Firenze Dice "Ciao" a Tutti i Miei Amici!! (Day 45 - GToE)

Florence says "hello" to all of my friends!!

This morning when I left Venice it was rainy, cold, and incredibly flooded. I thought my fashionable overboots were going to fail me, but they held on and so did my suede boots. When I reached Florence, the overcast gray day followed with some late day light rain, but it is considerably warmer in Florence. I keep wondering if I will truly see the sun anytime before I go home. Ah well, all things considered, I suppose I shouldn't complain.

I arrived in Florence around midday. Eight years ago, I stayed in the heart of the city - spitting distance from everything. This time, I decided to stay in an altogether different part of Florence, the Oltrarno (transation: "beyond Arno"). In other words, the other side of the Arno River. It's a little quieter and less of a tourist trap than center city. My Italian speaking friends and family will appreciate that the room I am staying in is called the "pazzi" room. Anyone? Anyone? (Translation: 'crazies'.) 

After leaving my luggage in my hostel, I went out to rediscover Florence. I originally thought that I wouldn't be able to get into some of the major sights today because usually there are lines around the block but I guess it's a little slow right now. Weirdly, there were no lines for anything. First stop was the Ponte Vecchio (the Old Bridge). Florence's iconic bridge dates from 1345 and has always had shops and merchants, but originally these were butcher shops which used the river as a handy disposal system for the entrails. Now it hosts gold and silver shops which must have immensely improved the smell on the bridge. During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat of August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence. According to many locals and tour guides, this was allegedly because of an express order by Hitler.

Next, I walked over to the Uffizi Gallery, which has the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere. Some of the artists featured in this museum are: Da Vinci, Caravaggio, Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, Giotto, Botticelli, and so many more. Since I last visited this museum, they have added an international section which has artists from outside of Italy; i.e., French, Dutch, Spanish, and Flemish. Most of those names I didn't recognize except Goya and Rembrandt. I got to see a few of my favorite paintings, like Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, Michelangelo's Tondo Doni, and Caravaggio's Shield with Head of Medusa. Such magnificent masterpieces are located in this museum.

After leaving the Uffizi, I stopped outside the Palazzo Vecchio where there is a Loggia filled with amazing statues. Then it was time to visit the Duomo, Florence's Gothic cathedral. While the inside of this cathedral is pretty sparse, it's worth a visit if for no other reason that to see Brunelleschi's dome - the first Renaissance dome. Next to the Duomo is the Baptistery, which is the oldest building in the square. Again, it's worth a visit to check out the medieval mosaic ceiling of this building. Sadly, there is some refurbishment going on with the outside of this building so you can't see it. They did leave one of the Lorenzo Ghiberti's bronze doors uncovered.

Next it was onto the Accademia, better known as the museum which houses Michelangelo's masterpiece sculpture of David. While the museum has a ton of other masterpieces on display, David is the star of the show. Standing 17 feet tall, David is a colossal piece of art and is stunning. In 1501, 26 year old Michelangelo was commissioned to carve a large-sale work and David is the result. Originally, David was supposed to stand on the roofline of the Duomo, but was placed more prominently at the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio (where a copy stands today). It was moved indoors for protection sometime in the 19th century. Also, in the Accademia, are several unfinished works by Michelangelo and a Pieta (not the one in St. Peter's, but another version). There's a musical instruments museum within the Accademia where I saw a couple of Stradivarius violins, a couple of hurdy gurdies, a weird guitar piano (which I'm not sure how that worked), and some other interesting early instruments.

All in all my first (half) day in Florence was a busy one.  Time to find some dinner and perhaps do some laundry. Ugh. Check out the rest of my day 45 photos on my GToE photo site.