When I opened my eyes, I saw it is five o'clock. It was amazing that even in the biological clock of the body, now the alarm of 5 o'clock in Italy was fixed instead of 5 o'clock in India. We had our eighth day in Italy today. As soon as I woke up, put it on cellphone charging and transferred the pictures and videos captured in it to Google.
Both these tasks also become extremely important during the journey. Even a single day's lapse in this work can lead to a huge mess. This time I did not bring a laptop, so photos and videos have to be transferred to Google every day. After this he sat down to write the diary and kept on writing till seven o'clock.
It was 10.30 on the way out of the house. Today a program was made to visit the city of Florence, which is called Firenze in the local language. If you want to see the interior of any city, then the best way can be walking.
We dropped dad at home and we took the tram to Florence railway station. From here we started our journey on foot. A short distance from the station is a square with an old but spacious prayer house. This is where the process of dense market starts. After reading the notice that it is prohibited for tourists to enter the prayer hall, we turned to the market.
Here some painters were making pictures by placing tables and chairs on the side of the road. These pictures were so beautiful, beautiful and balanced that it is difficult even for a computer to make. Centuries ago, the city of Florence had ushered in a new age by ending Italy's inertia by producing these same paintings and sculptures. That era has also passed but the tradition of making paintings and sculptures has been kept alive by the city even today. In the central part of this square, there is a large statue of a philosopher or painter of Florence.
After walking a little further, there were kiosks made of leather goods. These kiosks are made of temporary wooden structures and have come so far in the middle of the road from both the sides that it becomes difficult for the commuters to walk. Leather waist belts and ladies purses were on sale here.
Everything here was very expensive according to the Indian Rupee. Walking through these streets, we reached a huge square. There was so much crowd in this square that the beholder feels as if the whole world has come down to this place! Here is a baptistery built in AD 1408. Made of white and green Italian stones, this baptistery is very artistic. There are many other huge buildings around it as well. A building looks like a high tower in the sky.
Some tourists were going up to the top of this hundreds of feet high tower standing on the platform built in the crane and from there they were watching the world below. Everywhere there is a crowd. The railways of tourists were coming like sea waves and were not taking the name of stopping. There was also a museum in one of these buildings, in which people were engaged in triple queues for hours to enter.
There is a notice board outside this building, according to which Seths from all over the world had given money to renovate the northern gate of this baptistery. Among them the name of Indian industrialist and freedom fighter Jamna Lal Bajaj is at the top.
Horse-drawn carriages made in Victorian style were running on the square, on which tourists from all over the world roamed the whole square and the surrounding streets. In India they are called gig. Probably because of the sound of bells on this car! In this square, many painters were sitting in a long queue and painting. Many tourists try to talk to these painters. These painters range from teenage girls aged 14-15 years to 80-85 years old painters. Truly, Florence is the city of painters.
We were walking around the square watching these scenes when suddenly a foreign girl took off her glasses from Vijay's eyes. By appearance she looked like a Chinese girl. The young woman angrily scolded Vijay in English language- 'How dare you take my glasses!'
Vijay was stunned by this unexpected snatch and tried to understand why this grain woman was doing this. Before Vijay could answer, the girl's companion came running and said something (possibly in Chinese) to the young woman, showing a spectacle in his hand. The girl immediately returned the glasses to Vijay and apologizingly said - 'I'm sorry, I thought you have taken my glasses.' Vijay still could not say anything, only smiled.
During this whole incident, we were standing near Vijay, but we could not see this incident due to the attention of all of us towards the various activities going on in the square. When the girl started leaving, Vijay told us the whole incident.
From here we crossed a few lanes and reached another square located about 650 meters away. Google Maps continued to guide us. While passing through these streets, we had to pass in front of buildings with big doors. We were surprised to see that the door of every house was completely closed.
