Santa Croce

Santa Croce Cloisters

We spent nearly the entire day in the Santa Croce Basilica.  Known as the Florentine Pantheon, it is the burial place of many significant persons.  Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante and Rossini have beautiful tombs along the nave walls, and hundreds of others are buried under foot.  The church has significant frescos by Giotto and Gaddi in its chapels. These had all been white washed over in the 18th century, but subsequently uncovered.  Yea!  The complex includes three cloisters including one by Brunelleschi, he of the famous dome.  In the first cloister, pictured above, is the entrance to the Pazzi Chapel.  This, too, was designed and partially completed by Brunelleschi.  It was never finished because the Pazzi, ambitious and vicious folk, murdered one Medici and attempted to murder the other.  They were subsequently executed, and the family banished from Florence.  

The Florence leather school is connected to the church.  We looked but did not buy.  Tiny pill boxes were 30 Euro.  And, although the leather jackets felt like silk, I'm long past buying a 800 Euro fashion statement.

Today it was clearly visible that the Coronavirus has taken hold of tourism.  There were absolutely no lines of tourists and practically no one in the piazzas.  We had lunch at a nearby trattoria along with a tour group from Mexico.  That was it.  No one else in the place.  

We walked back through Piazza Signoria to find the execution spot of Savanarola, which we did.  And, then had our first Florentine steak.  Huge!  Rare!  We ate it all.  There are many, many pictures of Santa Croce at flickr where we try our best to capture the vast space and beauty of the place.   

Observations of two visitors.

    Whitewashing over a 14th century fresco is never a good idea.

     There is never enough Henry Moore.  (see flickr)

Churches

    Basilica of Santa Croce