Monday, March 07, 2005
On to Florence


Day 3 began with an early breakfast and a busload of suitcases and people. Before driving to Firenze (Florence) the plan was to make a stop at the Vatican to catch an early-bird tour of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. However, we missed that early-bird tour by about 15 minutes (one of the negative aspects of traveling with a group, I suppose), and waited in line for about an hour behind every other hopeful tourist within several blocks of the museum. But collectively we decided that the wait was worth it, and finally we were allowed to enter the building.

Once inside, we viewed many elaborately decorated ceilings as well as sculptures, tapestries, and other artwork that had been collected throughout the years or sent as gifts to various Popes. Everyone was told to be quiet as we entered the Sistine Chapel, which was restored recently to the tune of 8 million dollars (donated by a Japanese company who holds the rights to any published images of the Ceiling until 2007.) Some of the reverence of the chapel was lost due to the fact that there were approximately 200 other people viewing the chapel at the same time as us, but the true colors in the frescoes were magnificent to see in person.

With a crick in our necks from looking up for so long we then made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica. Originally designed by Michelangelo in the 1500s, it is impressive both for the sheer amount of artwork it contains as well as for its vastness – a fact that you don’t realize when you first enter because of Michelangelo’s perfectly proportional design. It isn’t until you search for the front of the church and view the tiny people standing near the altar that you can begin to comprehend just how large the building is in its entirety.

After spending the morning at the Vatican it was time to depart for Florence. Driving through the regions of Umbria and Tuscans allowed us views of empty vineyards, pastures dotted with sheep, and the Apennine Mountains in the distance.

Labels:

posted by Joanna Bolick @ 7:59 PM  
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home
 
About Us
      Hi! I'm Joanna, author of this journal. My husband Mark and I are photographers in Asheville, North Carolina. Most recently we collaborated on a 12 week beginner photography course, the contents of which you can find
    • here.
      • The name of our company, Tuesday's Frog, is based on an almost wordless children's book about frogs that go flying on lily pads one night. We love it because it tells a story in pictures. Cole & Harper are our children, and frequent (though not always willing) photography subjects. So here you'll find not only the story of our lives, but of those we've photographed as well. We'd love to tell your story, too!
Archives
A Few of my Favorite Things
Our Asheville Area Favorites
Receive Journal Updates

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

© 2008 Asheville Wedding and Portrait Photography - Tuesday's Frog Photography All images on this site are copyright 2005-2008 Tuesdaysfrog LLC. Removal and use of these images in any manner is prohibited unless a written release is obtained from us. Thank you!