Firenze day three

We started our last full day in Florence by attending high mass at the Duomo. The canons were there and it was impressive though very sparsely attended. We then did a loop around the southern edge of town.  It was great because it's very natural and felt like a fall day on the Mississippi River road. If you ever go to Florence you must go out of your way to go to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The view is simply stunning.

After admiring the view for a good whilie and a leisurely stroll down through rose gardens that only had a few blooms (in January, how very not disappointing), we found a place for a very large Italian three course lunch. Because my cold is still acting up I came back to our residence, Casa Santo Nome di Gesu, and participated in the Italian custom of riposo. After the nap, we went to the Church of Santo Spirtu, which is home to the only undisputed crucifix by Michelangelo.  Per usual, stunning. The church itself is rather plain on the outside, but the inside is phenomenal.  If I ever get to build a church, I am so modeling it off this one (minus most of the side chapels, there are dozens).  Tomorrow we plan on visiting the tombs of the Medici in San Lorenzo and then heading back to Rome.

The order, the symmetry, the relative simplicity until you get to the altar...