I took the two trains to get from Salerno to Florence. The first was another ‘sleeper’ train, with
six seats in a compartment, three to each side so you basically sit knee to
knee with the person opposite you. It is
not the most comfortable, but it is only about an hour ride from Salerno to
Naples. When I found my car, there was a
young Italian man sitting in my seat by the window, I said ‘scusa’, showed him
my ticket and he pointed to the middle seat indicating I should sit there. I said ‘non grazie’, showed him my ticket and
pointed to the window seat. He starting
going off on me in Italian and making all kinds of hand gestures and I just
stood there. Finally two other guys in
the compartment came to my defense and told him to move out of my seat. Other
than that, leg one of the journey was uneventful. In Naples I hopped on a “fast train” to
Florence. It was still about a three
hour trip but in the comfort of A/C and traveling at high speed. I watched a monitor and at one point it
registered 246 kilometers per hour. One of the highlights of this part of the ride
was seeing the miles and miles of sunflower farms.
When I got to the Florence train station I relax because I
know this station as well as the layout of Florence itself. I spent
a few days here at the beginning of the Totally Tuscany cooking trip in 2006
and was here for a day this past May with Pamm and Marilee from
Pennsylvania. My hotel is next to the Duomo
(cathedral) and I know exactly how to get there.
It is a stinking 100 degree’s today and the town is filled
to the gills with tourist. Egads. August is the peak vacation season for
tourist and is the same month that the locals leave town to take their summer
vacation. The town is full of a lot of noise
and activity and I think the locals have the right idea… I originally planned on renting an apartment
here for the month of August but have since changed plans to go back to
Semproniano in Tuscany and spend my last few weeks there. As I am walking around town, feeling the heat
and weaving in and out of the 1000’s and 1000’s of tourist, I know I made the
right decision. I love Florence, but
this is just too much. I like the city
much better during the off-peak tourist season.
It has been a long travel day and I am anxious to get
settled. I find my hotel right down one
of the side streets near the Duomo; it is nothing fancy but still is about 100
bucks a night as it is that time of year.
But the room is spacious, clean, has a nice window view and is actually
very quiet for as close as it is to the action.
Stepping out my hotels front door and looking to the left –
the real left, not the right, the left.
Time for a little Italian treat...
I spent the rest of the evening just chilling and walking
around the local area, people watching.
Florence is a great place for that as well as shopping; it has the top
of the line stores as well as street vendors everywhere. And Gelato – good gracious the Gelato… The best place, in my opinion, is Grom which
is off another side street of the Duomo.
8/2
I decided to drop some euros and sign up for some tours for
tomorrow. I will be going to the Uffizi
Gallery, that houses some of the most famous masterpieces, and to the
Accademia, to see the original David, and I’d like to go a guide who can
explain things to me. Tours groups are
also good for avoiding long lines at museums and galleries. At some museums and galleries you can make
reservations for an entry time, there are even some that require it, but all of
this is avoided when you sign up with a tour company. I chose a group called ‘Walking Tours of
Florence’; it is another Rick Steves recommendation. After I make reservations for tomorrow, I set
out to wander the city streets seeing sites I am familiar with and have seen
before but still enjoying every single minute of it.
Piazza della Repubblica – the site of the original Roman
Forum.
Florence is known for leather and it is everywhere.
San Lorenzo’s is surrounded by a great outdoor and indoor
market
A sweet ride
Coming into the Palazzo della Signoria
This is a copy of the David, but the original used to be in
this spot in the Palazzo. The real one is now in the Accademia museum and
stands 17 feet tall. This one I call Davie as it is only about 10 feet tall…
All of these other statues are the original works, which is
why you will also see a very visible police presence in the Palazzo.
Outside view of the Ponte Vecchino
It is the only bridge in
Florence that Hitler did not blow up and it was because there is a secret
passage that runs across the top of it, connecting it to both sides of the
river.
Inside the Ponte Vecchino
Back on the street...
Back on the street...
