the Duomo, Florence, Italy

 

I walked and walked the city streets, taking in all the subtle magic that Florence careened around me through its intrinsic waves of aesthetic precision and art.

But neither would Florence’s lovely perimeter, dotted with lush palms and framed as it were on one side by the river Arno, nor the pretty alleyways lined with perfectly picturesque restaurant patios and ever-conscious sophisticated shop windows prepare me for the architectural artwork that would steal my soul away.

 

 

When I turned the corner and saw the Duomo (the church, in the Florence Italy) for the first time, with its perfect pink marble glowing in the evening sun, it was so beautiful I literally cried.

Then too, I was hit was a residual pang of what I would later fully realize was loneliness.

Here I was, on the other side of the planet, all alone, experiencing something so intensely beautiful that while I cried because its captivating beauty seriously moved me, it wasn’t without a deep creeping sadness that seared across my heart because I couldn’t share the experience with someone.

I didn’t have to walk far till I found a little corner shop that sold international calling cards.

I found a pay phone in the street and dialed my mom, back home in the States.

“It’s just so beautiful” I just had to tell her, tears still wet in my eyes.

 

 

artists outside the Duomo in the cool hours of evening as the sun sank low in the sky

 

an elaborate doorway of the Duomo

 

The interior of the Duomo is nowhere near as impressive as the outside.  In fact, in comparison it’s quite lackluster and boring.  The floor, of all things, was one of the things I found most interesting.

 

floor inside the Duomo, Florence

 

I was so enamored by the depth of artwork present in Florence that I couldn’t possibly soak it all in in one short trip.  Nor did I want to.

Thus, I purposely left out some of Firenze’s main draws (I’ll be back for you, David), just so I’d have an excuse to one day return to this aloofly magnetic though ludicrously saturated art-filled city.

 

Arno River, Florence, Italy

 

restaurant patio, Florence

 

sidewalk artist, Florence

 

side street at twilight, Florence

 

street performer outside Uffizi Gallery Museum, Florence Italy

 

(side note: I took these pictures a number of years ago with just a simple inexpensive point and shoot camera – and I’d like to think my photography skills have improved quite a bit since then! I have to admit that these photos don’t reflect the quality I normally like to share! But despite that, I’ve decided to post these snapshots of Florence anyway because there’s still beauty to be gleaned from them – and I hope you enjoy them regardless!)

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TELL ME: Have you ever been to Florence? What was the highlight of your time there? Leave a comment below.