Ticking off the Bucket List

 

Ticking off the bucket list

 

 By Lee Hyon-soo

 

 

A visit to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance, had been on my bucket list - the list of things I wish to do before I kick the bucket, that is, before I die. But I did not get around to travelling to that city until recently.  

 

The word “renaissance” literally means rebirth. In a broad sense, the Renaissance was the rebirth of Greek and Roman civilizations. To be more specific, the Renaissance was “the transitional movement in Europe between medieval and modern times in Europe beginning in the 14th century in Italy, lasting into the 17th century, and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influence expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the beginnings of modern science” according to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

 

The Renaissance is generally considered to have started in Florence. Many Renaissance giants lived and worked in that city, including Francesco Petrarch, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Dante Alighieri and Giovanni Boccaccio, to name a few. I wanted to go see their legacies and tread where they moved about.

 

To tick off a visit to Florence on my bucket list, I recently travelled to Europe with my wife. But we did not fly directly to that city. Instead, we took a roundabout route. Taking advantage of our sojourn in Seoul, we joined a group of Koreans who set out to tour six cities in Europe including Florence. 

 

We flew to Paris and spent two days there sightseeing. The city was not new to me because this was my third visit. In Paris we boarded a TGV train bound for Geneva where our coach tour started.

 

We were driven to Interlaken, where we climbed Jungfraujoch by train. Rising 3,454 meters above sea level, Jungfraujoch is a notable saddle in the Bernese Alps, connecting the Jungfrau and the Monch. As our train went up and down the mountain, we were overwhelmed by the spectacular scenery and fantastic views through our window.

 

We then moved to Milan for a quick sightseeing. From there, we proceeded to Venice, which is situated across a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by bridges. Parts of Venice are renowned for the beauty of their settings, architecture and artwork. We explored the city through a walking tour, a boat tour of its canals, and a gondola ride. Our gondolier entertained us by singing an Italian opera aria. Venice is a beautiful city worth visiting.

 

At last, we arrived in Florence, my premier destination. The first thing I did was to go to Piazza della Signoria to see Michelangelo’s David, a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. To gaze at this famous statue was a breathtaking experience, but I was later disappointed when I learned that what I saw was a replica. The original statue, which was unveiled here on September 8, 1504, was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia in 1873 and later replaced by the replica.

 

I saw many historic sites in Florence, including the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), the Baptistery of John the Baptist, Ponte Vecchio (Florence’s first bridge across the Arno River) and Santa Croce (the largest Franciscan church in Italy). I also visited the Museum of Dante’s House. The original building, which had been dilapidated by time, was rebuilt in the first decade of the 20^th century right where the Alighieri family homes once stood and where in 1265 Dante was born.

 

Our tour ended in Rome. It is called the Eternal City because ancient Romans believed that no matter what happened to the world or how many empires came and collapsed, Rome would go on forever. We paid homage to the vestiges of ancient civilization scattered throughout the city. Although Rome was great, I was not as much impressed this time around as I had been upon seeing it for the first time long ago.

 

 

The Korea Times

August 2017