The Uffizi Gallery - Florence

The Uffizi Gallery, built in 1581, is the main art museum in Florence. The museum was originally intended to be an office building to hold government meetings—hence the name “Uffizi,” meaning offices. The building runs perpendicular to the Arno River, and ends right at the location of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. A narrow courtyard runs down the middle of the building that opens up to a view of the river; it is considered by architects to be the first regularized “street view” of Europe.

The Uffizi is most famous for its octagonal room, “Tribuna Ottagonale,” designed by Bernardo Buontalenti, who was also one of the original architects. Features in the room contribute to the elements of air, fire, and water. In the middle of the room sits an octagon-shaped table that has been preserved since the 16th century. On the other side of the building, there is a group of rooms that were once used as laboratories for the Foundry, or pharmacy. These rooms were used to make medicines, perfumes, and even poisons. Today, of course, these rooms are filled with countless works of art and are open for the public to enjoy.
Some of the most famous works of art in the museum include Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (above) and Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation (below).

The official website for the Uffizi Gallery:

http://www.uffizi.com/

What to Eat in Paris - Dessert

This website is all about what types of food to try while in Paris. This article specifically talks about dessert, but the website also discusses lunch, dinner and snack ideas.

Thankfully for anyone with a sweet tooth, Paris will not disappoint in the dessert category. If you’ve enjoyed a good meal at a restaurant, chances are the desserts there will be tasty as well. Some French desserts you might find on offer are:

• Iles Flottantes – This translates to “floating islands,” and it’s essentially dollops of meringue “floating” in a pool of creme anglaise, a vanilla-cream sauce.
• Clafoutis – This is a sponge cake that usually has baked right into it whatever fruits are in season.

Also keep in mind that to many French people, a selection of fine cheeses is the perfect way to end a meal. So if you’re looking for a dessert alternative that’s less about sugar, you could try a cheese plate (many places will bring out all the cheese they have and you point to the ones you want pieces of; these are sometimes served with honey or jam for drizzling on certain cheeses).

But if you’re looking for a more portable option to satisfy your sugar craving, here are a few things you can hunt for while in Paris:

• Macarons – Don’t confuse a French macaron with that little mountain of shaved coconut. These are a completely different animal. French macarons are light cookies (made with egg whites) that sandwich a layer of icing. In addition being dainty and delicious, they’re usually extremely brightly colored. The most famous macarons come from the shop that started it all, Laduree in Paris.
• Ice Cream – Ice cream is a nearly universal phenomenon, thank goodness, but in Paris there’s a particular ice cream shop that’s not to be missed. There are a few branches of the Berthillon ice cream shops in Paris, but the best one is on the tiny Ile Saint-Louis near Notre Dame. Berthillon’s sorbets are especially noteworthy (they taste so real, you’d swear you were eating the actual fruit), but I’ve never tasted anything there that wasn’t top-notch and well worth writing home about. (Read more about Berthillon in Paris.)
• Madeleines – These famous French sweets are halfway between a cookie and a cake, and although you’ll more often see them served with coffee or tea as opposed to being listed on a dessert menu, there’s nothing stopping you from saving a few from your afternoon stop at the patisserie and letting them melt in your mouth on the Metro ride back from your dinner that evening.
• Chocolate – Paris didn’t invent chocolate, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a long list of chocolatiers in Paris who are busy perfecting the art. There are entire books dedicated to the chocolate shops in Paris, so even if you’re not that into chocolate it can’t hurt to stop into one if you’re passing by.
• Hot Chocolate – If the weather’s the least bit chilly, you owe it to yourself to indulge in a cup of hot chocolate in Paris at some point. European hot chocolate is nothing like the watery microwaveable stuff you may be used to; in fact, it’s more akin to pudding than something you might drink. And yes, that’s why I think it qualifies as dessert and not a beverage.

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence

Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices"). Construction was continued to Vasari's design by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti and ended in 1581. The cortile (internal courtyard) is so long and narrow, and open to the Arno River at its far end through a Doric screen that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe. Vasari, a painter as well as architect, emphasized the perspective length by the matching facades' continuous roof cornices, and unbroken cornices between storeys and the three continuous steps on which the palace-fronts stand. The niches in the piers that alternate with columns were filled with sculptures of famous artists in the 19th century.

