laurentian.library

Our weekly Friday field trip was a sequel to our previous Florence adventure. We met Marco at the Uffizi Gallery for a on-site lecture about the evolution of Christian art from the Byzantine era to the Renaissance. I had decided to spend an extra night in Florence, so I had a list of sites to see. Adriana and I had similar itineraries, so we teamed up. Friday night was spent visiting the exterior sites of the city after checking into our lovely hostel. After three trips to Florence, I finally visited the Ponte Vecchio, when all the jewelry shops were closed. THIS is the way to experience this tourist-y site: no crowds, no pricey shopping, just the old style doors of the shops one after another. Such texture, such quiet--a chance to imagine the Ponte Vecchio in whatever time you want.

Florence was nearly silent on Friday night: a refreshing and intimate change from the tourist-packed June day I remember. Without the crowds, I got to visit my favorite spot in Florence: the always open loggia of the Uffizi Gallery.



We grabbed a fantastic dinner with a fun waiter who showered us with vino and treats, and called it a night: I had a lot on my to-do list for Saturday.

Despite the fact that the forecast called for the coldest day of the year, I woke up to a gorgeous, clear, sunny, and WARM day in Florence. This beautiful welcome to the day was definitely a sign of the fantastic day ahead.

We started our day off on a gamble. As students in architecture, we just HAD to take an attempt at seeing Michelangelo's revolutionary Renaissance steps at the Laurentian Library at San Lorenzo. These intimidating stairs are ONLY open to the public during special exhibits, which during the off season, were unlikely. Even if you hit it on a good day, the lines can be restrictively long.

LUCKY BREAK #1: We got San Lorenzo to find it was opening day of a Special Exhibit. And the stairs were open. And there were only 5 people in line ahead of us. And Saint Valentine's weekend apparently means most museums in Florence offer a buy one ticket, get one free deal. So without further ado, a rare treat of uncrowded, open Laurentian Library Stairs:





My inner interior architect was giddy. Thus 1,000,000 pictures were taken.



Imagine the wealth and power of a family--the Medici's--who can claim this as their private library:



The original labels of the library stacks/seats are still intact on most benches.



The ornate ceiling and floor speak the same architectural language: each square of the floor corresponds to a bay in the ceiling, decorated with the same characters and figures. Perfecto!