So it was not even possible to cast a glance within him. There is a big fountain in the center of this square, around which there are many sculptures bigger than human size. Most of the sculptures are of white marble and almost all the sculptures are without clothes. Some of the giant statues on the outer ring of the fountain are bronze, which have turned dark green due to the flow of water.
Piazza della Signoria
In fact, the square we reached at this time is named Piazza della Signoria, that is, Signoria Square. The world-famous 'Fontana del Nettuno' in this square i.e. 'Fountain of Neptune God' situated at. This fountain is dedicated to the ancient Roman god Neptune who is known as Varun Dev in India.
In the Vedas, Varuna is considered an asura who later became a deity due to friendship with the gods. The ancient statues of Neptune which are found in Italy also, their shape looks cruel like demons, not gentle like gods. In ancient Greek religion, Neptune was considered the god of pure water and seas.
It is an associate god of the Greek god Poseidon and is considered the brother of Jupiter (Jupiter) and Pluto (Yama). The ancient Romans called Neptune in Latin Neptunes and worshiped him as the god of water and springs. Neptune was the god of heaven, earth and Hades.
It was also accepted as the god of horses. The name of the wife of the god Neptune was Celesia. In ancient Greek religion, Oceanus was also considered the god of the seas and rivers. The Romans also accepted this Greek god in the same form. In Italy's capital Rome and other cities, there are waterfalls and fountains named after both Neptune and Oceanus gods, in which statues of Neptune or Oceanus gods as well as other gods and goddesses are also installed.
Most of the statues of ancient Greek and ancient Roman gods and goddesses are nude. A cloth is engraved on the waist or chest of some idols. This is the reason why large nude statues of marble and bronze are seen on squares, main streets and waterfalls and fountains etc. in Rome and other cities of Italy.
Greek and Roman gods and goddesses are actually the changed names of Indian Vedic gods and goddesses. In the Vedas, Neptune is called Varuna, Jupiter as Jupiter and Pluto as Yama, while Oceanus is a changed form of Vritra described in Rigveda. In the Vedas, Vritra is considered as an Asura who had tied the waters of the oceans and Indra freed the waters of the oceans by killing Vritra. The main fountain of Rome is dedicated to Oceanus, meaning Vritra, and the main fountain of Florence is dedicated to Neptune, the god Varuna.
There are many fountains in Florence by the name of Neptune Fountain, of which Piazza della Signoria i.e. the Neptune Fountain located on Signoria Square is the main one. This fountain is in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Marble and bronze have been used in the making of the sculptures of this fountain.
This fountain was originally built in AD 1565. It was designed by a craftsman named Beccio Bandinelli. The sculptures of this fountain were made by a sculptor named Bartolomeo. Bronze seahorses were created by Giovanni da Bologna. In AD 1559, a new canal was built to supply drinking water to the city of Florence.
Then the ruler of Florence, Cosimo I Medici, organized a competition to design this fountain. At that time the expansion of the Roman Empire was almost all over the Mediterranean Sea area.
That is why most of the fountains built in Rome and Florence during that period contained the images of Neptune, the god of the seas and the gods and goddesses associated with it. Which symbolized the authority of the Roman Empire over the Mediterranean. Neptune was commonly depicted riding a chariot pulled by imaginary sea horses.
Bacchio Bandinelli's design was selected in a competition in Florence, but he died before the work was completed. Thereafter the craftsman Ammanatti was appointed to complete the work. The face of the god Neptune in this fountain is an imitation of the Grand Duke Cosimo of Florence.
This statue is about 13 feet high. It is made from Apoon marble. This marble is more white than the marble of Makrana. This fountain was completed in AD 1565 to commemorate the marriage of Francisco de Medici I, the then ruler of Florence, and Grand Deutsche Johanna, Princess of Austria. The people of Florence did not like this fountain and they replaced the statue of Neptune in the fountain 'Great White Monster' Rejected saying.
