One thing that’s very interesting in Italy is that I don’t have any trouble sleeping through the night. Back home I would be up various times each night, sometimes had trouble getting back to sleep after getting
up – but it’s not happening here. Yay!!
After class today I went to visit the Church of Santa Croce which is literally around the corner from the school. The Basilica di Santa Croce (Italian for 'Basilica of the Holy Cross') is the principal Franciscan church in Florence and when the site was first chosen, it was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and the composer Rossini.
The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are it's sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. The construction of the current church, to replace an older building, was begun on 12 May 1294. The building's design reflects the austere approach of the Franciscans. The Primo Chiostro, the main cloister, houses the Cappella dei Pazzi, built as the chapter house, completed in the 1470s. Filippo Brunelleschi (who had designed and executed the dome of the Duomo) was involved in its design to honor the Medici, which has remained rigorously simple and unadorned.
The bell tower was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one damaged by lightning. The neo-Gothic marble façade dates from 1857–1863 and was designed by the Jewish architect Niccolo Matas, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. A monument to Florence Nightingale stands in the cloister, in the city in which she was born and after which she was named. In 1966, the Arno River flooded much of Florence, including Santa Croce. The water entered the church bringing mud, pollution and heating oil. The damage to buildings and art treasures was severe, taking several decades to repair.
In the refectory there is a modern metal column with signs showing the height of flood waters at the church over the centuries. Vasari’s Last Supper in the refectory was terribly damaged by the 1966 flood and took over 50 years to repair. It is now hung on two cables that can raise the piece if there are flood warnings. The lovely cloister is a great place to relax and enjoy the greenery and feel surrounded by history - even more than just walking through Firenze. It is warm today and now at 5pm it is 79°.
I got a couple of things for lunch on my walk home, and once home I was just sitting down to eat when the power went off. I had put on the A/C and thought that was the problem. I looked in the circuit box and saw that no breakers were tripped, so I called my landlady who was super responsive. She had someone over in about 30-40 minutes and he flipped another switch on the meter itself that got things working again. When he was gone for about 3 minutes the power went out again, Martina got him and he came back. When he talked to the utility, he found that the problem was not in the building or apartment, but a was a neighborhood issue. It should be fixed this afternoon or latest tomorrow morning (this being Italy, that means maybe tomorrow!).
I have a dinner out with my InterNations group this evening.
Photos from Santa Croce: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RgwwTsNyQC5ht1d59
up – but it’s not happening here. Yay!!
After class today I went to visit the Church of Santa Croce which is literally around the corner from the school. The Basilica di Santa Croce (Italian for 'Basilica of the Holy Cross') is the principal Franciscan church in Florence and when the site was first chosen, it was in marshland outside the city walls. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and the composer Rossini.
The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. Its most notable features are it's sixteen chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his pupils, and its tombs and cenotaphs. The construction of the current church, to replace an older building, was begun on 12 May 1294. The building's design reflects the austere approach of the Franciscans. The Primo Chiostro, the main cloister, houses the Cappella dei Pazzi, built as the chapter house, completed in the 1470s. Filippo Brunelleschi (who had designed and executed the dome of the Duomo) was involved in its design to honor the Medici, which has remained rigorously simple and unadorned.
The bell tower was built in 1842, replacing an earlier one damaged by lightning. The neo-Gothic marble façade dates from 1857–1863 and was designed by the Jewish architect Niccolo Matas, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. A monument to Florence Nightingale stands in the cloister, in the city in which she was born and after which she was named. In 1966, the Arno River flooded much of Florence, including Santa Croce. The water entered the church bringing mud, pollution and heating oil. The damage to buildings and art treasures was severe, taking several decades to repair.
In the refectory there is a modern metal column with signs showing the height of flood waters at the church over the centuries. Vasari’s Last Supper in the refectory was terribly damaged by the 1966 flood and took over 50 years to repair. It is now hung on two cables that can raise the piece if there are flood warnings. The lovely cloister is a great place to relax and enjoy the greenery and feel surrounded by history - even more than just walking through Firenze. It is warm today and now at 5pm it is 79°.
I got a couple of things for lunch on my walk home, and once home I was just sitting down to eat when the power went off. I had put on the A/C and thought that was the problem. I looked in the circuit box and saw that no breakers were tripped, so I called my landlady who was super responsive. She had someone over in about 30-40 minutes and he flipped another switch on the meter itself that got things working again. When he was gone for about 3 minutes the power went out again, Martina got him and he came back. When he talked to the utility, he found that the problem was not in the building or apartment, but a was a neighborhood issue. It should be fixed this afternoon or latest tomorrow morning (this being Italy, that means maybe tomorrow!).
I have a dinner out with my InterNations group this evening.
Photos from Santa Croce: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RgwwTsNyQC5ht1d59