From Firenze (Florence!)

Monday January 19, 2015

By: Deacon TJ McKenzie

I first want to wish my younger brother, Riley, a Happy 23rd Birthday!! He will need to wait until I get back to receive his birthday present from me. 

Today actually wraps up the long free weekend that was scheduled for us. I know a group of guys went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Padre Pio. Some guys travelled to different parts of Italy. I decided to go to Florence for three nights. We stayed with a group of Franciscan missionary sisters in their convent that was only a ten minute walk from the heart of downtown Florence. 

After dropping our bags off and grabbing a bite to eat for lunch, we went to the Uffizi, one of the grandest art collections in the world. The wealthy and powerful Medici family built a palace during the Renaissance in Florence and was a patron of the arts. This palace is now the site of the museum and much of the collection was once owned by this family. 

We ended our day by going to mass and spending time in adoration at the famous Duomo, the cathedral of Florence.

Saturday was just as busy. We began by making some visits to different churches. We then went to an old Dominican friary. Each cell where a Dominican would live had a small fresco painted by Blessed Fra Angelico. This were absolutely stunning pieces, not only because of their technical brilliance, but you could also see he was painting from a disposition of prayer. He was able to portray the reality of a Gospel scene in a way totally different from all the other masterpieces in Florence.

A trip to Florence would not be complete without a visit to the Accademia, the museum which holds Michelangelo's David which was originally meant to be placed on top of the cathedral's facade. Sadly, it never made it there, but I found it interesting that it was originally meant to be a religious statue. I think most of the people viewing the piece forget that David was a biblical figure. He's even holding the sling with which he killed Goliath!  Mass at the Duomo was in English on Saturday night, and there were many American college students there. 

Sunday was our last full day in Florence. We went to the High Mass in Latin at the Duomo and then went for a long leisurely walk up to the Piazza Michelangelo on the outskirts of the city. The view was stunning, and I'm glad we walked all that way. We had a perfect view of Florence from there, and it was a perfect place to enjoy and rest on a Sunday afternoon!