Bronze deities have been placed around the statue of Neptune, which can be easily recognized due to their dark green color. Near the fountain are statues of the goddess Sayla and Charybdis, the wife of Neptune, along with other deities. All these statues are naked because ancient Greek and Roman gods were made in this way without clothes.
It took about 10 years to build the marble and bronze statues that were strewn around the fountain and in the square near it. An octagonal pool has been built around the fountain. Neptune's platform has been erected right in the middle of it. All the statues standing in this square were ready by AD 1574. In AD 1800, the replicas of those statues were made and the original statues were sent to the National Museum.
In the last four hundred years, this fountain had to bear many types of damages. After some time the fountain got destroyed and its tank was used by washermen for washing clothes. On 25 January 1580 this fountain was vandalized by Vandal invaders.
This fountain has a 'satire' There was a statue of it, which was stolen by someone during the carnival of AD 1830. The deity of the forest is called Satir. In Greece, it was depicted as a man with ears and tail like that of a horse. In Roman satyr it was depicted as a man who had ears, tail, legs and horns like goat's. In some countries this deity was depicted as a man with wings.
In AD 1848, this fountain was attacked with bombs. It was made by the government and it was destroyed by the unruly elements. The main reason for this seems to be that some officials of the Christian Union during this period did not want the idols of the gods and goddesses of ancient Roman religion to be visible to the people and the rise of faith in their old religion.
Nevertheless, the government kept on renovating this fountain from time to time as the identity of the city of Florence. On the night of 4 August 2005, some goons attacked the fountain. Three men climbed onto the statue of the deity Neptune and broke the statue's hand and trident. This statue was repaired in the year 2007. In the year 2007, once again four boys damaged this fountain.
There are about a dozen Neptune fountains in Italy. There is also a Neptune Fountain behind the Palazzo Pitti in the Boboli Gardens of the city of Florence. The statues of this fountain were also made by Bologna. To see this fountain, there is such a crowd of tourists from all over the world that it is not easy to take a picture of it.
In those days Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli built a similar fountain in the city of Messina, located in the Italian state of Sicily. In AD 1878, the Neptune Fountain was also built in Rome, in which Neptune is shown fighting with an octopus.
In the center of the square is a statue of a warrior mounted on a huge and tall horse. It is a huge bronze statue and appears dark green in colour. According to my estimate, this statue belongs to the king Francisco de Medici (I) who built this fountain and it was also completed with the fountain in AD 1565. इस प्रतिमा में बने घोड़े तथा राजा की आकृति का शिल्प और धातु ठीक वैसे ही हैं जैसे फव्वारे में लगी कांस्य-निर्मित देव-मूर्तियों के हैं।
लघु शंका
फव्वारे को देखकर हम चले ही थे कि मुझे लघुशंका से निवृत्त होने की इच्छा होने लगी। हम लगभग पूरा शहर घूम आए थे किंतु किसी भी स्थान पर हमें टॉयलेट की सुविधा दिखाई नहीं दी थी। क्या यहाँ के लोगों को पेशाब नहीं लगता!
मैंने विजय से प्रश्न किया तो वह समझ गया कि मेरी समस्या क्या है! उसने भानु से कहा कि वह सामने वाली शॉप पर काम कर रही लड़की से टॉयलेट के बारे में पूछे। भानु ने उस लड़की से बात की। हमारे सौभाग्य से वह अंग्रेजी जानती थी। उसने भानु को बताया कि यहाँ कोई पब्लिक टॉयलेट नहीं होता। आप किसी रेस्टोरेंट में जाइए, वहाँ से कुछ खरीदिए या खाइए, वहाँ आपको टॉयलेट की फैसिलिटी मिल जाएगी।
भानु द्वारा लाई गई यह सूचना किसी बड़े ताले को खोलने के लिए चाबी से कम नहीं थी। मैंने तुरंत ही एक रेस्टोरेंट वाले से टॉयलेट के लिए रिक्वेस्ट की क्योंकि यहाँ के रेस्टोरेंटों में हम कुछ खरीदने की तो सोच ही नहीं सकते थे। मांस-मछली और अण्डों की तरफ देखते ही हमें मतली आती थी।
रेस्टोरेंट का मालिक कुछ मजाकिया किस्म का आदमी था। उसे रोज मेरे जैसे पर्यटकों से पाला पड़ता होगा। इसलिए उसने हंसकर कहा- फिफ्टीन यूरो!’ उसकी बात सुकनकर मेरा मुंह उतर गया। यह तो बहुत बड़ी राशि थी। भारत के हिसाब से 1200 रुपए। फिर भी मैंने किसी तरह हिम्मत बटोर कर उससे कहा- ‘दिस इज वैरी हाई!’
