italyMILAN • FLORENCE • ROME

N E W Y E A R S 2012

bonjournoAfter months of relative indecision on where we wanted to travel we chose Italy and within

hours, had booked our tickets.

We left for LAX Christmas night 2011 and from there flew to Milan, took a train to Florence, a train to Rome, and from Rome we flew home in 2012.

Italy during the holidays was great to see, not a street without lights and every major monument adorned with giant Christmas trees.

We ate, we drank, we gelatoed, we did a little shopping and we walked! We walked for miles and miles down little Italian streets crammed with charm and history.

From Milan, a bustling metropolitan of today — to Florence, a tribute to the Renaissance — to Rome, where the very foundation of Western thought and ingenuity emanates, we sponged it all up.

And of course, there was a little New Years thrown in there - with fireworks exploding above the Colosseum and Roman ruins - unforgettable in every way.

bonjourno O U R

ItalianA D V E N T U R E

M I L A N

It was fascinating to see something so iconic, that at the time was really just one of many murals, in one of many churches. At one point, Jesus’s feet and the center of the painting were cut into by the addition of a door.

The painting itself, quite faded in reality, is of course one of todays most celebrated in the world.

last supperT H E

duomo M I L A N O

vittorio emmanuelT H E

F L O R E N C E

apartmentO U R

apartment

ponte vecchio

We spent a full day at the Uffizi and Accademia - but at the end, The David takes the prize as it is hard to explain just how powerful he is “in the flesh.”

Our favorite at the Uffizi had to be Morgante the Dwarf painted from the front an back in an attempt to prove painting as superior to sculpture.

The “Loggia del Porcellino” is a little leather market in the center of Florence. ‘Porcellino” is a little pig, although, I think that is generous for this bronze boar - tradition says rub it’s snout to ensure a return trip to Florence!

duomoF I E R E N Z E

F L O R E N C E

I N D E C E M E B E R

at D U S K

T H E

MediciD Y N A S T Y

Oh, those Medici! We became fascinated with the Medici and what a unique way the came to power and

ultimatley changed history.

Here’s how:Givoanni di Bicci de Medici was a merchant banker in a time when

the elite were born in - not built up. But Giovanni

made a bet on one strange pirate, Baldassarre Cossa,

who became Pope John XXIII during the Western

Schism - this bet paid off, and Cossa made the Medici Bank the

Official Bank of the Catholic Church - and that sealed their fate.

The Medici changed the course of history by being the patrons of a whole new movement in art, art for the first time not dedicated to religion. This was of course the Renaissance, of which the Medici are largely responsible. Among the artists they supported financially and with creative freedom were Michelangelo, Donatello, Da Vicni, Brunelleschi, Rafael and many others. Their most significant contribution however, they made unintentionally. The Medici loved art, but they also loved plenty of vices and spent fortunes. Three of them became quite corrupt Popes. Running out of money, Pope Leo X began selling indulgences, an outrageous abuse to an uneducated populace who didn’t have access to the scriptures. At this time Martin Luther, who could read, rebelled against the Roman Catholic Church and launched the Reformation, forever splitting the Catholic and Protestant faiths.

DE MEDICI

COSIMO IL VECCHIO L O R E N Z O

G U I L I O

POPE CLEMENTE VII

GIOVANNI DI BICCI

C A R L OPIERFRANCESCO G I O V A N N I

G I O V A N N IL O R E N Z O G U I L I A N O

P I E R O I IL U C R E Z I A

G I O V A N N I FRANCESCA L O R E N Z O

L O R E N Z OIL MAGNIFICO

PIETRO IL GOTTOSE

GIOVNAI DI LORENZO P O P E L E O X

ALLESANDRO ATAVIANO P O P E L E O X I

vecchioP A L A Z Z O The Palazzo Vecchio or “old palace” was the first Medici palace in Florence. But it didn’t start that way, it began as a palace created for the ruling elite of Florence, and eventually, the ruling elite were overtaken by the Medici. At one point the Medici’s fell out of favor with the people, and Cosimo the elder was even imprisioned in the tower for a short time. During this exile, Savornarola, a friar and monk took the spiritual reigns of Florence and created this large austere room, large enough to hold 500 city leaders to attend meetings, in hopes to give the people a voice and have less centralized power.

Today, a far cry from the austere, this now opulent room contains guilded ceilings, paintings and even statues of two of the very corrupt Medici popes. The irony of all of this did not escape me.

secret passages OF PALAZZO VAECCHIO

palazzo vecchio

P A L A Z Z O

T H E N E W P A L A C Epitti

O H T H O S E lightsOne of the highlights of winter was definitely the lights!

All of Italy seemed to take this very seriously - and of course - I couldn’t get enough!

but

foodA L L T H A T All that delicious pasta, and those fresh tomatos! I was on a bit of mushroom kick and I think Chris’s favorite food was the local shwarma (which was great)All in all - yum!

but

R O M E

catacombe san callisto

ourA P A R T M E N T

Our apartment was just a few blocks from the Colloseum and had everything we needed!

colosseumTHE

forumTHE

What a new years to remember!

The streets of Rome were crammed with people , laughter, singing, and

bottles of champagne!

There were fireworks over the Colosseum and Forum and people throwing their own into the street.

Seeing the new year turn in a place where Western Civilization began

was beyond memorable.

N E W

2012Y E A R S

trevi F O U N T A I N

“Trivia” a Roman virgin is celebrated for bringing the water of the aqueducts into the city.

As legend goes - throw a coin and ensure your return to Rome!

We did!

pantheonT H E

spanish stepsT H E

The Spanish Steps were alive and crammed with people and life!

We loved the scene of designer shops flanked by long red carpets and lievely crowds undettered by the cold rainy weather.

We walked and snacked and enjoyed!

st. peters T H E V A T I C A N

stistineC H A P E L

san callistoC A T A C O M B S O F

colosseum

M O R E

deliciousF O O D !

st. peters

ciao!