The Palazzo degli Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the state archive (Archivio di Stato). The project that was planned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany to arrange that prime works of art in the Medici collections on the piano nobile was effected by Francis I of Tuscany, who commissioned from Buontalenti the famous Tribuna degli Uffizi that united a selection of the outstanding masterpieces in the collection in an ensemble that was a star attraction of the Grand Tour.

Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. According to Vasari, who was not only the architect of the Uffizi but also the author of Lives of the Artists, published in 1550 and 1568, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo gathered at the Uffizi "for beauty, for work and for recreation."

Posted by: Linnea Corey

Vatican City

Vatican City is unique not only for its rich history of art and religion, but also because it is the world’s smallest state. Vatican City lies within the city of Rome and is under sovereign rule of the Pope. Many Papal States have existed in Italy throughout history, and each one was ruled secularly by the Pope. Over time, the Pope’s land holdings slowly diminished, leaving the city of Rome, and consequently, the small territory where the Vatican is located. In February of 1929, the Pope signed three treaties with Italy, establishing the Vatican as its own independent state.

The entire land area of Vatican City is only 109 acres, and most of it is not open for tourists to visit. The two landmarks that attract the most tourists are St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums. The first Basilica on the site was built in 326 AD by Emperor Constantine over St. Peter’s tomb. Excavations to the site took place between 1939 and 1941, during which a tomb was actually discovered. The original Basilica was torn down by the Pope’s architect in order to build the structure we see today.

Because Vatican City is located in the middle of Rome, one may wonder about the relationship between the Vatican and the country of Italy. Italy recognizes the activities of the Vatican City State, but does nothing to hinder or disturb the work of the Pope.

Below is the Vatican's official state website:

http://www.vaticanstate.va/EN/homepage.htm

Obelisk in Place de la Concorde - Paris, France

The Place de la Concorde is the largest public square in Paris. Situated along the Seine in the 8th arrondissement, it separates the Tuileries Gardens from the beginning of theboulevard Champs-Elysées. Originally named Place Louis XV, the square was designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel, Louis XV's architect, for the purpose of showcasing an equestrian statue of the King — which had been commissioned in 1748 by the city of Paris and sculpted by Edmé Bouchardon.

Construction of the square began in 1754 and was completed in 1763. It is actually in the shape of an octagon, and was once bordered by large moats which no longer exist. The square marks an intersection of two axes: The major axis is that of the Voie Triomphale (Triumphal Way) which extends east-to-west in a perfectly straight line from the former royal palace (now the Louvre Museum), past the Arc du Carrousel and through the Tuileries Gardens, up the Champs-Elysées to the Arc de Triomphe, and beyond — now culminating at the Grande Arche in the Paris suburb of La Défense. The second (minor) axis is formed by the line between Place de la Madeleine, down rue Royale through the square and across the Pont de la Concorde, culminating at the Palais Bourbon.

Several decades after its construction, this square was to serve as a focal point for the bloodiest political upheaval in the history of France: the French Revolution. When the hordes of revolutionaries seized power, they renamed the square Place de la Révolution, tore down the statue of Louis XV and replaced it with a guillotine. Between 1793 and 1795, more than 1300 people were beheaded in public executions, including Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. It is said that the scent of blood was so strong here that a herd of cattle once refused to cross the grounds.

Following the Revolution, the square suffered a series of transformations and several changes of name: place de la Concorde, place Louis XV(again), place Louis XVI, place de la Chartre, and once again place de la Concorde — symbolizing the end of a troubled era and the hope for a better future.

Today, the open-air square still looks quite similar to the way it did in the 1700s, save the actual ground — which now consists of tarmac and cement. Supplanting the guillotine is the powerful Obelisk of Luxor, a pink granite monolith that was given to the French in 1829 by the viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali. The edifice, which once marked the entrance to the Amon temple at Luxor, is more than 3,300 years old and is decorated with hieroglyphics portraying the reigns of the pharaohs Ramses II and Ramses III. Gilded images on the pedestal portray the monumental task of transporting the monolith to Paris and erecting it at the square. Installed in 1833, the Obelisk — weighing 230 tons and standing 22.83 meters (75 ft) high in the center of the Place — is flanked on both sides by two fountains constructed during the same period. Having survived more than 33 centuries, the Obelisk has suffered the greatest damage during the past half-century by air pollution from industry and motor vehicles.

Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) - Florence, Italy

Ponte Vecchio, the oldest of Florence's six bridges, is one of the city's best known images. Probably going back to Roman times with its stone pillars and wooden planks; it was built in stone but then newly destroyed by a flood in 1333. It was built again twelve years later, perhaps by Neri da Fioravante (or Taddeo Gaddi, according to Giorgio Vasari).

The five arches became three and the main part was widened. The shops, housed under the porticos, first belonged to the Commune which then rented them out. But later on, towards the 15th century, they were sold to private owners and began to change through subsequent additions, raised parts and external terraces, extending towards the river and altering the original architecture in an anarchical, suggestive way.

In the 15th century these shops were greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers. But then perhaps because of their bad smell, Ferdinando I replaced them with goldsmiths, making the road more elegant and cleaner.

In 1565, Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence, had the famous Corridor built by Vasari on the upper side passing over the shops. There's a curious story about that. The Mannelli family who owned a medieval tower at the southern end, towards Pitti Palace, did not want to give the Duke right of passage. So the corridor had to be deviated, as we can still see today, around the tower.

The row of shops is interrupted in the center and the bridge opens over the Arno with two splendid, panoramic terraces. Here in 1900, they put up the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, that ingenious Florentine goldsmith and sculptor.

Place De l'Alma

Here is an interesting article on Princess Diana's Death. My parents went to Paris in the fall of 1997 following her death and visited Place De l'Alma. They said it was a very moving experience.

Paris Mourns the Death of a Princess
Paris:- Wednesday, 3. September 1997:- After the death of Princess Diana on Sunday here, television news has been showing scenes of people in London placing flowers by the ton near places related to her.

The Princess was a visitor in Paris, and I suppose it will be remembered for a long time that she had her fatal mishap under the place de l'Alma, beside the Seine, in the 8th arrondissement. She was in transit at the time and therefore only the tragic circumstances relate her to this particular spot.

Parisians feel pretty bad about it; the place of death will be here forever. There is not much to be done about it. To a Metropole reader who asked if there would be any physical memorial to mark the event, I replied that I don't know.

Summer was evidently short in Paris and the radio is already saying that it is more or less fall; but today there is a lot of sun and high, fair and white clouds. Sometimes it is called an Ile-de-France sky. It is warm but not hot.

Without quite knowing what I've come to do, I've come down from the Champs-Elysées by way of the avenue George V to the place de l'Alma.

Along the way, the limousines are loitering around the entrances to the hotels George V and Prince de Galles and I look them over for model numbers. I quit keeping up with cars some time ago and the numbers do not mean anything to me. I see though that a Mercedes S300 looks huge compared to France's largest car, a Peugeot 604, which is not so tiny.

The place de l'Alma, as it looks on an ordinary day.
Passing the hotels, I no doubt see some famous or merely slightly rich people. I do not know who they are so I take no photos and do not think there is much future in photos of the obvious doormen, porters, chauffeurs and bodyguards. The light is bright and it looks like a normal day.

At the place de l'Alma, the café terraces are open and about half-full with well-dressed people having lunch; shaded by the many large plane trees.

From the point between the avenue George V and the avenue Montaigne, facing the pont de l'Alma, the entry to the fatal tunnel is to the left and the exit to the right.

By the entry, on the Cours Albert 1er, near the place, there is an area full of television trucks with satellite equipment. Further left, towards the tunnel entrance there are crowd-control barriers and people have been placing bouquets of flowers there. There are not many people though, and further on down the Cours Albert 1er there is a lone policeman who is talking to some teenagers, probably discussing the incident.

The grass is well-trampled and the crowd barriers seem like left-overs for a larger group. Somebody has hung what looks like a hand-made Union Jack above the entrance to the tunnel.

I look at the concrete wall which separates the two directions of traffic and it does not look as high and formidable as it seemed in the TV news report, which showed an ex-racing driver going through the tunnel in fairly heavy traffic. He said this wall limited forward vision because it curves to the left.

