News
The Park School in Florence
6th February 2009Just before Christmas 29 pupils from Years 8 – 13 together with Mr Bate, Mr Baker and Mrs Briggs, (who arranged the trip) embarked on a visit to Florence to see one of the most spectacular cities in Europe. The visit was a great success and both pupils
and staff had a fabulous time. All smiles while relaxing in a cafe near to the Ponte
Vecchio Bridge.
Florence is well known for its wonderful collection of buildings, vibrant history and a stunning collection of early Christian and Renaissance art by many old masters. On the first day pupils visited the sculptures in the Piazza Della and Signoria famous Uffizi gallery housing one of the worlds biggest collection of Renaissance art owned by the famous Florentine Medici family. There was so much to see including magnificent ceiling paintings and sculptures.
During the afternoon pupils went to the much admired Ponte Vecchio bridge being the oldest bridge in Florence and housing many sparkling jewellery shops that overhang, creating interesting shapes.
The Ponte Vecchio Bridge
Pupils drew the Ponte Vecchio Bridge from the Ponte Santa Trinita and Mrs Briggs, keen to get the pupils working, taught pupils how to create a continuous line drawing! At the end of the day pupils visited the museum of Marini Marino - a well known Italian twentieth century sculptor. The museum was on many floors and housed a wonderful collection of his work. In the evenings pupils dined in the restaurant Dante and Beatrice near the Duomo in the centre of the city.
Robert Sankey mimics a sculpture by Marini Marino
Next morning, the party visited a wonderful church of Saints Michael and Cajetan which was elaborately decorated inside and they walked to the Duomo – one of the world largest Christian churches. Brave pupils, Mr Baker and Mrs Briggs climbed a gruelling 463 steps to Brunelleschi's incredible dome where the internal structure could be viewed whilst climbing to the top. Those who were brave enough climbed out onto a narrow ledge that circled the fresco of the Last Judgement by Vasari. This was particularly terrifying as the people below looked like ants and there was the thought of more steps to the top! Pupils also walked out onto the very top of the dome and the views were breathtaking, as they were nearly in the clouds!
After the long descent which was a relief for many, the next stop was the interior of the Duomo where there was a beautiful crypt in the centre. Adjacent to the Duomo was the Baptistery where the people of Florence were baptised, it had eight sides to represent the risen Christ in the spiritual realm outside of the earthly seven day cycle.
At the Baptistery
The three sets of bronze doors were magnificent, depicting many stories from the Old and New Testament but by far the most spectacular was a sculpture by Ghiberti, aptly named by Michaelangelo as the Gates of Paradise. Inside everyone saw the spectacular Cupula mosaic showing scenes from the bible, the Last Judgement with the risen Christ in the centre.
After lunch pupils and staff went to visit the centre of Tournabourni where there were many designer shops including shops such as Gucci, Prada, Missoni and many more.
Carefully planned by Mrs Briggs – as she has an amazing personal shoe collection of her own - pupils then visited the fabulous Salvatorre Ferragamo shoe museum! This houses a vast collection including the famous shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn. The day ended by going to Galleria Dell Accademia to see the works of Michaelango including the famous statue of David, this was wonderful to see in reality.
Harriet and Daisy at the 'Designer Shops'.
San Marco, a beautiful monastery set in the heart of Florence, was acquired by the Dominican monks in the fifteenth century where monk Fra Angelico created a wonderful series of frescoes throughout the monastery, there was a different painting relating to Christ's life in each cell to aid prayer and quiet contemplation. Pupils also visited San Lorenzo, the oldest church in Florence and possibly the most elegant later becoming the Medici's family church, some of their tombs could be seen inside the church. They also looked at the treasury housing many relics and precious artifacts. Each day pupils and staff savoured the tastes of Italy during lunch, trying various pasta, spaghetti and pizza and not forgetting the incredible ice cream many pupils (and Mr Bate!) said it was the best they had ever had!
Mr Bate enjoys just a small ice cream! Recommended by Thomas!
The visit ended at San Lorenzo market where a number of Christmas presents and souvenirs were purchased. Florence is famous for its leather ware and there were many fabulous stalls selling leather goods, but not forgetting the most popular item - the patterned scarf.
Abigail, Felicity and Melissa out on the ledge at Brunelleschi's Dome.
The visit was thoroughly enjoyed by all, most of the pupils said that the climbing the Cathedral dome was their most memorable event. A big THANK YOU to Mrs Briggs for organising this exciting trip, but also to all of the pupils and staff for making it a fun and memorial visit.
Group picture on the busy Ponte Santa Trinita Bridge
