Florence Italy, Tuscany, Italy8/30: Italo train from Milan to Florence extremely nice. They even come around with drinks and cookies. Only six people in our first-class car. The scenery reminded us of the area surrounding Denver with farms and mountains in the distance. Can't believe so much graffiti--everywhere along the train route.
HOTEL LAURUS AL DUOMO
A short walk from the train station. The best thing is its central location a couple of blocks from the Duomo. The rooftop restaurant was a fabulous place to be a night with the view of the Duomo Dome all lit up. Large safe so we could leave camera equipment when visiting places that did not allow backpacks.
A short walk from the train station. The best thing is its central location a couple of blocks from the Duomo. The rooftop restaurant was a fabulous place to be a night with the view of the Duomo Dome all lit up. Large safe so we could leave camera equipment when visiting places that did not allow backpacks.
We knew two nights here is not enough time but will attempt to see some of the major sights and enjoy the people and city atmosphere.
Purchased the Firenze Pass. With our limited time, this eliminated waiting in lines. There is a separate line for this pass for all the museums.
SIGHTSEEING:
ACCADEMIA: Took us about two hours to see most of the first floor. Each work of art has excellent descriptions in English. No photos allowed. Michelangelo's "David" can't be described; have to see it! At closing, we were the only people at "David;" such a serene moment to observe the statue in total silence. Also interesting were all the other statues and the musical instrument room, some of which we've never seen--Hurty Gurdies from 1775 and a Serpentone.
WALKS: The quaint streets are so interesting and full of people.
After dinner we walked from the Centrale Market area watching all the vendors pushing their huge carts into garages for the night, found a little grocery store where bottled water is incredibly cheap, and back to the hotel to drop of our groceries.
Continued our walk to Republic Square down to Ponte S Trinita Bridge, along the Arno River to Piazza della Signoria.
Palazzo Vecchio, once the home of the Medici family, is on Piazza della Signoria. Beautiful inside with its coffered, gilded ceilings and magnificent Grand Hall. Be sure to see the square at night with all the statues lit.
Palazzo Vecchio, once the home of the Medici family, is on Piazza della Signoria. Beautiful inside with its coffered, gilded ceilings and magnificent Grand Hall. Be sure to see the square at night with all the statues lit.
Street musicians and performers and so many people everywhere.
Really a great place for young people!
Really a great place for young people!
Seeing the Duomo all lit at night was quite spectacular!
Sitting on the hotel's rooftop enjoying the view of the Dome all lit up was a perfect way to end the evening!
8/31:
PIAZZA DEL DUOMO (DUOMO SQUARE):
PIAZZA DEL DUOMO (DUOMO SQUARE):
Great to get here early in the morning before the crowds appear.
- Tips: ~Go first to the Bapistry and get the brochure explaining all the buildings on Piazza del Duomo.
~With the Frienze card, go to #7 across from Bapistry, show Frienze card to get admission ticket for dome and bapitistry; museum issues its ticket)
~Dome climb opened at 8:30; only about ten people in line, and so much cooler than later in the day)
DOME CLIMB: Spent about two hours doing the dome. (We are the slowest people in the world going up; took 20 min to get to middle; 10 minutes here taking pictures; 25 min more to get to the top; lots of time taking pictures and enjoying the view; 20 min to walk down.)
- Facts: Painted by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari between 1572-1579. The theme is the same as in the Baptistery, "The Last Judgment," illustrating the traditional Catholic belief in a heaven and hell that human beings deserve on account of virtues or vices entertained during their natural life, after a final judgment passed at the end of historical time. In the center, the judge--the Risen Lord--appears amid angels bearing the instruments of his Passion.
Definitely worth climbing the 463 steps to see the paintings up close--extremely moving!!
What a view of the city when you get to the top.
So many towers around the city that weren't noticeable at street level!
What a view of the city when you get to the top.
So many towers around the city that weren't noticeable at street level!
BAPTISTERY OF SAN GIOVANNI is the oldest building in the square.The bronze doors on the outside are copies of the originals, which are in the museum. The beautiful marble and amazing 13th-century mosaics on the dome illustrate Biblical stories. Really enjoyed the audio tour--good explanations.
- Facts: Its octagonal shape expresses the Christian hope for a resurrection of the dead. At the top of the dome is "The Last Judgment" with the giant figure of Christ in the center with the dead rising from their graves under Christ's feet. The Risen Lord will summon living and dead alike to account for their actions.
MUSEUM: The original gilded bronze doors created by Lorenzo Ghiberti are the highlight.
- Facts: Their ten panels, completed in 1452, depict scenes from the Old Testament, intricately illustrated in high and low relief. Michelangelo is said to have pronounced the three-ton, 20-foot-tall doors grand enough to adorn the entrance to paradise, and so they became known as “The Gates of Paradise."
Among the many other interesting things to see were the statues, a "Pieta"by Michelangelo, Brunelleschi's models for his dome, Donatello's "Mary Magdalene" and two choir lofts sculpted by Donatello.
CATHEDRAL OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE
(TIP: very short line later in afternoon)
Astonishing are all the marble, mosaics, and carved figures on the exterior.
--The cathedral's name means St. Mary of the Flower and is a tribute to the role of Mary in God's mysterious plan. It's the result of 170 years of work.
--The gigantic dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi is truly amazing and is certainly the highlight of the interior.
--So many other remarkable sights--mosaics, colored marble floor decorations, temple-niches along the walls, and the 44 stained-glass windows depicting Old and New Testament saints and scenes from the life of Christ and Mary.
