A Trip to Florence! (5-Paragraph Story Arc)

     I received a letter in the mail this week from Signor Volpe, it said that there are going to be changes in the way TTI operates for the next 4 weeks. The missions will be longer and I can write as many posts as I want to share my experiences in Renaissance Europe. I think this is going to be really fun! Since we are traveling to Renaissance Europe I thought I would start in Florence, Italy. For the time period that we are traveling to the Medici Family had lots of power, I think it will be good to learn about the Medici legacy. Since the Bentley and the jet are in use for these missions, I'm using my personal time travel machine, a smart car. When I arrived in Florence it was the middle of late August, the weather was really nice and warm. It was the year 1464 and the town was celebrating the life of their pater patriae (father of the fatherland), Cosimo de Medici.
     I was told that Lorenzo de Medici would be the next ruler of the Florentine. I decided to skip ahead a few years in time and wait until he was at his highest point. When I came back Lorenzo had already established the 1st art school in Florence. Surely Lorenzo was not a despot. I visited the school and the kids were learning about paining perspective. They showed the kids how to draw the lines of the horizon, the vanishing points, and how to make it look 3 dimensional. One kid was drawing the Sistine chapel, he was patronizing me and trying to convince me that Donatello had painted the ceiling of it, but I haggled with him and told him it was Michelangelo (I was right). A lot of the kids in the school were very talented. After visiting the school and perspective I thought I should actually go to the Sistine Chapel and see Michelangelo's work for myself.
     When I saw how many paintings had covered the giant ceiling, I was filled with mirth because of how amazing it was. All of the paintings were harmonious and were church related.  I was just imagining how long it must have taken him, hours, and hours, on a ladder. I stayed in the chapel for about 3 hours just observing the artwork. A long day had passed, and I woke up ready for a new day in Florence. I decided to branch away from art and look at the trade and commerce in Florence. I went to a marketplace and saw some people trading goods and money for other things. All of the people there were wearing elaborate outfits and cool hats. I glanced at a map hanging on the wall and noticed that all of the city-states were located near water or good trade routes, I assume that's how they got power and an increase in commerce.
     I talked to some merchants, and they told me that they were getting more important in society. One of the merchants said that they were trying to make the city more beautiful with the money they had. They built new buildings that helped start universities, and some people spent their money on being patrons of art by buying art. He said that a lot of the cities were flourishing with educational and cultural centers. I was really amazed on how just supporting artists and art could help people gain so much power, especially the Medici's.
     For my last stop in Florence I decided to go see the dome of Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore. I heard that it took along time for Brunelleschi to build the dome. Inside I saw a painting of the construction site from when they were building the dome, it showed the hoists that Brunelleschi invented that helped lift the heavy beams and material. That was my last stop in Florence. Overall I thought this was one of my favorite places to travel to. There was so much art, and architecture it was unbelievable. When I got home I ate a hardy meal of meat and potatoes. I realized I was almost bankrupt from buying too much art. Oh well I still had a fabulous time!