Scaffolding Tours at Santa Croce Basilica
Oct 5th, 2011, 09:19 AM
#1
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Scaffolding Tours at Santa Croce Basilica
For a few months Santa Croce in Florence is offering tours up the scaffolding in the church to get as close to the artwork as possible. I had some issues calling the phone number, but successfully booked a tour for Sunday Oct 16 by emailing [email protected] and got a response almost immediately confirming my tour. Cheers!
http://cenblog.org/artful-science/20...ute-to-heaven/
http://cenblog.org/artful-science/20...ute-to-heaven/
Oct 6th, 2011, 12:31 PM
#4
hi jean,
while you are over in the Santa Croce area, don't miss the market a few streets to the north. it's great fun, and the market cafe is terrific with many typically tuscan dishes that you may not find elsewhere. [eg tripe salad!].
while you are over in the Santa Croce area, don't miss the market a few streets to the north. it's great fun, and the market cafe is terrific with many typically tuscan dishes that you may not find elsewhere. [eg tripe salad!].
Oct 6th, 2011, 01:29 PM
#5
Thanks, Ann. I've been to the market near Santa Croce, and I've eaten the tripe salad! Other than at Christmas Eve dinner at a Mexican-American friend's house, Tuscany is the only place I eat trippa.
Oct 6th, 2011, 01:40 PM
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Great suggestion! I wish I had known this. We went to Santa Croce last week. Santa Croce was amazing, even with the scaffolding. But, I was sad when I saw the church's photo of what we couldn't see behind the scaffolding.
Oct 21st, 2011, 09:23 AM
#8
We had our tour today. It was not exactly what I expected but excellent nevertheless. The restoration of the Gaddi fresco cycle has been completed, so there was no observing of the process itself, just the results. Our guide is a restorer in the Opifico delle Pietre Dure. His English pronunciation was a little shaky at times, and I felt a little sorry for the German couple in the tour with us as they tried to keep up.
The tour was just four of us with the restorer, and we climbed to the very top of the cathedral, essentially ten levels up from the floor. On six levels,, the restorer/guide described the frescoes on the three sides, the 'stories' in each scene, the politics behind the financing of the frescoes and the messages that both the church and those paying the bills wanted to say, and the restoration.
This tour was an incredible bargain at only 13 euros per person for nearly two hours
The tour was just four of us with the restorer, and we climbed to the very top of the cathedral, essentially ten levels up from the floor. On six levels,, the restorer/guide described the frescoes on the three sides, the 'stories' in each scene, the politics behind the financing of the frescoes and the messages that both the church and those paying the bills wanted to say, and the restoration.
This tour was an incredible bargain at only 13 euros per person for nearly two hours
Oct 21st, 2011, 09:33 AM
#9
I hit submit too soon.... i wanted to add that the scaffolding will be up until June 2012, so no views of the Gaddi cycle until then unless you take this tour.
Bring binoculars. We were kept about 5-6 feet from the fresco surface and stained glass windows, and there is an amazing amount of detail that the artist put into his work even though it would not be visible to people below.
Bring binoculars. We were kept about 5-6 feet from the fresco surface and stained glass windows, and there is an amazing amount of detail that the artist put into his work even though it would not be visible to people below.
Oct 22nd, 2011, 08:18 AM
#11
Sadly, today is our last day of two weeks of wandering from Rome, revisiting a few favorites, discovering some new ones and happening upon some under-mentioned treasures. Today was Palazzo Davanzati in Florence which was fabulous in itself (book the tour to the upper floors), but neither guide nor guidebook mentioned the absolutely astounding lace collection in one corner room accessible on the general entry ticket. I don't do trip reports, but I'll start a thread to attract attention of lace and embroidery fans.
