Florence was not in my original plans, and so I had no expectations in going there. I think I fell asleep in humanities when we discussed the whole Renaissance thing. For whatever reason the art and the sensibilities of the Renaissance never caught my imaginations. So I entered Florence with few expectations.
Our first experience of the this region came as we stopped in Siena on our way to Florence. I made a point to stop here at the suggestion of Fr. Al, the pastor at St. Catherine of Siena church here in Burlingame.
The town square was interesting, but I was not prepared for the Duomo (Cathedral) of the city. Faced with white and black marble, the exterior of the church is striking. The church itself is a work of art. On entering the church there is more art. The floors are art, there are paintings everywhere, and again the building itself was art. I found myself captivated by its beauty.
Even this didn't prepare me for the Duomo in Florence. While we were too late to see the inside, we did arrive in Florence in time to walk around the outside. Again, I was stunned by the liveliness of the outside of the building. Not just a big stone edifice, the outside is vibrant. I didn't expect to be moved in this way, but there it is.
The next day we had the chance to visit the inside of the Duomo. After seeing the outside I could only imagine what was inside. And...what a disappointment. It was big. There were a lot of paintings of the wall. But while the outside was alive, the inside seemed sterile.
In Rome the churches were often plain on the outside, but when you went inside they came alive with color and image everywhere.
It made me think a little of my own life. What kind of person do I want to be? A person who spends most of my energy on the outside, or a person who works on making the inside beautiful?
Tomorrow, museums!
Thomas
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