The Undoing of the Medici

The Medici Family were the dominent family in Florence for centuries. Today we visited the Ptti Palace whiich was the Medici residence in Florence. The Pitti Palace is very much like the Versailles Palace in France. The extravagance was remarkable. When you consider how poor the average person was, the kind of conspicous consumption is a bit overwhelming. We saw many of the great artists...including Ruebens, Van yke, Raphael, Titian, etc. Every room was gigantic and adorned with lavish murals, paintings, frescos, etc. All of it was acquired by the Medici family over hundreds of years. It made me wonder....whatever happened to the Medici Family? Are they still around today?

Our guide was a man named Pasquale. He explained that the last Medici was a woman, who was the last of the family line. Since there were no male heirs, she ended up making the city of Florence her benefactor. But the splendor of the palace and the unbelieable wealth, in the end, had no real value. In the end, the owners and the family died. No one remembers all the people whose portraits hang in the hallways. But they DO remember the painters! It is not what you are or who you are that is important, it is what you have done. I doubt that at the time the artisits realized that they would be more recognized by future generations than the patrons who paid them!

We are amazed and awe struck by the patience and talent of these past generations. What all this should really do is inspire us to do better. I was struck by the idea that young people should have the chance to be inspired by the past and learn from the mistakes as well as the accomplishments of our forebearers.