Balls! Balls! Balls!

The family badge of the Medici family, which de facto ran Florence in its greatest years, was 5 red balls on a gold background with a 6th blue ball and a crown on top. Supporters of the Medici in their rivalries with other local families would chant, "Balls! Balls! Balls!" The family that dragged human history into the Renaissance had a great slogan. Their badge is everywhere if you look. Today Lyn kept finding it in the Palazzo Vecchio.

Today began with early morning Skyping with 3 of our children. Our jet-lagged state made this feasible. Eventually we dragged still aching bodies to the Duomo, Florence's truly staggering architectural statement that all you need is cartloads of money, vaulting ambition (nice phrase) and the serendipitous appearance of several geniuses at once, and you can have a nice church. I once read a whole book about Brunelleschi's dome but in lieu of a précis - I've included a picture or two below.

The Duomo from the Palazzo Vecchio

Giotto's Campanile

Before we went in, we lined up with hundreds of others. As the line lengthened without moving, shysters moved up and down the line offering "skip the line tours" for 15 Euro (currently about $28 in Australian funny money). Others sold "shawls for the church" to culturally sensitive foreigners. Then the custodians allowed entry and one of Christendom's largest churches gobbled the line. What did those innocents who coughed for 15€ think at that point?

Inside, twin mercenary captains are a reminder that Florence's invention of 'the Renaissance' was precariously protected by plenty of grunt. We looked at the painted dome and Lyn spent the children's inheritance on candles to pray for the same children who'd Skyped away the early morning. I delivered a quick viva voce on the Renaissance invention of perspective, to which Lyn replied, "I really like the windows".

Outside we admired Giotto's campanile and checked out the bronze doors of the baptistry (the building itself was closed for renovations. 

Then we ate half a lunch at a cafe because the $ is worth about half a € - and went to the Palazzo Vecchio Museo. This involves looking at ceilings painted mostly by the great Vasari. The palazzo is a hulking castle that was the seat of the Republic of Florence's ruling body, the Signoria. Looking at ceilings probably came easier to Florentines as a relief from looking very carefully where they trod when they were outside.

I liked the paintings of the fearsomely ugly Lorenzo the Magnificent looking statesmanlike and wise. The guy survived an assassination plot by the rival Pazzi family (in Church!, at Easter!) as well as invasions by the Pope and other enemies who were in on the plot. The assassins murdered Lorenzo's much better-looking, but less-clever, brother. (When Lee Harvey Oswald claimed, "I'm just a patsy" was he really saying "I'm just a Pazzi"?)

Lorenzo (right) looking down his infamous nose

Putti with a 'dolphin' (the sculptor had clearly never seen one)

The other thing I liked was a 4th century AD Roman who appeared to be looking at the Renaissance splendours around him and thinking, "been there, done that, bought the T shirt".

street-corner shrine

We staggered home for a nap. Then went for an evening stroll along the Arno. I cooked pasta and we drank Chianti. Completely wrecked...

Just like the Nepean except...