We are now in Florence on the final few days of our Italian vacation. Yesterday we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce, which was quite spectacular !
The external facade of the building is fronted in marble ! There are quite a few places like this in Florence, mostly churches.
In the close-up above, you can see it in more detail and different coloured marble is used to quite an impressive effect - it looks quite beautiful !
Its quite huge inside. Construction began in 1294 - so its a lot older than I thought it was. And its quite a large sprawling complex - its not just a church, there are other outbuildings and courtyards to explore.
You do have to pay an entrance fee to get in - I would say that it was fairly priced considering how much there is to see, and children are free.
Quite a few famous names are either buried or have been commemorated here - like Dante Alighieri above (philosopher), who has this imposing statue outside.
And above is the commemoration to the composer Rossini, famous for his operas including William Tell.
There was a heck of a lot to see, and being Florence, it included a lot of art, whether painted or sculpted.
The item above really caught my interest - its the lock mechanism to the main front door of the church - quite impressive indeed, but it would have to be for doors those size !
We also really liked the memorial above, and particularly our daughter. Its for Florence Nightingale, who modernised nursing and is a huge figure in British history. She was born in Florence, but was buried in England.
And above is the accompanying plaque.
It really was quite an incredible place, and just when you thought you'd got to the end, there would be a whole other section, room, display, etc !
Above was one of the side halls.
I really loved the marble patterning on the window frames - really lovely !
And as above the artworks were beyond impressive. Well we really loved the visit to the church, it was fantastic - so worth seeing !
