The final leg of the tour...
June 22, 2019
After another fabulous breakfast at the hotel we loaded up the bus and headed out in the morning toward Florence which would be the last stop of the Rick Steves Tour. Unbeknownst to the group, Patricia had a quick side trip planned for us it certainly was not listed on our itinerary for the day...
After another fabulous breakfast at the hotel we loaded up the bus and headed out in the morning toward Florence which would be the last stop of the Rick Steves Tour. Unbeknownst to the group, Patricia had a quick side trip planned for us it certainly was not listed on our itinerary for the day...
While on the bus, Patricia let us know that we would be making a slight side trip to one of only fourteen permanent American World War II military cemetery memorials built on foreign ground. Here 4,398 servicemen have been laid to rest. These men (and apparently even 4 women) died in 1944-45 during campaigns to push the Germans out of Italy and eventually led to the liberation of Italy. We were all very grateful to have the opportunity to visit this cemetery. It was a very somber moment but also inspiring to recognize how countries came together to defeat the Nazis. So many gave their lives so that we could live free.
On to Florence
It was just a short distance further to Florence from the cemetery. Our first stop was the Hotel Torre Guelfa. I was most anxious to see this particular hotel because it was the oldest structure we would be staying in on our trip. The original building was constructed in 1281 as a medieval fortress. The tower (torre) is one of the tallest of the few remaining towers in Florence. The room we stayed in had a soaring ceiling and giant windows that over looked the streets of Florence below. This place was pretty magical!
Did somebody say lunch?
After getting our things settled in the room we headed out to find some lunch. On the recommendation of a couple we met in Cinque Terre we tried La Prosciutteria and O.M.G.!! You can't get much better than these boards. Everything is so fresh. Needless to say, not much was left when we were done!
So is this one scary? strange? Maybe just a little disturbing!
Prior to our trip we were semi-vegetarian, kind of "flexitarian". We knew we should probably not eliminate meat completely and then go to Italy and have to forgo meat entirely or start back to eating it and get sick, so we did mostly plant based protein and did meat once a week or so. With that being said, seeing these pigs heads in the window made me a little uneasy but "when in Rome"...does that work for Florence? Maybe it's more like you are what you eat!
Uffizi Gallery
As a group we visited the Uffizi Gallery. We had TWO local guides who took us through the gallery and provided detailed information about the artists and the works. It was very enlightening.
The ceilings of the long hallways were all frescos that were intricately painted
Renaissance Walk and the Duomo
At the end of our Uffizi tour we met up with the other half of our group at the top of the Uffizi and then headed out to walk to the Accademia and learned about the Renaissance on the way
One of these statues is not like the others...do you know what the difference is?
Here is a hint...one is a street artist
The Duomo
The Duomo is overwhelming to see in person and we only got to see the outside. We also saw Ghiberti's Golden Doors...well we saw a really good recreation anyhow. No less beautiful. The "Gates of Paradise" have 10 panels that depict scenes from the Old Testament.
The Accademia Gallery
We arrived at the Accademia in the later afternoon. We were "on our own" here but Patricia was around and had provided us with an idea of what to head to see. It was not difficult to find the one iconic sculpture...David. Until you are standing there looking up at this sculpture, it is hard to understand the scale of it all. David is just awe-inspiring. The definition of muscles and veins. It's no wonder why Michaelangelo saw himself more as a sculptor than a painter.
Just for a little perspective. Here is Mick standing in front of David...being a typical guy!
A bust of Michaleangelo himself is in the room that leads to where David is located. Additionally, there are a series of sculptures
Prisoners (Slaves) that are also his work. Just below the bust of Michaelangelo is an example of one of these "unfinished" statues
"The Young Slave".On the top left is the plaster model of Giambolonga's "Rape of the Sabines" the finished piece in marble is in one
of the piazzas we visited too. And lower left is a model room filled with model busts and sculptures. Just be sure not to touch or
even come close to the ropes in this room as you will be reprimanded (don't ask how we know this!)
