Art treasures of Florence [antikvár]

One must begin with the Uffizi; not because it is the most important museum in Florence; nor because it holds the ultimate expression of our figurative culture, Giotto and Michelangelo, Leonardo and Caravaggio. No, one must begin with the Uffizi because only by traversing it from beginning to end may one understand the true and unique character of this city, not to mention the title of this book-cum-guide that I introduce to you here. There is a suggestion that I always make to anyone either arriving in Florence for the first time or staying only a short while: go straight to the Uffizi and walk through it, slowly. Never mind the Giottos and Michelangelos, the Leonardos and Caravaggios; you will return to the Uffizi again; there will be other occasions to take pause before these masterpieces. For now, limit yourselves to stroUing through the corridors, very slowly, guided by the sole pleasure of looking. To the left is a procession of archaeological statues and rooms opening onto the utmost expressions of painting, to the right, the Dome of Brunelleschi, the Tower of Arnolfo di Cam-bio, the roofs and bell towers of the city, the foreshortening of Piazza deUa Signo-ria and Orcagiia's Loggia with its sculptures, the fountain, the grand duke on horseback. Once you have reached the short wing of the Uffizi, a veritable balcony overlooking the city, observe what extends before you - the river crossed by bridges as tense as arches, the Belvedere hill, dense with vOlas and churches, the bell tower of Santo Spirito, the harmonious line of the riverside "Lungarni", the forms of this city cut like a precious jewel from the Tuscan matrix. At this point, you will have understood two fundamental things (and herein lie the keys to making best use of this book and understanding both the spirit motivating it and the logic governing it). You will have understood, above all, that Florence is indeed the city of the Uffizi, in the sense that this, its greatest museum, crosses it like a bridge, while at the same time, the city 'enters' tangibly within its walls. The beauty that inhabits the museum spreads forth into the city squares and streets; it is transformed into the landscape of the hills and the profile of the bridges; it takes the shape of domes and bell towers and is echoed in the colours of the stone and plaster. Equally as important, you will have understood that the beauty of Florence is made up of mirroring and equilibrium: the masterpieces of painting are reflected in the colours and shape of the city. The ones would not exist without the others. To violate the geometry of Florentine roofs would be to violate the Battle of San Romano by Paul Uccello; if Brunelleschi's dome were different, so would Botticelli. Florence holds it all together: the art of the city must be understood and known