He’s thinking ‘Oh don’t even think about asking for a
sample…’
She’s thinking ‘Did I make enough? Should I make more? Should I??!!
Frozen fruit on a stick
I don’t know the name of this pig, but if you rub his snout it means you will return to Florence – I rubbed it in 2006 and it worked – so I rubbed it again today…
After a great day of walking the streets, I go back to the
Palazzo della Signoria and park myself at one of the restaurants so I can
continue with my people watching marathon while I stare at the statues. It is my favorite spot in the city.
8/3
I’m doing three tours today so it is a three espresso kind
of morning. My day begins with a 3-hour walking tour of Florence, a
moderate yet enjoyable pace. We actually traveled most of the same streets
I walked yesterday, but the guide added to it by filling in the historical
facts, myths and legends. It was a great
tour; I just wish it could have been longer as there is just so much to see
here.
This building was built by a rich banker of the time. The doors were made this big so if the
banker was being chased (apparently that was a problem way back when) he could
ride his house right into the building and his servants could then shut the
doors keeping the buy guy out.
This was one of the many rings on a side of building to tie
up your horse. They would put a candle
in that pipe looking thing in the mouth at night so it would look like a fire
breathing dragon.
This is an old fashion ‘wine bar’. They used to be on the outside of houses all over town, this is the only original one left. You would knock on the little door, a servant would open it and stick their hand out the door, you’d pass them your empty bottle, they’d fill it with wine and pass the bottle back out to you. Sweet!
These are copies of the bronze doors made for the Baptistery, titled the ‘gates of paradise’, the original ones are in the nearby museum.
This is the inside doom of the Duomo. It is a dizzying site.
It still looks good because it is a fresco painting. I heard that term before but today I finally
found out what it means. It’s basically
painting on a type of plaster used in the olden days. It is a very difficult medium to paint on
because the plaster has to be wet when painted.
That way, the paint dries along with the plaster making the colors more
permanent and vibrant. It also meant the
artist had to work fast and be good at it.
If a mistake was made, the artist would have to reapply fresh plaster
over the area and start again. Our tour
guide says that the artist would have 2-3 hours to paint the section before the
plaster would dry. Amazing….
A candle holder in the Duomo
The next tour was Masterpieces of the Uffizi Gallery,
another incredibly wise decision on my part as I know fully understand the
difference between pre and post renaissance art! I wish I would have taken that tour when in
high school art class, I get it – I finally get it! But I can’t show you because no photos are
allowed in the gallery. So you’ll just
have to trust me that I know what I’m talking about… The tour was supposed to last two hours, but
our guide was having such a good time it went on for over three. The highlights for me were seeing
Botticelli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ and works by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci
up close and personal. It is a huge museum
and even though we were there for three hours, we only saw a small portion of
what they have to offer. They should sell tickets that are good for two full
days…
The last tour was the original David at the Accademia
museum. When you walk in through the
archway in to the main part of the museum, there he is standing in front of
you. He is 17 tall and is the most
beautiful, beautiful boy. Here again I
have one of those completely overwhelming moments where tears just pour out of
my eyes and I forget to breath for a while.
Even thinking of him now my eyes get all fuzzy. How did I get here? How am I seeing this? Every day, EVERY DAY, I still cannot believe
my good fortune in that I am seeing these things… I am so thankful, so very thankful, for all
that has occurred in my life that has brought me to this moment. He is beautiful – so very, very
beautiful. Michelangelo is a genius,
pure and simple. He was in his early
20’s when he carved this masterpiece out of gigantic piece of marble, using
tools that he made himself. How did he
do that? How did he see this boy inside
of that piece of stone and then, somehow, let him out? I can’t fathom that kind of gift. The corridor on the way to the David is lined
with other marble statues that he created but they look unfinished. Art historians believe that he meant to keep
them that way to show how the marble holds the statues inside of them. To look at them, I can’t find the words to
express how I am moved by this greatness.
