Thusday June 24 2010

The Feast of John the Baptist – early rise – out the door at 7 for the trek into Florence. We knew it would be a long day – St John is the patron of Florence and the city would be abuzz with activities. We parked in the same great location (Mercato centrale)and got there before the vendors were even set up. We stopped for a café and the first order was the Medici chapels. This is a complex that includes the chapel and mausoleum that was begun in 1605 and kept workers busy for several hundred years. The new Sacristy was designed by Michelangelo.
Michelangelo received the commission for the sacristy from Cardinal Giulio de’Medici who later became Pope Clement VII. It was to be the burial chapel for his cousins Giuliano and Lorenzo. It turned out to be a tour de force of architecture and sculpture. Again, the sculptures of Michelangelo are a sight to behold. The details, down to the fingernails blow me away.
We then headed over to the Duomo for Mass. Again, Fr Douglas surprised us by taking part in the procession and mass for the celebration of the feast. The pomp and pageantry were awe inspiring to say the least. I don’t remember being in the Duomo, and certainly not for Mass. It was a very moving experience.
Afterward, we headed to lunch at Pizzaioulo. We had individual pizzas (OMG) then onto the Uffizi. The Uffizi Gallery occupies the top floor of the U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi fronting on the Arno. It held the offices (Uffizi) of the administration of the Medici grand duke Cosimo I. Later the Medici family installed their art collections here, creating what was Europe’s first modern museum. We spent the better part of the afternoon here, then took a quick jaunt to the Ponte Vecchio for a photo op.
Arrangements had been made with Lino (brother of Franco Ponzo, who we visited with in Rome) to meet us back in San Ginignano. Dinner was had at La Tavern Paradiso, tucked in a corner of the city wall. Lino arrived too late for dinner, but I enjoyed an after dinner Grappe – Good night!!