Firenze

I'll start off by saying that I didn't really know what to expect in Florence. I've never actually felt inclined to visit, which even I find odd, but of course I went because it's Florence for goodness sake! I can't really explain why I wasn't excited and was almost... timid? at the thought of visiting. People can usually tell whether they are going to love a city before they go, which make sense because that's why they choose to go.

Florence men are nothing, if not fabulous. 

I was right and wrong. First of all, I'm big on museums and history. So, on that note, I was in heaven. The Accademia held the David by Michaelango, which turned out to be inexplicably amazing. The Uffizi Gallery is considered to be the greatest collection of Renaissance art anywhere. I got to see some works I've know about for most of my life. Plus, art clung to everything. From a random wall of an old building, to one of the amazing churches I've seen. The Renaissance was a time of amazing art and the birth science, and it all started in Florence.

David in all his nude glory. He has just/or is about to slay Goliath but he's super chill and not really worried about it.

The Birth of Venus, with the Greek goddess looking similarly chill but more modest.

Disclaimer: penis=art, vagina=YOU CANT PAINT/SCULPT THAT! BURN IN HELL, YOU GODLESS HEATHEN! 

The renaissance was amazing, in my eyes. It seems to stand for everything I stand for. One, it promoted questioning previously solid concepts. I absolutely HATE being told to believe something without question. Or do something. I am a generally flexible person, willing to do things I don't like doing if people find it necessary. When I was younger, it probably would have looked like disobedience, but I legitimately wanted to know: why? The renaissance was all about understanding why things are the way they are, and in that, they realized not everything we thought we knew was true. I'm talking about the basics here: like how the body works. Two, it promoted innovation. Why change the way something has been done the same way for hundreds of years? Because you could be saving time, money, or energy, depending on what you are improving. Three, it promoted the arts. Today, studies show that those who participate in the arts (music or otherwise) get better grades, have higher IQs, get in less physical altercations, have better attention spans, and that's just the beginning. It is not seen as a frivolous waste of time anymore (to most, anyway). The renaissance was all about art. Four, knowledge became valuable. Schooling and education were important in a society leading civilization out of darkness and into a bright future. 

But of course, we all know what happened next. The Christian church came in, burned the books, spooked the public with threats of eternal damnation, and civilization was once again plunged into the darkness of ignorance and fear. 

There are two events that haunt historians and academics. A) the burning of books and art during the dark ages and B) the loss of the library of Alexandria. Where would we be if those things had never happened? Who knows!

But I got to spend three days in a place that scraped together all of their treasures from that period of enlightenment and displayed it for us to marvel at. 

The Duomo: I've seen a Duomo in every city so far and this has to be by far the coolest exterior.

They removed all of the art from the Duomo so it could be seen for the small fee of €10. It belongs in the Duomo, and without it, the inside was bland and basically was like unwrapping a beautiful Christmas present (note the photo above this one) and finding a few packing peanuts and some crumpled up tape. HOWEVER, they obviously could not find a way (though I'm sure they tried) of putting the dome painting in the museum, so only it remains. And it was incredible.

The inside of the Orsan Michelle church. One of my favorite churches I've ever been to. Yet, nearly empty.

The reason I didn't like it was because it didn't look "Tuscan." It was actually pretty unappealing when not in the museums. Pretty much all tourists, no locals. And I felt creeped on more than once. My reverence and day dreaming on my journey through history was constantly interrupted by the urine smell that many cities suffer from. 

All in all, A for museums, D+ for atmosphere. Luckily, this wasn't my only stop in Tuscany. There is also Siena, Pisa, and Lucca. Would I recommend visiting? You have to, it's Florence for goodness sake!