All of which were done while he was in his 20’s. When I was in my 20’s my greatest
accomplishment was getting a college degree and just surviving…
The tour ended and we were allowed to stay in the museum
until closing time, which I did. I
walked around and started to see the rest of it, but I could not stay away from
the David. I made my way back to him
and spent the next hour moving from spot to spot to stare at every inch of
him. I want to freeze these photos in my
mind to hold onto them forever. I’ve
collected so many memories here, ones that I pray I will be able to hold onto
until my last breath.
I go back to my hotel to get refreshed and then venture out
again for dinner. Afterwards I end up
back in the Palazzo della Signoria to have a cocktail; people watch and stare
at the statues.
8/4
Today I spent most of the morning walking by the leather
stands and I can’t fight the temptation any longer and end up buying two purses
and a wallet. I was able to do some
price haggling and I like to believe that I got a pretty good deal. It is nice to have something new in my
possession; everything I have is breaking down.
My sneakers no longer have a tread, my shorts are hanging on by the ends
of their threads, my socks are barely socks anymore, my phone died and I had to
buy a new one and my suitcase is breaking down.
So having something new is a real treat.
I then walk across town towards the Mercato Centrale
(Central Market), the indoor market near San Lorenzo’s church, to forage for a
picnic lunch. I forgot about taking
pictures that is until I stumbled upon this:
It is a wedding. The car and driver seems to be well known to the wedding guests as several have their picture taken with her and I see that she is even signing autographs.
I had a great time at Mercato Centrale sampling all kinds of
cheese and salami. Almost every stand
that I visited asked where I was from and would pepper me with questions of
America – do we have markets like this, do we have this and that kind of cheese
or meat, etc. Such a fun afternoon. One butcher felt the need to explain every
part of the pig and cow that he had in the display case, telling me ways to
cook them. Some things I just didn't want to know about but not wanting to offend his hospitality I listened with
enthusiasm. A girl from a nearby shop heard me speaking
English and asked that I come to her shop so she could talk in English
too. She sold jam. She gave me several tasters and at one point
told me it tasted so good because it was made fresh tomorrow… I corrected her, explaining today (oggi) and
tomorrow (domain). It felt great
actually teaching someone a little English after so many 100’s of people have
been trying to teach me Italian. When I
left she thanked me and said “see you today” (meaning tomorrow). I just smiled
and said OK. I stopped at a few more
stands for tasters of wine and limoncello and then found one selling different
flavors of Crema de Balsamico (cream of balsamic vinegar). If you
are a fan of balsamic vinegar then you would LOVE this. It is a heavy thick cream that I assume they
get by cooking the vinegar. It is
delicious and can be used on salad, meat, even ice cream. It sounds weird I know, but one taste and
you would understand. I’m going to try
and bring home a few bottles and hopefully some other gastronomical
treats. I've got to research exactly
what I am allowed to bring back to the states.
And if it means I have to ditch all my clothes so as to have room in my
suitcase, well that is one sacrifice I will be happy to make.
I had a great picnic lunch and proceeded to continue to walk
the streets of Florence and get my fill of the city before I leave tomorrow for
the tranquility of the Tuscany hills.
As much as I love this city, I look forward to being away from all the
action and just sitting still. That and
weather.com says it is at least 10 degrees cooler there during the day and
closer to 20 in the evening. Ahhhhh…..
For my last evening, after a great dinner in a little
restaurant off a side street, I end up back in Palazzo della Signoria so I can
take one last long look at the statues, as well as the copy of the David. I do my best to memorize every inch of them
all so I can come back here, in my memory, any time that I choose.
Florence is an incredible city – even in the stifling heat
of the summer. There is so much to see
and do, if you choose to, or you can sit at a café for hours on end and do a
whole lot of nothing. If you come close,
stop and stay a while. It worth taking a
few days here to take in the sights and sounds both during the day and at
night, it’s magical at night.
Next stop - Semproniano in the Tuscany hills, my home away
from home…
Ciao ~
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