Ross's and Clare's Travel Adventure
14th March 2019 - 29th March 2019
Florence
The first walk was following a set walk that Ross had on his phone 1½ hours to all the major sights of Florence. Across the Ponte Vecchio, trying not to look impressed as after all it is in our neighbourhood and we have to cross it every day. Down the road to the Duomo, I do not believe it scaffolding. I think the whole of Europe is covered in scaffolding. There were bits that were clear of the scaffolding so not all bad. Where to next, oh we have deleted the walk off the phone!! We found ourselves heading for the market as you do when you have lost your walk. We checked out wallets and the purchased wine and cheese etc so had to go to the apartment as it was all heavy.
Lavinia worked in a café in Palazzo Pitti, a visit to her saw us leave with free coffees.
The Boboli gardens seemed a nice place to drink coffee and walk around. We walked up to the fort for a great view of the city, the fort was closed for winter!! But no scaffolding that’s a plus. Back in the city and we ran into a Fantasy parade. All your fantasy favorites amazing. I do not have many photo’s as my phone played up and was on slow shutter.
re spread out and felt older.
The Galleria Academia to see David, 17 meters high and wonderful proportions according to the experts. Why then I asked is his penis smaller than his thumb? Ross said some Emperor had made a law that statues had to have penis’s smaller than his, so they are all tiny. I am going to check this fact out!!! Not much else in the Galleria except a music museum with some amazing old instruments and a Stradivarius.
We tried for another Fort that too was closed but it did get us into a different part of town and on a tram.
I went to the Uffizi by myself as Ross had, had enough of art. Wow oh wow so many of the most amazing paintings I thought I would never see and here they are. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli is the painting to see, but there are so many more Spring also by Botticelli, Medusa by Caravaggio, The Baptism of Christ Leonardo da Vinci. I liked Still Life with Musical Instrument Cristoforo Mundari and lots of others. I had run out of battery in my Phone before I had got anywhere near the end. There was a display of Antony Gormley’s work. Not the same as the old stuff but very interesting. We had seen his statues on the beach outside of Liverpool.
We did a few walks to see special buildings covered in scaffolding and went to find the best gelato in the world the shop was gone!! There are some amazing houses here and The National Library was impressive. We managed to catch another parade this one was of the different areas around Florence everyone in National costume. They finished in the Boboli gardens with speeches I clapped when everyone else did, everyone seemed very happy. Then there was some flag throwing and dancing.
We had been told to visit Palazzo Davanzati a merchant’s house. It was not well furnished as it turns out the merchants went bankrupt and had to sell the furnishings but what is there is very interesting and it’s a lovely house.
The Galileo museum is all scientific instruments I was fascinated by them all there were thousands on display, and it seems only 20% on show.
A second trip to David’s square and hurrah the scaffolding was gone from around the fountain. It is all clean and glowing in the sunshine.
Lots of good food in Florence we had the Steak Florentine fab
Our last meal out in Florence was just across the Ponte Vecchio. We let the owner suggest our menu and he kindly did half serves, so we got to taste two spaghetti’s and two risotto’s all delicious and guess what? Vegetarian. Ross enjoyed it and had not noticed until I pointed it out to him, silly me.
I enjoyed Florence more than Rome probably because it was all so close and so beautiful, whereas Rome was more spread out and felt older. All in all, I am enjoying Italy more than I thought I would.