One night in Florence
There is something magical about wandering the streets of Florence as night. No it isn't just the gelato! Partly it is the vibe of the thousands of tourist and students wandering the streets aimlessly. But mostly I think it has to do with the sense of past, when humans were much more into mythical figures, the spirituality of gods and less focused on earthly pursuits.
This is a photo tour of "One night in Florence."
One of several fountains in Florence where people can take a drink - if they dare! We saw a young student fill up his water bottle in this one and take a drink. I believe it was a bit of a dare. Later we found out these communal drinking fountains have been used for centuries and are a wonderful reminder of the how urban life has evolved from one of sharing to one of privacy (they are perfectly safe to use).
David by Michelangelo was completed in 1504 and is considered one of the great masterpieces of the Renaissance. At 17 ft high it is three times life size, which creates a monumental impact on the viewer.
Medici Lion, one of two lions, one of which is an ancient lion from 200 AD that was removed from a relief, reworked and moved to the piazza, the other was commissioned in 1594 by Vacca.
The rape of Polyxena, Pio Fedi, 1865 takes on a whole new meaning in the 21st century.
The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna.
The fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati, 1565, has a wonderful surreal blue in the evening light (this iPhone image has not been altered).
Many of the churches are open in the evening offering a surprisingly different spiritual and surreal experience than during the day.
You can even enjoy an free evening organ concert, that spills out onto the street. You may even feel like you have died and gone to heaven.
Forget twitter, leave a note for God.
Twitter notes?
Even if you are non-religious you can't help but be impacted by the sense of life and death that engulfs you in ancient cities like Florence.
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