Part V: Mediterranean Europe in .NET

Generate Data Matrix 2d barcode in .NET Part V: Mediterranean Europe

See map p 426 Piazza Duomo/Piazza di San Giovanni % 055-230-2885 www operaduomofirenzeit Bus: A, 1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 36, or 37 Admissions: Duomo free, Santa Reparata excavations 3 ($480), dome 6 ($960), baptistery 3 ($480), bell tower 6 ($960), Museo dell Opera 6 ($960); children 5 and under free at all sites Open: Duomo and Santa Reparata excavations Mon Wed and Fri 10 am 5 pm, Thurs and first Sat of each month 10 am 3:30 pm, other Sat 10 am 4:45 pm, Sun and holidays 1:30 4:45 pm (open Sun morning for services only), closed Jan 6; dome Mon Fri 8:30 am 7 pm, Sat 8:30 am 5:40 pm, except first Sat of month and May 1 8:30 am 4 pm (last ascent 40 minutes earlier), closed all religious holidays; baptistery Mon Sat noon to 7 pm and Sun, holidays, and first Sat of each month 8:30 am 2 pm (last entry 30 minutes earlier), closed Jan 1, Easter, Sept 8, Dec 24 and 25; bell tower daily 8:30 am 7:30 pm (last admission 20 minutes earlier), closed Jan 1, Easter, Sep 8, and Dec 25; Museo dell Opera Mon Sat 9 am 7:30 pm, and Sun 9 am 1:45 pm (last admission 40 minutes earlier)

Housed in the administrative offices of the Tuscan Duchy (uffizi means offices ), the gallery is a visual primer on the growth of the Renaissance from the 13th to the 18th centuries, and one of the world s best art galleries You can easily spend all day here, finding room after room of recognized masterpieces, but you can see the highlights in two hours Your exploration of the Uffizi gets off to a fast start in the first room with a trio of giant Maest paintings tracing the birth of the Renaissance from the rigid, Byzantine style of Cimabue, through Gothic elements from Sienese great Duccio, to the innovative work by Giotto, who broke painting out of its static mold and gave it life, movement, depth, and emotion From there, you move through rooms featuring the work of early Sienese masters, such as Pietro Lorenzetti and Simone Martini, and then continue on to Florentine and other Tuscan virtuosos such as Fra Angelico, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Paolo Uccello, and Filippo Lippi Next, you enter a huge room dedicated to Botticelli and focused on his two most famous works, The Birth of Venus (the woman rising out of a seashell) and The Allegory of Spring, and his contemporary Ghirlandaio, who taught a young Michelangelo how to fresco After this, you can see works by Signorelli and Perugino; a young Leonardo da Vinci s Annunciation; and rooms filled with northern European art from the pre- and early Renaissance eras (D rer, Cranach, Hans Holbein the Younger) and Venetian masters such as Correggio, Bellini, and Giorgione After you move to the second corridor, Michelangelo s colorful Holy Family signals your entry into the High Renaissance Michelangelo s use of startling colors and his attention to detail in the twisting bodies influenced a generation of artists called mannerists, whose paintings are on display in the next few rooms Works by mannerist artists (Rosso Fiorentino, Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto, and Parmigianino) are mixed with paintings by such famous names as Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio At press time, work was ongoing on the renovation for the upgrading of the exhibit space, but visits to the gallery were not affected

See map p 426 Piazzale degli Uffizi 6, off Piazza della Signoria % 055-294883 wwwpolomusealefirenzeit Bus: B Admission: 650 ($10), 4 ($640) with advance reservation Open: Tues Sun 8:15 am 6:50 pm Last admission 45 minutes earlier Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25

Galleria dell Accademia (Michelangelo s David)

Many visitors come to Florence with one question on their lips: Which way to the David and forget that the Accademia contains many other works of art, including magnificent paintings by Perugino, Botticelli, and Pontormo, among others In 1501, Michelangelo took a huge piece of marble that a previous sculptor had declared unusable and by 1504 had carved a Goliath-sized David, a masterpiece of the male nude David stood in front of the Palazzo Vecchio until 1873 (a replica is there now); the location inside this gallery makes the sculpture look a little oversized, giving it an awkward feel In 1991, David was attacked by a lunatic with a hammer, so you have to view him through a reinforced-glass shield (like the Piet in Rome) The hall leading to the David is lined with other sculptures, including Michelangelo s unfinished Slaves muscular figures which seem to be struggling to emerge from their stony prisons You can pop in and admire David in about 20 minutes, but it takes at least 45 minutes to wander through the rest of the Accademia s collection See map p 426 Via Ricasoli 60, at Via Guelfa % 055-294883 wwwpolomuseale firenzeit Bus: 1, 6, 7, 10, or 11 to Via Guelfa, then walk 1 block east; C to Piazza San Marco, then walk 1 block south Admission: 650 ($10), 4 ($640) with advance reservation, 950 ($15) for special exhibits Open: Tues Sun 8:15 am 6:50 pm Ticket booth closes 45 minutes earlier Closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25