दुकानदार फिर हंसकर बोला- ‘आ’म जोकिंग, प्लीज गो इनसाइड।’ उसने एक कौने में बने टॉयलेट की तरफ संकेत कर दिया। मेरी जान में जान आई। यहाँ से हम अपने घर की तरफ चल दिए। यह रास्ता ठीक उसी नदी की तरफ होकर जाता था जिसके किनारे-किनारे हम पहले दिन एक घण्टा टहले थे।
सोना सस्ता और टमाटर महंगा!
मार्ग में एक ज्यूलरी मार्केट था। इस बाजार को देखकर आंखें चौंधिया जाती हैं। सोने-चांदी, प्लेटिनम, हीरे, जवाहरात एवं सेमी-प्रीशियस स्टोन से बनी ज्यूलरी की इतनी सारी दुकानें एक साथ देखकर हैरानी हुई। दुकानों के शोकेस आभूषणों से ठसाठस भरे हुए हैं और गलियां दुनिया भर से आए पर्यटकों से भरी हैं।
इतनी सारी दुकानें, इतनी सारी ज्यूलरी और इतने सारे पर्यटकों की उपस्थिति देखकर ही अनुमान लगाया जा सकता है कि यहाँ प्रतिदिन कई सौ करोड़ रुपयों के आभूषणों की बिक्री होती होगी। यहाँ सोने का भाव 350 यूरो अर्थात् 28 हजार भारतीय रुपए रुपए प्रति 10 ग्राम है। जबकि इन दिनों भारत में सोने का भाव 32000 रुपए प्रति 10 ग्राम है।
दूसरी ओर यदि इटली में भारतीय मुद्रा में 32 हजार रुपए का टमाटर खरीदा जाए तो केवल 100 किलो टमाटर आएंगे किंतु भारत में इतने ही रुपए में 1,000 किलो टमाटर खरीदे जा सकते हैं। यह मेरी समझ से बाहर की बात थी कि यदि इटली में टमाटर का भाव भारत की तुलना में 10 गुना महंगा है तो सोना भारत से भी सस्ता क्यों है? हम भारत में सस्ता टमाटर खा रहे हैं या इटली के लोग सस्ता सोना खरीद रहे हैं?
