Second Visit to Florence

Monday we re-visited Firenze (Florence) to see the Ufizi, a national museum of art. Here are housed some of the greatest collections of Gothic, Rennaissance and Florentine art in the world. It was filled with many, many religious paintings and Roman sculptures by some of the most famous artists in history, including Botticelli, Michealangelo, and DaVinci. . Incredibly, you are able to stand within a foot or two of priceless paintings, the most valuable of which are protected behind thick walls of glass. But you can see them clearly, close enough to touch. No photos are allowed inside so I can’t show it to you. It was striking to think that at one time the work of artists was valued as a commodity like gold and silver. But artwork is not a “thing”…it is a person’s soul. And yet many of these sculptures, statues and paintings don’t even bear a name of the creator. We viewed Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus “, Michealangelo’s “The Holy Family”, and DaVinci’s “The Annunciation”. The sun came through the windows just right, and I stood leaning over inches away from DaVinci’s work…. I have seen the very brush strokes of his hand. I was in tears.