Buildings speak about the values of the society that created it. Beyond their immediate function, they honor human achievement.
The Baptistery
My favorite building, so far, has been the Baptistery. All of the places we have visited are extremely decadent, but the Baptistery is unique because, instead of the ceiling being covered in frescoes or gilded panels, the entire dome is one huge mosaic. That being said, the scenes are so intricately laid out that, from far away, they look like a painting. This is the perfect example of a reason seeing a picture of something on the Internet cannot provide the same experience as seeing the same thing in person. Internet photos can aid the experience in that they sometimes show a closer view than is available to the public. This is the case with the baptistery ceiling because you can only see as closely as the distance from where you stand on the ground. On the other hand, when you see the ceiling in person, you get to see how the light plays off the tiny tiles in really subtle ways, and how it takes close examination to even realize that the images are, in fact, made up of a massive number of tiny pieces, meticulously arranged to represent the scene. In addition, by going to the real building instead of just looking at pictures, you have the opportunity to experience the space in three dimensions all around you: when you see pictures, they are in front of your eyes, but when you are in a space, it surrounds you from every angle, making you a part of it. One way of putting it that I thought about a lot during my time in Florence, was that I felt like I was a witness to history. It is one thing to learn about the past through researching it from a location on the other side of the world. It is quite another to get up close and personal, to the point where you can see every grout line in a tiled floor, and imagine the hands that laid the design. Seeing the baptistery in person was a far more valuable experience than just seeing pictures of it while sitting in a classroom in America.
-Hannah
-Hannah
The Duomo
One place that I thought was going to be beautiful was the Duomo; it was even more astounding than you can even begin to imagine. Pictures do not do it justice! From a distance it looks like images that you could easily pull up online, but up close just the sheer magnitude of the building is enough to take your breath away. This structure is an excellent example of how people during the Renaissance took pride in creating buildings that were meant to wow visitors and make them want to visit Florence. The Florentine people did not waste any space on, or inside, the building. Every square inch of the magnificent structure contains art. You can imagine the impact that this would have had on the Florentine citizens and those that visited the city. The swirling patterns of green and cream decorating the outside was a common color schema on many buildings in Florence, but the most beautiful is definitely the Duomo. It is quite obvious that the people of this period honored extravagance and luxury; the Duomo is a testament to this with all of its splendor and beauty. Also, the fact that this dome was even created is a huge achievement for Brunelleschi and the men who worked to put it into place. Seeing how big and magnificent it is, I cannot even comprehend how they were able to erect this structure without the use of modern construction tools to lift the giant bricks into place! I am so glad that I was able to view this building in person because no picture can do it complete justice!
-Tailor
-Tailor
A source of inspiration
Ancient Greek and Roman architecture were also great inspirations to patrons and architects for buildings in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries. For example, the Roman Pantheon inspired Brunelleschi’s dome for the Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as the Duomo). Pictures of both of these sites greatly diminish the scale and grandeur of them. They almost seem unreal and fantasy-like depictions of what Italians imagined were created during the Renaissance. Visiting both structures, you embrace an immediate feeling of awe, and undergo a breathtaking and immobilizing moment when you realize how great of an accomplishment these were- not only for their cities but the progression of technology and human skill overall. The domes are massive structures that are still respected by all after hundreds of years. Not only was it a great feat for the Renaissance Italians to construct these works, but so is it for them to still be standing after all this time, war, and repurposing they've undergone. A good example of this would be Tempio Isrealitico, which not only retains its original purpose of being a synagogue, but also withstood a flood, the invasion of the Nazis, who used it as a garage, and their bombing attempt to destroy it. When entering the building and learning about its history you quickly see that it's a symbol of strength and perseverance of the Jewish culture and throughout time.
-Kayla & Connie
-Kayla & Connie