On the Go with Griffin: Photo Walk in Florence

The Torre San Niccolo has recently been (re)opened for visitors to go to the roof for scenic views over Florence.

Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross)

Once a year, an early form of soccer called Calcio Fiorentino
is played on the piazza in front of Santa Croce.

Entombed inside are Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini.

There is a monument to Dante in front of
Santa Croce.

Photos and sculptures of Dante always show him looking
severe because of his attitude toward the Catholic Church.

Florence is the birthplace of Dante, and his home has been turned
into a museum.

Dante was eventually exiled from Florence
and he died and was buried elsewhere.

Florence, like many old European cities, is a series of winding
alleys and streets.

Pedestrians share the streets with automobiles.

The city has been built on top of Medieval and Roman ruins. This
curved building was built on the remains of the Roman coliseum that
once stood in this spot.

The Law Courts at the Piazza San Firenze

Detail above the door of the Law Courts

The Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno

The Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge
spared by the retreating Nazis, though both ends
were blocked to prevent the Allied troops from
being able to cross.

The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence.

The shops that line the bridge once belonged to butchers,
but they were eventually forced to move away from the center of town
because of the stench they created.

Today, most of the shops are jewelers and souvenir kiosks.

This is a bust of Celleni, one of the most famous goldsmiths,
along with being a painter, soldier, and sculptor.

One of the Medici's had a passageway built connecting the Uffizi with their
Palace across the River Arno.

The Piazza della Repubblica was built on the site of the Roman Forum, and later the Jewish Ghetto. When Italy was unified, Florence briefly became the capital. The new government spent money restoring the city, destroying some of the Roman remains in the process. Before the restoration was completed, the government decided that Florence would not be the capital of the Italian Republic.

The inscription above the arch translates "The ancient center
of the city/restored from age-old squalor/to new life."

The Column of Abundance marks the point where the
East-West and North-South Roman roads crossed.

We attended a leatherworking demonstration. The woman is explaining how they make Florentine jewelry boxes with three bumps to represent the hills of Tuscany.