Prisoners (Slaves) that are also his work. Just below the bust of Michaelangelo is an example of one of these "unfinished" statues
"The Young Slave".On the top left is the plaster model of Giambolonga's "Rape of the Sabines" the finished piece in marble is in one
of the piazzas we visited too. And lower left is a model room filled with model busts and sculptures. Just be sure not to touch or
even come close to the ropes in this room as you will be reprimanded (don't ask how we know this!)
The Museum of Musical Instruments was very interesting.
There were violins and violas made by Stradivari and one of the first ever created pianos
There were violins and violas made by Stradivari and one of the first ever created pianos
Time to Eat!
Dinner was supposed to be on our own but Patricia offered to walk with whomever wanted to join to the Mercato Centrale where we would be sure to find something to eat. Several of the group took her up on her suggestion and we headed over to check it out!
Amazing art is everywhere in Florence...even on the streets!
Relaxing on the top of the tower
After dinner we headed back to the hotel and decided to check out the tower. Several tour mates joined at different times to see the stellar sunset. Every time you blinked the canvas of the skyline would change colors with the clouds and what appeared to be a storm in the distance.
Florence after dark...
Once the sun had seat a group of us decided to hit the streets of Florence in search of gelato and souvenirs for home. We found that night cast a different light on this beautiful city.
Last full tour day (aka Stendhal Syndrome day)
This was a day of exploration mostly on our own. Patricia did offer to walk a group to the Pitti Palace/Boboli Gardens. Admission to all museums was free because it was Sunday so we were basically able to go where we wanted. We opted to follow along with Patricia, as she had not steered us wrong to this point. We headed out on foot across the Ponte Vecchia on the way to our destination.
Pitti Palace
The Pitti Palace is the largest museum complex in Florence. It was once owned by the Medici family. It is FILLED with artwork. Every nook and cranny, walls, ceilings...everywhere you look is art work . This is where we learned the very definition of Stendhal Syndrome AKA "hyperkulturemia". After walking the entirety of the palace, the Boboli Gardens were a nice less artsy finish to our visit.
These are the pictures we took. It is only a miniscule representation of what we saw but there is only so much your brain can process ... so here you go!
Strange Italy returns...
Despite feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the art, this little beauty caught the eye. It was in a modern art section and stopped Nancy in her tracks...So many unanswered questions with this one!
Boboli Gardens
We escaped to the heat to take in the gardens. The area was huge. There was a new trail around every corner. We even got to stand on a vista overlooking Florence and listen to the bells ring (It was Sunday after all). This was much more our speed.
Lunch Time!
After leaving Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens we headed back over the Ponte Vecchio to find the one restaurant in Florence that we had planned for sure to visit. All'Antico Vinaio. We knew we had probably made the right choice when we turned the corner and saw the street it was on. Not one, not two, but three store fronts all with tremendously long lines. We cued up and waited. 5 euro for a giant sandwich filled with the freshest cheese and meats on crusty bread. It was delicious!
With our bellies full we wandered the streets of Florence and popped into another church, walked through some of the street markets but then it was time to head back to rest. We had one more group dinner and we didn't want to sleep through my meal!
Our Last Supper...on the tour
The Boccadama was where we had our last full tour meal. What a meal it was. Steak Florentine was the entree. The steak was massive. One more time as a partial vegetarians we were actually intimidated by this meat! We had a surprise thank you gift for our dearest guide, Patricia and of course we serenaded her as well. It's unclear how any of the other patrons of the restaurant felt about that but we sure thought we sounded great!
Post dinner stroll back to the hotel
We headed back to the hotel through the Piazza della Signoria and stopped to listen to this student orchestra playing. It made the experience even more enchanting. Once back at the hotel we made one last trip up the stairs of the tower to say good night to the Duomo!