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Egypt
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Santa Maria Del Fiore, the Duomo
of Florence. Built in the 11th through 18th centuries, I would bet
that, next to St. Peter's, it is the most visited church in Italy.
Assisi might give it a run for its money, but take the
bet.
Every roof in Florence is required to be red tile unless built in 897
(?) as was the Baptistery in this photo.
I took this picture on Ascension Sunday. People who know me are
amazed I got off the ground. |
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The Church's size
and mosaic of color are so overwhelming that you may miss the fact that
each color, each change in geometry and each change in texture is a
separate piece of marble. No paint. Just tons and tons of
individual colored stones, flat and sculpted. |
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More subtle is the fact that the stone itself determines
the way the church is built. Because stone does not bend or
stretch for beans (and steel hadn't been invented), you will never see
straight runs of stone. Arches or domes had to be used to hold up all
the ceilings because they keep the stone in compression and thus avoid
any bending forces. While the arch has been attributed to the
Romans, rumor has it that they borrowed the concept from the
Greeks. (This is a Church in Sicily, but it shows the arches well..) |
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The green,
white and black tiles are the floor of the Duomo. This is a look down the stairs
as I was climbing up to the top of the church. For a price of
course. $4.00, if I remember correctly.
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463 steps and here we go! One, two, three and
look at me...fifty seven, fifty eight and goin' great...hundred forty
nine, hundred fifty and everything's nifty...two hundred ten, two
hundred eleven and we're on our way to heaven...three hundred ninety,
three hundred ninety one, no longer fun...four hundred four,
four hundred five, I won't make it alive...four hundred thirty
one, four hundred thirty two, my toe has worn through my shoe...four hundred twenty eight, four hundred forty nine,
rhyme schyme, I need air...four fifty
seven, that nun stepped on my hand, got to get up... four sixty two,
ruining the knees of my pants... four hundred sixty three, finally at
the top. "Is there a cardiac specialist up
here?"
"Stars are fading. Let's see what there is to see up here? Try out this
cheapie panoramic camera."
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| "Ah, the
Palazzo Vechio with the Uffizi Galery behind. Home of my favorite
statue: The boy removing a thorn from his foot." |
"Santa Croce in
the distance. Nice place for the big sleep. Michelangelo,
Galileo, Dante and Machiavelli are buried here. OK, OK, not Dante,
but he wishes he was. |
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| "Too
tired to walk down. Better to jump and hope
to land on a soft person." |
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The door (actually a copy) to the Baptistery,
"The Gate of Paradise", was done by Ghiberti. It was
added in 1452. The people were added later. The door took 28
years of work.
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A little closer
shows that the door is made of gilded bronze. The
real door is down the street in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
Worth the walk to see it. There are ten panels depicting biblical
scenes including Adam and Eve being expelled and the fall of Jerico.
Yep, that's me in the red shirt. Not bad shape after jumping
296 feet onto a fat guy. |
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This is panel number 2.
Cain Murders his Brother, Abel |
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Let's hit the town! |
This panel number 11.
Carvings from Christ's Carpenter Shop. |
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