Firenze!

First of all, as we were leaving Rome today a huge march came by Termini (the transit hum). I have no idea of what it was, it may have been public workers. I'll see what we can find out.

Train ride to Florence (Firenze) was beautiful - farms, forestsw, mountains, ricers: Tuscany. Florence itself is really beautiful. It is cooler, and while it.s crowded, it feels less frantic than Rome. This is the home of the Renaissance, and there is art everywhere. We found a fabulous collection of sculpture in a public spot today. The main catherdal is huge Beyond belief. Its outside walls boast many panels with frescoes, the interior of the dome also has elaborate paintings, although we could not get close enough to look. We visited another Church that has existed since the 8th century. It has served as a combination Church/market/ grainery, although mainly a Church in recent centuries. There are statues of the leaders of old time guilds on its outside wall, - bankers, traders, etc. The river and its bridges are beautiful - one bridge has houses where people live.

My  Renaissance history is coming back to me a bit. I need to read more. I believe Florence was considered decadent by the very religious. A monk named Savoranelo seized power and established a strict theocracy during the Renaissance. He was overthrown (and burnt at the stake.) After his fall, Machiavelli and Others worked for a republic, but people welcomed the Medicis back into power.. not a democratic move. I have read that this is one of the factors that led to Machiavelli's cynicism and focus on how a strong leader can keep power.

We have more exploring to do Tomorrow, and I will try to do some research. happy Saturday, happy Solstice, and watch for the super moon tonight. Ciao.