--The Clock over the main portal was painted by Paolo Uccello in 1443. Found this quite interesting--It is a "liturgical" clock that counts the 24 hours of the day starting at sunset of the previous day--the way the beginning of religious festivities is calculated. Four heads of prophets at the clock's corners suggest that this "real time" of the Church looks toward another time, a future in which the meaning of the present will be fully revealed.
(TIP: very short line later in afternoon)
Astonishing are all the marble, mosaics, and carved figures on the exterior.
--The cathedral's name means St. Mary of the Flower and is a tribute to the role of Mary in God's mysterious plan. It's the result of 170 years of work.
--The gigantic dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi is truly amazing and is certainly the highlight of the interior.
--So many other remarkable sights--mosaics, colored marble floor decorations, temple-niches along the walls, and the 44 stained-glass windows depicting Old and New Testament saints and scenes from the life of Christ and Mary.
--The Clock over the main portal was painted by Paolo Uccello in 1443. Found this quite interesting--It is a "liturgical" clock that counts the 24 hours of the day starting at sunset of the previous day--the way the beginning of religious festivities is calculated. Four heads of prophets at the clock's corners suggest that this "real time" of the Church looks toward another time, a future in which the meaning of the present will be fully revealed.
PEDI CAB TOUR:
No energy after the Dome climb to do the Renaissance walk we planned, so we wimped out and did a 1-hour tour in a pedi cab (44-euro for both of us). This wonderful young man did a great tour of the major sights with explanations and stories. A few of our favorites:
Church of Orsanmichele, famous for the sculptures of saints placed in the niches on all four sides. The original "Madonna of the Graces" painting was soon followed by miraculous events; when the Black Plague struck, increasing numbers of people visited the site. After the plague, Andrea Orcagna made a very elaborate Gothic altar to surround Daddi’s altar painting of Mary.(1338-59)
Dante: a plaque by the stone where he apparently sat and wrote poems; the church where he first saw and fell in love with Beatrice; the house-museum next to the medieval tower; his statue in Piazza di Santa Croce.
Santa Croche: At the beginning of summer each year, a Costume Football Game is played with a team for each historic quarter of the city. Quite the event according to our tour guy.
So glad we did this instead of walking; covered a lot more area in a shorter time. He was great and even showed us his favorite places to eat! He also told us how to tell quality gelato--if it is mounded high, it's not good quality because too much water.
UFFIZI GALLERY (original offices of Medici family) has the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere (according to the tour book). No photos. Did Rick Steve's audio tour (about two hours) gives great explanations, which definitely enhanced viewing, understanding, and appreciating the art. The problem was several rooms were closed so it was hard to follow at times.
PITTI PALACE: This imposing palace contains several separate museums (no backpacks or photos). The Boboli Gardens were lovely with great views.
Trattoria 4 Leoni restauarnt a couple of blocks from here (See below). Excellent!
Trattoria 4 Leoni restauarnt a couple of blocks from here (See below). Excellent!
PONTE VECCIO lined with shops; a statue of Benvenuto Cellini, the master goldsmith of the Renaissance; performers. The Medici's passageway above the corridor connects the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi with the Pitti Palace so they could flee in times of attack.
**************************************************************
PLACES WE ATE:
Fiaschetteria on Piazza D'Olio (just east of Duomo). Man at hotel recommended it since it was close by and not totally tourists. The downstairs wine cellar contains 3 long tables and the patrons were all Italian. The very vivacious, energetic owner/waitress explained the Italian menu to us. We ordered what she recommended--Piattone DiAffettati Mistie Formaggio (meats, cheese) and Crostini Misti (bread topping of pork, beef, tomato). We sat at the end of a table with a mother, daughters, and nieces. Luckily one of them spoke excellent English so we chatted with them quite a bit. They kept ordering a variety of items and insisted that we take a taste. They even gave us advice about what to see and recommended restaurants we should try (Mario's by Centrale Market). Ended up spending almost three hours enjoying the food and company.
A memorable experience for the food and the people,
A memorable experience for the food and the people,
ZaZa Trattoria: Spaghetti carbonara & roast pork rosemary and fava beans with tomato sauce. Good atmosphere with outdoor seating right across from Centrale Market. Food was was ok. (Wanted to go to Mario's but they were closed.)
Osteria dei Baroncelli: Two people recommended this restaurant for their bistecca fiorentina (steak florentine). Since we read so much about this steak, it was certainly a MUST DO while here. Minimum order was1 kil (2.2#) for 40-euro, which is enough for 2 people. We were "stuffed." It was worth trying once; however, not as good as a grilled steak here in the US.
Trattoria 4 Leoni (near Pitti Palace) is on beautiful Piazza Della Passera. The scaloppina ai 4 leoni (ravioli with mashed pears in cream cheese sauce with asparagus) was Lois' favorite meal in Europe! Randy thoroughly enjoyed the fiocchetti di pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi (fried pork with fresh tomatoes in oil and basil on top).
GELATO:
Sergiobar gelato stand across the Duomo Dome exit door--not very good. The fruit was definitely refreshing after the Duomo Dome walk, even though quite expensive.
Sergiobar gelato stand across the Duomo Dome exit door--not very good. The fruit was definitely refreshing after the Duomo Dome walk, even though quite expensive.
Perseo Gelateria on Piazza Della Signoria across from Palace Vecchio was the best gelato we ate--amaretto macaroon and dark chocolate. (Our mouths water just thinking about it!
2025-05-22