When in Rome, Eat Gelati.: Tomato Florentine

There is no question about it: Italy is art. I can point my camera in just about any direction and have in my hands a “beautiful shot.” No, it’s not my camera or my photography skills. It is just simply that beautiful. Nor is there any question that, here, we are walking on centuries upon centuries of history. Roman soldiers rode their horses down these streets. Great men like Michelangelo, Dante, Macchiavelli, and Botticelli lived, worked, and worshipped here. Just to picture that in my head blows me away. And yet, it doesn't take a whole lot to imagine it, because everywhere we look, we are surrounded by magnificent tributes to art, power, and humanity. And the Florentines see this everyday?

The magnificent Il Duomo plaza

Florence was the center of the Renaissance, when man was celebrated as the most perfect of God's creations. On the one hand, it prickles our Christian worldviews that emphasize the depravity of man. Yet, at the same time, God did make us in his own image, and he declared us good. While we may not go so far as to erect structures such as the Temple to Humanism, we may do well to step back and appreciate God's creation every now and then. One way of doing this is simply by admiring art. Michelangelo's David, for example, is housed in a building that from the outside, doesn't even look like a museum. Yet, behind its ascetic facade is the giant (No, really. It's giant.) marble figure of David. Seeing David was almost more like watching David. Every muscle and every ridge was perfectly human. His stance and his expression spoke Michelangelo's ideals for him. It was nothing short of incredible.

The Temple to Humanism

The detail of art simply astounds me.

This is a wall on the street corner where the Temple to Humanism is located. The story goes that one day all the artists of Florence were gathered for a meeting. Michelangelo, being a young man of little patience quickly grew bored, so with a hammer and chisel hidden behind his back, he chiseled this face into the wall behind him.

David: Can you believe a 24-year old carved this?

In the Uffizi gallery, we also saw first-hand Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" and "Primavera," as well as other works of great artists like as Leonardo Da Vinci. Botticelli's works were especially impressive to me because of his distinction as the artist who revolutionized Renaissance art, shifting the focus from the sacred to the human.

"The Birth of Venus"

"Primavera"

The hallways of the Uffizi--the only place in there we're allowed to take pictures. =(

Katie, Dr. Layman (incredible!), and I on the roof of the Uffizi

Bonnie, Janee, Katie, and I

Outside the Uffizi, street artists are busy at work on their own masterpieces.

The most picturesque bridge in Florence.

From the bridge, looking the other direction

The busy marketplace where tourists come to haggle.

One night we also stopped by a local evangelical church that was formerly a prison, a brothel, and the home church of Michelanglo himself (not all at the same time, of course). The pastor spent a good bit of time sharing with us the history of the church and the state of the evangelical church in Italy today.

Our wonderful trip coordinator, Elisabeth Davis, translating for the pastor

I won't go into all the details now, but listening to him speak, I couldn't help but remember my summer in Spain. While the Spanish people may have more animosity toward all Christianity (evangelical and Catholic) because of the abuses of Franco's dictatorship, the Italian people seem just as cold, but for the reason that evangelical Christianity is a foreign religion. In both countries though, the Christians seem to have come to the biblical conclusion that evangelism comes only by building relationships, not by fancy programs and methods. However, they both also seem to give off a sense of despondence because it seems that their labors are so slow to bear fruit. Thus, we have a situation in which I believe effectiveness will be reached at the healthy balance of two different perspectives. American Christians have much to learn from the Italian and Spanish churches about building relationships. At the same time, these European churches can perhaps have a vision sparked in them by the innovative approaches of American churches. Here, we are presented perfect grounds for the global Church to come together for the building up of the Body of Christ.

So, we observe, we enjoy, and we remember. This is Florence.

Doyle--well, we actually have no idea if that's his name. Most likely not, but we named him Doyle anyway. Devon shook his hand, and then realized he had nothing to say, so that was it. haha.