Your Palazzo or Mine?

 There are no fewer than 311 palazzos in the index of my Florence architectural walking tour guide (Richard J. Goy.) And these are palazzos of distinction, although admittedly not all get full descriptions. Many are museums, but many others still residential, housing apartments or luxury hotels to more humble bed and breakfasts I read of one (don't ask) which is still being used by the original family. Palazzo is the name for 'stately home' or grand home of an important and wealthy family. They emerged in the Renaissance, evolving from medieval tower houses to the Renaissance palace. Palazzos were often style setters, as the well-to-do families who built them would have been educated and often patrons of the arts. 

So, despite the fact that these typically four-storey stone edifices, set right at the sidewalk, turn the narrow streets of the 'centro storico' into tunnels, blocking the long view and presenting navigational problems - street signage in the old area is a challenge at best - they are one of my fascinations as I explore Florence.

It's frustrating for photo hounds; it's often difficult to get back far enough to capture the facade.as a whole. Details must suffice. 

I visited three of the most celebrated Renaissance palazzi in October. Details to follow. On an October Saturday, at 9:30 am, I began my self-guided tour of the storied Medici Palace, and it opened its doors to me.

I will not, in any of these travel posts, attempt to be the expert. Loads of sites can do this for you. This is about me. Pinching myself at being here. Being in a place that was built in the 1440s. First impressions. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Ontario anymore."

What struck me most was the serenity. Sure business and intrigue happened here. But that feeling of being protected from the world outside was evident. 

Other thoughts. The wealth, the privilege, the opulence of the surroundings, the masses of art treasures. This is the family (Cosimo) who commissioned Donatello to create David, for the garden. Most of  the palazzo rooms were redecorated in Baroque style (not my favourite) in the 1600s, after the Riccardi family bought and enlarged the palace (by 9 bays).

 The extant original room, the sublime Chapel of the Magi, took my breath away. And despite warnings that groups of twenty are allowed timed access to this tiny space, I had the chapel to myself. I was eye to eye with the family notables painted into Gozzoli's fresco cycle depicting the Magi. Here's a good site should you want more expert commentary.

I've read several histories of the Medici family over time. I have just put down yet another, Paul Strathern's The Medici. Can't get this visit out of my head. Heart?

It was in the public spaces that I was most aware of the refinement, serenity, simplicity, order, classical Renaissance principles on offer here. I spent several quiet morning hours in the internal courtyard and the exterior garden.

As in all of the old buildings I visited, my favourite spots are the courtyards - the cortile or internal courtyard and the outer garden space - both protected from the hoi poloi outside - for I suspect that in the fifteenth and sixteenth century things were no less chaotic 'without the walls'. A different kind of chaos, more unwashed I warrant. 

Here are some resources from the dozens out there, should my ramblings fall short: The Florentine, Wikipedia. No apologies, this blog is my collection of thoughts, not a reworking of the massive scholarship about places that move me.

 My friend Linda wondered if  photos plus e.e.cummings succinctness would be adequate. Might try that.

But... not really my style. My writer friend Larry, he of the tiny perfect essays 100 Words and sympathetic to my rambling enthusiasms suggested Ellipses and Parentheses as an alternative title to this new blog.