From other photos I've seen that the inside of the tunnel does not curve, and the wall could act as a guide to get a driver well-placed for a fast entry to the tunnel itself. I do not know how fast it could be taken by an experienced driver but I think 190 kph would be excessive. Otherwise, the wall blocks off the headlights of oncoming cars.

The Cours Albert 1er used to be part of Paris' most fashionable promenade.
Coming off the Cours Albert 1er, there is also fair dip into the tunnel. Combined with the left curve going in, any vehicule following too closely would definitely have trouble with anything stopped in it; especially motorcycles which are not particularly stable or have good brakes.

On the other side - leading to the avenue de New York - above the exit of the tunnel there is a statue of a sculptured flame in gold on a short column base. There is a larger crowd here and there are many bouquets of flowers around the base of the statue.

While a German photographer talks on a porti-phone, a TV crew is shooting an interview, but I cannot see who is the subject. A Moroccan man asks me if one can go into the tunnel and I think not because it is full of normal traffic.

Meanwhile the Tour Eiffel overlooks the scene and the sun is producing sparkles on the Seine's little waves. Traffic coming across the pont de l'Alma is about as usual and the traffic in the place is in its usual midday confusion, at this intersection of five fairly major roads by the bridge.

I drift east along the river side. Here it is called Quai de la Conférence and is named after a city gate built here in 1633. The name comes from a pow-wow to end the civil war; held between Henri IV's representatives and those of the League, at Suresnes on 29. April 1593.

Beside the quai, on the centre grass, there is a monument to Polish martyrs, done by Bourdelle in 1928. On this same strip of grass, between the place du Canada and the pont Alexandre III, there is a memorial to Lafayette, paid for by American school children. Just after the pont Alexandre III there is a memorial statue honoring Simon Bolivar; sponsored by several Central and South American countries.

The Cours Albert 1er, runs from the place du Canada to the place de l'Alma, and before 1918 it was part of the Cours la Reine, which was part of the old road to Chaillot, Saint-Cloud and Versailles. From the place de la Concorde to the place de l'Alma the two parts total 1,120 metres.

Catherine de Médicis had a canal built along here to bring spring water to her gardens in the Tuileries from Saint-Cloud. In 1616 Marie de Médicis transformed part of it into a fancy promenade, 1,500 metres long, with four ranks of trees and long ponds on each side. It was closed at both ends by grilled gates. As Marie was sort of Italian, it was called a 'corso' at first and it was very popular for 150 years.

Maréchal de Bassompierre attempted to think up some civic reason to extend the 'corso' as far as Chaillot where he had a weekend palace, named Beauregard, which had originally been built by Catherine. As Marie once sort of called it a 'bottlehouse,' the 'corso' was not extended and Bassompierre himself got into a little trouble with Cardinal Richelieu which cost him 12 years in the Bastille.

After it flooded several times, the Quai de la Conférence was built for protection. Lanterns, suspended from forged poles, were added.

The 'Grand-Cours' - today's Champs-Elysées - gained popularity around 1776 and this older 'Petit-Cours' went into decline. Still, traffic on it was reserved for the rich and famous and ordinary travellers had to use the quai route.

The place de la Concorde ends the 'Petit-Cours' on the east and when I look back I see some of the chestnut trees are already quite brown and some - more than half - are perfectly green. Here is a grand statue, on a high pedestal; a memorial to Albert 1st, King of the Belgians. The dates are 1914 - 1918 and 1939.

The place de la Concorde which usually looks so confusing looks very civilized today. I skirt the place and pass the US Embassy to the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Outside the entrance to the British Embassy there are a few embassy employees and three Paris policemen and women.

At the British Embassy in Paris, the flag is at half-mast, in the still air.
Inside the courtyard - where photos are not permitted - there is a short line, waiting to enter a building to sign the condolence book. In a newspaper photo taken yesterday, the line stretched almost to the street. The condolence book will remain accessible until 11:00 on Saturday, until the time of the funeral in London. There are bouquets of wrapped flowers placed on either side of the stairs by the entry.

Across the street, in a side-street beside the Versace boutique, there is a dark-blue Bentley Turbo-S with civilian UK plates. It has a parking ticket beneath a windshield wiper.