We just got back from a long day visiting Florence! We departed at 8 AM from Spoleto and most everyone grabbed a nap and got some reading done for classes. Once in Florence, we visited the Museo di San Marco. The museum occupies a vast area of the Dominican convent of San Marco and preserves much of its original atmosphere. Founded in 1436 and designed by the architect Michelozzo, the convent played an important role in the cultural and religious life of Florence. The museum owes its renown especially to the paintings of Fra Angelico, one of the great artists of the Renaissance, who frescoed extensive parts of the convent. Other works by Fra Angelico, of various provenance, were assembled here in the 20th century, resulting in a remarkable collection of the artist's works.
After this first tour, we walked through Florence's main square, gazing and photographing the Duomo. We made our way to our next stop, the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella. It is one of the oldest and greatest basilicas in Florence, as construction was begun in the mid 1200s. Inside are many, many important and stunning frescoes of the early Rennaissance, including "The Holy Trinity" by Masaccio. His use architectural elements and depth of perspective did for frescoes what Donatello or Michalangelo did for sculpture.
After our visit to the Basilica, students then enjoyed some free time to shop, visit the leather market, sight-see, and have a pizza, caffe, gelato... or all three! Finally, at 4:30 we boarded the bus bound for Spoleto and arrived in time for dinner at the Clitunno. Phew!
Stay tuned for more pics of our excursion tomorrow, but for now we hope you enjoy a couple videos of a few students hanging out in Florence's Piazza del Duomo discussing the day.
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