मैं और विजय इन ज्यूलरी शॉप को देखते हुए आगे बढ़ गए। आगे वही नदी थी जिसके किनारे हम पहले ही दिन एक घण्टे तक घूमते रहे थे। नदी के किनारे पहुँचकर हमने देखा कि मधु, भानु और दीपा हमारे साथ नहीं हैं। हम दोनों वापस बाजर की तरफ लौटे। वे तीनों ठीक उसी स्थान पर खड़ी हुई थीं
जहाँ से बाजार समाप्त होता था और नदी का तट आरम्भ होता था। नदी के किनारे आधे घण्टे चलने के बाद हम अपने सर्विस अपार्टमेंट पहुँचे। अब तक दोपहर के डेढ़ बज गए थे। हम पूरे तीन घण्टे तक या तो चलते रहे थे या खड़े रहे थे। शहर में बैठने की बेंच इक्का-दुक्का स्थानों पर थीं और उन पर पर्यटक पहले से ही जमे हुए थे।
इस कारण हमें बैठने का अवसर कहीं नहीं मिला था। सायं सवा पाँच बजे मैं और विजय पिताजी के साथ घूमने निकले। हमने ट्राम के टिकट खरीदे। इन्हीं टिकटों से किसी भी सिटी बस में भी यात्रा की जा सकती थी। हमारा विचार पूरे डेढ़ घण्टे में ट्राम या बस में बैठे रहकर शहर घूमने का था ताकि पिताजी को पैदल नहीं चलना पड़े।
हम ट्राम से शहर के अंतिम छोर तक गए। इस स्थान पर हमें पहली बार इटली की मिट्टी और घास दिखाई दी। हम दूसरी ट्राम पकड़ कर वापस लौटे और इस बार शहर के दूसरे छोर पर उतरे।
रोमांचक अनुभव है रोम और फ्लोरेंस की मैट्रो रेल में यात्रा
इटली के नगरों में ट्राम सेवा को चलते हुए देखना और उसमें यात्रा करना एक आनंद दायक अनुभव है। रोम संसार के प्राचीन नगरों में से एक है किंतु जिस तरह से उसका आधुनिकीकरण हुआ है, उसे देखकर लगता है कि रोम हाल ही में कुछ वर्षों में बनकर तैयार हुआ है। ट्राम सेवा उसकी सुंदरता में चार-चांद लगा देती है।
इसके लिए न तो ऊंचे प्लेट फार्म बनाने पड़ते हैं और न पटरियों के किनारे गिट्टी बिछानी पड़ती है। इसलिए बच्चे, बूढ़े, स्त्रियां सभी इसकी सवारी पसंद करते हैं। यह नगर के आवागमन को तो सुगम बनाती ही है, साथ ही सिटी बस की सेवा से भी अधिक सुगम है। यह बहुत कम समय में शहर के एक हिस्से से दूसरे हिस्से में पहुँचा देती है।
बसों, कारों तथा अन्य साधनों की अपेक्षा यह अधिक सुरक्षित एवं आराम देह सेवा है। फ्लोरेंस संसार के सबसे सुंदर शहरों में से एक है। इस नगर की ट्राम सेवा दर्शकों को लुभाती है। फ्लोरेंस आने वाले पर्यटक ट्राम का आनंद उठाना कभी नहीं भूलते।
जिस स्थान पर हम ट्राम से उतरे, वहाँ से वह चौक निकट ही था जहाँ आज प्रातः हमने विशाल बैपिस्ट्री देखी थी। हमें एक मिनी बस दिखाई दी। हम उसी बस से बैपिस्ट्री तक पहुँचे। इस समय भी यहाँ सुबह जैसी ही भीड़ थी। लोग विक्टोरिया गाड़ियों का आनंद ले रहे थे। इस चौक को देखने के बाद हम बस में बैठकर सर्विस अपार्टमेंट लौट आए।
दिन अब भी काफी बाकी था। इसलिए इस बार पिताजी घर पर रहे और बाकी के सदस्य दूध, फल और तरकारी खरीदने के लिए निकल गए। इन्हें आंख मींचकर खरीदना पड़ा था। भारत में दूध और सब्जियां 60 रुपए किलो तथा फल 100-125 रुपए किलो मिल जाते हैं किंतु यहाँ दूध से लेकर आलू-प्याज, टमाटर, सेब, केला, और आड़ू 300-350 रुपए किलो मिलते हैं।
रात को नौ बजे जब हम सर्विस अपार्टमेंट पर लौटे, तब भी दिन का पर्याप्त उजाला मौजूद था। आज दिन भर हमें बहुत पैदल चलना पड़ा था इस कारण बुरी तरह थक गए। खाना खाकर लेटते ही नींद आ गई।