D. (yes, 1500 years old).
From there we went to Florence (Firenze in Italian), with all of its glories. You really haven’t lived until you have seen the statue of David in the flesh at the Academia, all 15 feet of gleaming marble, with his calm but assured look to the future. But there are numerous other show-stopping sights as well, including the surprisingly attractive Florence Domo (cathedral), the Uffizi art gallery, the Borgello Palace, the Vecchio Palace, the Piti Palace, the Basilica of St. Croce, and the archaeological museum. But this list only scratches the surface — we saw 12 museums of 72 on the Firenze card.
Here are just a few photos (not of art works, since in many cases these cannot be photographed).
Bertinoro castle, where we held our conference.
Interior of 500AD-era cathedral in Ravenna.
Exterior of the Florence Domo. We climbed the stairs to the top of the dome.
View of Florence from the top of the Domo.
Roman-era amphitheater outside Florence.
Michaelangelo’s Pieta (we were allowed to take photos of this one).
In the Vecchio Palace we happened to see, from a balcony, a session of a meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Cyclists Union, in a room loaded with great art.
The Piti Palace, every room of which is overflowing with art masterpieces.
Michelangelo’s tomb in the Basilica of St. Croche.