Bargello National Museum

A copy of the famous Marzocco, or Lion of Donatello, and a copy of David by Michelangelo.

The originals of the two last-mentioned statues have been deemed too precious to be exposed to the accidents which might befall them in a public square, and have been removed to the Bargello and the Accademia, respectively.

The term Martrocco is a puzzle to most people.

It is the name given to the symbol of the protector of Florence, and carries us back to the days of the Romans, when the city was supposed to be under the protection of Mars, the god of war.

and how the simple-hearted donatello letting fall in his astonishment the eggs which he was carrying in his apron exclaimed in whole-hearted admiration quite untouched by envy ah brunelleschi to thee it is given to make the christ brunelleschi's crucifix is also preserved it hangs in a chapel in s maria novella As well as being the church of a great order, Sant'Ecroce is the place of burial and memorial of all those whom Florence delights to honour.

Michelangelo takes his long rest here, so does Machiavelli and Alfieri, while tablets in memory of Dante, Galileo, Mazzini, Rossini and others are to be found in aisles or nave.

s maria novella on the other hand is somewhat bare without many interesting tombs or memorials but it is rich in frescoes the most famous being those of ghirlandaio in the choir and those in the spanish chapel which opens out of the cloisters here in an enormous fresco we see the dominicans in their much vaunted character of defenders of the church militant under the guise of black and white hounds the canes domini or hounds of the lord chasing heretics who figure as wolves midway between these two churches in the via del proconsolo we find a church with a beautiful tapering spire which like the dome of the cathedral and giotto's tower can be seen from all parts of the city and which although it has been restored is very ancient and was originally built for a third religious order that of the benedictines this is the badia or abbey of florence here the great count ugo of tuscany son of the foundress is buried and his beautiful tomb by mino de fiesole is one of the many works of art which the building contains the special treasure of the badia however is filippino lippi's masterpiece the celebrated easel picture of the madonna appearing to st bernard another of the massive palace fortresses which are so characteristic of florence stands opposite this church This is the Bargello, which, as we have seen, was built at the same time as the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio.

there are many beautiful things in this palace which is now used as the national museum statues by donatello including his st george his david and his young st john the baptist statues by michael angelo and by delicate terracottas by the della robies wrought in that mysterious glazed pottery which they alone could produce also some frescoes by giotto in which he has introduced the figure of his friend dante but the most beautiful thing of all is the ancient courtyard of the palace itself its loggia its statuary its colouring its many coats of arms and above all its outside staircase running up to the second storey all form a picture which it is impossible adequately to describe From the Bargello it is but a step back to the Piazza della Signoria, and if we cross that square to the Loggia dell'Anzi, we find ourselves at the corner of the enormous Uffizi Palace, which runs on both sides of the street, down to the Lungarno on the north bank of the river.

When the warrant went out, he hid.

Then, terrified, he gave himself up and was taken to the Bargello, the grimstone fortress in the center of Florence that served as the city's main prison.

He had already lost his work.

Now he faced execution for a plot he had never joined.

All over the city, people ran to their windows and even women leaned out in their nightgowns.

The new pope wanted his home city happy.

So he pardoned every political prisoner and the Bargello opened its doors.

After 22 agonizing days, Niccolo walked out into the spring air, thinner than ever, his shoulders still aching.

And so there's lots and lots of possible art heists to think of.

And, you know, if you have been standing in the line to get into the Bargello, maybe you're more sensitive to an idea of breaking into the Bargello and stealing stuff.

Who can say? I don't think you're going to be able to steal the David, but I can certainly, given the amount of geomantic thought that went into its positioning, it's clearly got some powerful mojo.

And maybe you have to tilt the David over and get something that's written, look at something that's written on the bottom of it.

Both finalists' panels, survive.

You can see them today at the Bargello.

It's in the museum in Florence, and they literally put them side by side, still arguing with each other.

I would say, what, 600 years later? Brunelleschi's panel is pure drama, if I was going to portray it to you So you can go see it visually eventually.