Florence: Palazzo Pitti

My random wanderings on my day trip to Florence brought me to Ponte Vecchio, an old bridge which crosses the river Arno. It is believed that Ponte Vecchio was built in the Roman times, though it doesn't make an appearance in historical documents until 996. Since then, it has been destroyed by the river and rebuilt a number of times. What makes Ponte Vecchio unusual are the shops that run along each side; they used to house butchers and blacksmiths, but today are occupied by jewelry shops.

The shift from dead cows to diamonds can perhaps be attributed to Cosimo I de'Medici and Giorgio Vasari (remember Vasari from the last post? He painted part of the Santa Maria del Fiore frescoes). The Medici were Florence's reigning family during the Renaissance. They rose to power as bankers and over the years produced several important Florentine figures, including a couple of popes. Of course, the fact that a wealthy banking family secured the papacy more than once absolutely does not mean that the Catholic church was corrupt. But I digress.

In 1565, Cosimo de'Medici had Vasari build a corridor above Ponte Vecchio so that he could travel from the Palazzo Vecchio, which was Florence's town hall, to the Palazzo Pitti, his residence, without mingling with the commoners. To heighten the corridor's prestige, he made it illegal for butchers to sell on the bridge, and their shops were taken over by gold merchants.

Ponte Vecchio is great for people watching, gelato eating, and apparently, for ensuring everlasting love. In several different spots you can see clusters of padlocks, part of a growing trend in which star crossed lovers write their names on a lock and toss the key into the river.

Once you get to the other side of the river, it's a short walk to the Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace. The heart of the palace dates back to 1458, when it was the home of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. The Medici bought the palace in 1549 and expanded it to the size it is today. It housed generations of powerful families until the late 18th century when Napoleon rudely stormed in. He used it as a military base for a few years, but it lay empty for almost a century after his departure. It was donated to the city of Florence by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919 and today houses several art collections, including that of the Medici family.

The interior of the palace is, as one might expect, lavish and beautiful. Visitors can walk through the royal apartments, which consist of 14 gorgeously decorated rooms covered in art collected by the Medici. Walls are lined with colorful satin, the ceilings are covered in frescoes, and enormous chandeliers cast sparkling light all around. Of course, photography isn't permitted. The horrendous photos below are the result of my attempts to inconspicuously snap a few shots.

The palace is home to several other attractions as well, including a costume gallery, modern art gallery, porcelain museum, and the Boboli Gardens.

The Boboli Gardens are a massive expanse of Alice in Wonderland-esque statues and shrubbery. They stretch far beyond the palace and you could easily spend a few hours walking through the entire thing.

I got lost for awhile and found myself going in circles, but eventually made it to the other end of the garden. I was greeted by a murky green pond and a statue of Titan topped off with a crane posing casually atop his head.

You can see all of Florence sprawled out beneath you, as well as a gorgeous view of the back of the palace.

If you're lucky, you might run into Cosimo de'Medici himself, reincarnated in the form of a shabby cat.

By the time I was done at Palazzo Pitti, it was dark out and things were beginning to close. I had spent nearly four hours wandering around the palace and the gardens! If I had another day in Florence, this wouldn't be a problem, but if you're making a day trip there, budget your time better than I did. You shouldn't miss out on the palace, but I'd suggest skipping the gardens unless the weather is really nice and only spending an hour or so inside the palace, otherwise you'll find yourself out of time like I did. Then again, Florence is just as charming by night!

Cimitero Monumentale

Milan's Monumental Cemetery can be summed up with two words: enchantingly eerie. It's hidden up in the northern part of the city, above Parco Sempione and away from the always busy Piazza del Duomo and Sforza Castle area. The nearest metro stop is Porta Garibaldi, and the cemetery is about a ten minute walk through a not-so-nice area from the station. By not-so-nice, I mean there is currently a ton of construction going on, the buildings have a low rent hideousness to them, and you're likely to catch the faint whiff of urine more than once. But trust me, it's worth it!

The cemetery is hard to miss due to its looming cathedral entrance and stone walls surrounding the nearly 250,000 square meter site. It was opened in 1866 as a "resting place for Milan's most important men" and has since expanded to include anyone willing to pay what I imagine must be a hefty price for a plot of land.

The entrance to the cemetery takes you through the Famedio, a massive, cathedral-esque structure. The exterior is made of marble and built in the late medieval style, while the inside is decorated with lavish Byzantine blues and golds. The city's most honored and well known citizens lie within the walls of the Famedio, while lesser known graves occupy the expanse of land behind the building.

I think the interior must be so bright and shiny to make up for the overall gloominess of the cemetery itself. After admiring the dome, I made my way down one of the long hallways, where nameplates and statues line the walls. Eventually the walls disappeared, replaced by pillars and massive tombs commemorating Milan's most famous writers, artists, and politicians. 

My first visit to the cemetery occurred by accident. I noticed the massive dome of the Famedio while wandering around one day and decided to take a look. It was a rather unfortunate day to be walking around a cemetery; the sun was hidden behind dark grey clouds, a brisk wind was causing tree branches to creak eerily, and as I found myself further and further into the shadowy depths of tombs and graves, it began to rain. Telling myself I didn't want to get wet, I abruptly left, but in all honestly, I was completely freaked out. I returned on a much sunnier day, though I still couldn't shake the general uneasiness I felt as I meandered through statues and tombs.

Every statue is different. Some are religious figures, poised to ward off evil and protect the inhabitants of the graves. Some are likenesses of the deceased, and others portray the surviving family members, keeping watch over their lost loved ones. They're all beautiful in their own strange ways... though some are just downright creepy.

The crypts are remarkable as well. Some are built for individuals, but most house entire families. Each one is a unique, miniature example of some form of architecture: gothic, renaissance, medieval, modern... there's even an Egyptian pyramid.  

The cemetery is the #5 Milan attraction on TripAdvisor. This either means that Milan sucks for sightseeing if a cemetery is in the top ten, or that it's a pretty damn interesting cemetery. In  my opinion, it's  a little of both. Either way, it's a rather remarkable place and I highly suggest a visit if you ever pass through Milan.