Florence Addendum

Florence is formidable, which is probably why a few days isn't nearly enough to fully appreciate it. 

The Medici family ruled Florence during much of its history, even though Florence is generally thought of as a republic. This banking family was responsible for much of what makes Florence worth a visit, simply because they paid for much of the art. 

They even have a church that was built with their money and is the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family, the Basilica San Lorenzo. 

The church had one thing I especially enjoyed in Florence, although others found it underwhelming. A wing of the complex houses the Laurentian Library, designed by Michelangelo in a style called mannerism. This library holds one of the first collections of ancient manuscripts and early printed books, the personal library of the Medici family and built under the patronage of a Medici, Pope Clement VII. 

The library reading room is not often open to the public. The library is lined with reading desks containing the chained manuscripts and books. The outside column of each desk holds the list of what could be found in that row. The librarian in me liked this. 

Yesterday we had tried to find a restaurant called Brac, housed in a contemporary art bookstore. We were unsuccessful. Today Mike and I tried again and found that it did indeed exist, but did not open until a bit later. It was definitely worth the hunt!