Galleria dell Accademia | Santa Croce | Uffuzi
Florence: Day three
in Florence was quite good, quite exhausting and very
much awe-inspiring. It is late evening and this is the
first time I have had a chance to update my journal. We
have returned to our room - tired from our long day. DT
is switching back and forth on the television between
the Miss Italy contest and Strongest Man competition
from Lapland. Sylvester Stallone is a judge at the
beauty contest. The rules are harsh. After the
competition, the girls must stand together on a stage in
teeny bikinis. They are then called by number and, while
the camera is focused on their face, a judge says either
"Finished" or "Continue". If she is finished, she walks
off stage, the camera following every step. They also
flash back to the judges who are either agreeing with
the vote or making gestures to let the public know "Hey,
I voted to keep her." They all looked like keepers to
me.
Our day began quite early, down to the dining room for
cappuccinos before heading out to the
Galleria dell' Accademia for our 9 am entrance
reservation. The Accademia is the home of the original
David, carved by Michelangelo in 1504. It is amazing
(sorry no photos allowed in the gallery) and it was just
wonderful to see this gorgeous piece and this gorgeous
man in person. The gallery is, in fact, a famous art
academy that just happens to have priceless works
hanging on the walls. We enjoyed seeing David quite a
bit, but the rest of the entire collection - save three
- consists of paintings of Jesus in various stages of
his life and death - or saints, Madonnas, angels, popes,
etc.
Santa Croce
Not getting enough religion at the Accademia, we
headed over to Santa Croce. This ornate
Gothic church (1294) serves as the burial site for
hundreds of famous Italians - and the bodies are
entombed inside the church. You are actually walking on
graves inside the chapel! Really creepy. From Leonardo
da Vinci to Marconi to Galileo - anyone who was anyone
(as long as they were Catholic) are left to rest amongst
their peers.
The Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo tombs in Santa
Croce
It was now after noon, so we started walking back to
our hotel. We took the long way, winding our way through
the streets, stopping to window shop and to finally
purchase a gorgeous pashmina! Scarves and shawls are for
sale on every corner in Florence. Some are as
inexpensive as five Euros (less than $7). The most
expensive pashmina I saw today was 35 Euros - and I
bought the gorgeous thing.
Shawls are a popular item especially outside of churches
- you cannot enter a church if you have bare shoulders,
a short skirt or are wearing shorts. If you are
improperly attired you must go buy a pashmina or the
church ladies give you an awful paper poncho to wear
while inside! We had to pay a few Euros to enter Santa
Croce today - this was the first time we had to pay to
enter a church.
Near our hotel we found a pretty little restaurant and
went in for lunch. The restaurant had an arrangement of
vegetables piled sky-high on the counter. It was so
pretty, patrons were photographing the display. Me, I
photographed our lunch instead.
DT had chicken stew - the olives were so intense, just
wonderful
I ordered vegetable risotto.
After lunch, we stopped in to our room for a quick
rest and made the mistake of taking a nap for a few
minutes. We woke up two hours later! (Guess the jet-lag
isn't over yet?) I was basically on auto-pilot as we
walked down to the river and then over to the
Uffizi Museum, drowsy from my afternoon nap. The
Uffizi was built in 1560 as a suite of offices for Duke
Cosimo I. The entire third floor houses the art gallery
and much of the walls are glass. The Uffizi flanks the
river and includes a covered walkway on the second floor
that leads down the river and over the Ponte Vecchio. To
reach the galleries, you must walk up four hill-sized
staircases!
A view through the center of the Uffizi Gallery,
with views of the Piazza della Signoria and the dome
beyond
We didn't have much time in the Uffizi,
but made the best of our reserved time. The museum is
presented in chronological order, so only the paintings
at the beginning are of Jesus. During the Renaissance,
artists began to paint the beauty of nature and people -
not all art had to glorify G-d. Artists also became
commissioned to paint portraits of Popes, politicians
and the aristocracy. The highlight of the Uffizi is
Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus", Michelangelo's "The
Holy Family" and Titan's "The Venice of Urbino".
As you exit the museum, they had an exhibit detailing
Leonardo da Vinci's genius - detailed drawing of his
inventions and many of his original notebooks! This was a
surprise and we really enjoyed looking through these items.
He was ahead of his time, that is for sure - but he was
wrong about some things. For instance, he did not agree with
other scientists who believed the tides ebbed and flowed due
to the moon and gravity. Da Vinci felt there was a
mechanical explanation. Oops.
Gorgeous chocolates in a window display
Window shopping in Florence this evening:
what to wear if you have bird flu?
This dog was featured in the July 2006 issue of
National Geographic Traveler in an article about
Florence
We were warned so much about our safety in Florence -
how we would be attacked by gangs of Gypsies and
pick-pocketed every five minutes. Now, I am not saying
we have not seen a few roving undesirable characters,
but it has been rare. We feel very safe walking around
the streets in the evening, and the police have a strong
presence in tourist areas. There are groups of African
immigrants selling fake designer handbags, sun glasses
and bad paintings. They seem to play a game with the
police. The men set up their "wares" - usually on a bed
sheet - on the square or sidewalk. The police come
around the corner and the vendors pick up their goods
(using the four corners of their sheet) and run away.
They either wait for the cops to leave, or they just set
up their "store" around the corner.
Tonight we dined near the Duomo at a cafe
called B Gallo, a touristy restaurant
recommended by the bartender at our hotel. Very good
place and we were able to eat out of doors. Our waiter
tonight was Japanese. He is here studying about wine so
he can go back to Japan and open either an Italian
restaurant or a wine shop. There are many Japanese
tourists in Florence, so he is in demand at any
restaurant he wishes to work, as he is also fluent in
Italian. (His English wasn't that good.) We certainly do
meet interesting people when we travel.
A perfect pizza Margherita to end our day - it was yummy
Gelato
Gelato of the Day: Chocolate
We will call it a night. Pedometer: 17,246 steps
(7.33 miles).