Firenze - So Why Do We Call It Florence?

After taking the train from Venice to Florence we began our 2 1/2 days there. We went to the Academia, and the Uffizzi Galleria to see the works of the Renaissance masters as well as lots of Roman statuary.







At the Academia, we saw Michaelangelo's original of the famous statue of David. I have to admit that though I will be counted among the cretins, I do not like this statue. The first thing I thought when I saw it was that David would be quite insulted by it. He was, after all, a nice Jewish boy, not a Greek and to be publicly portrayed in the nude was to be shamed. The second thing I noticed was his huge hands, all out of proportion to the rest of his body and the thing I disliked the most was his face. This is not the face of a man nor youth who has just killed someone in a mighty victory. It shows neither the residual adrenaline rush from such a confrontation, nor the relief of having it over nor the flush and exhileration of victory. It is supposed to show David at peace after his triumph over Goliath, but instead he looks worried and an unattractive face to boot. I saw a lot of works by Michaelangelo on this trip and as far as I am concerned he should have stopped after the Pieta he made at 19 or 20. Nothing else comes close and to my amateur eye almost look like works done by someone else.

I did see a little known work of Leonardo da Vinci's at the Uffizzi Galleria, I think, I don't know the museums are all running together in my mind. It was of the Holy Family. It was beautiful. The texture of the clothes, the face of Mary, the items in the background. It was just exquisite. He painted it in his 20's and when compared to the highly exalted Mona Lisa, I wonder what people are thinking. This unknown work far surpasses the Mona Lisa to me. I wanted to get a postcard or something to bring home, but the small images paled so much in comparison that I didn't even recognize it as the same picture at first. It is amazing the difference viewing a work of art in person makes as opposed to seeing postcards or photographs in a book.

Many people were gathered in the Botticelli room and his highly-esteemed Birth of Venus was there. It had a loveliness to it, but everything was so washed out that it again paled in comparison, literally, to other works of his that are unknown. Even the famous Botticelli faces on these less works were superior, though they all had a certain look to them which obviously expressed his idea of feminine beauty.

Our second day in Florence took us to an old tower house and the older part of the city. It was much more picturesque and we discovered a bakery with the most wonderful cream-filled rolls on our way to the Palazzo Davanzat. This is the house of noble family which was used as a stronghold for defense if the city was attacked. They were working on the building so we only got to see the first floor, which is the second floor in Europe, but it was wonderful and we didn't have to pay. Niiiice. Every room was painted in glorious colors and filled with medieval furniture and adornments. Heavy metal studded shutters guarded the windows and the convenience of a medieval toilet room were available as well. It is basically an indoor outhouse with the waste falling on the unwary below. I hope we can return one day so I can see the whole house.

We also went to the Porte Vecchio. I made the mistake of buying a gelato near to the bridge and paid 10 E for it. That is $15.00 folks for what was a large chocolate ice cream cone. My sister got strawberry gelato at another location and it tasted like ice milk. Save your money and your calories, gelato is highly over-rated.


We visited the Basilica di Santa Croce to see the burial spots of Michaelangelo. Since leaving England I hadn't seen a church that was a glorified cemetery, but this one definitely was. All around the interior perimeter were elaborate marble tombs and statuary glorifying the deceased. No photos allowed so I can't show you. Some of them were extraordinary. Also saw part of a cowl and rope belt that is supposed to have belonged to Francis of Assissi. Cant vouch for it, but they certainly looked old.






I think my favorite museum in Florence was the Bargello Museum. It is housed in a 1255 building originally used as a magisterial building and jail. It has a much broader array of art and artifacts than the other musuems and the building itself was beautiful and interesting. This photo is of the grand staircase in the courtyard of the building. Here is where we found that crassness isnt just limited to American catalogs of questionable quality and dubious taste. The little boy who dispenses your beverage via the outhouse was apparently inspired by a classical fountain, where a grown man dispenses a flow of water from a place you need no imagination to figure out and his female companion spouts from her two breasts. I guess they were the first to invent kitsch.




This is part of the upper balcony which is open to the courtyard. The ceilings were all elaborately painted with crests and shields denoting the various family's coat of arms. It was beautiful.











We finished the day at the Pitti Palace which is painted inside in murals and dripping with paintings hung from the walls. There is some furniture too and some of the inlaid tables were just astonishing in their detail. The costume part of the palace was interesting as well.too. When we had finished we found an open door and decided to head out it into the gardens. You pay quite a bit extra for the gardens which we didn't have time to see, but though the door was manned, we weren't stopped, so perhaps after a certain point people are allowed in them for free. Many museums and sites have reduced rates or are free after a certain hour, but you cant possibly see them in the short amount of time.







This is part of the Boboli Gardens which extend behind the Pitti Palace.







We also went in the pouring rain to an open-air market where we both made some nice purchases. I bought a scarf which is put on like a shawl, then one end is thrown over the shoulder. It was very beautiful and I debated and debated about getting it. After all where was I going to wear it here in Holland. Finally the beauty of it was too much to resist and I brought it home. That and a silver gondola charm for my charm bracelet my only acquisitions for myself.

I did notice that in Venice and even more so in Florence that if you want to feel frumpy, just go dressed as a tourist. These must be the most stylish cities I have seen. I am not a shoe person particularly, but I could easily have bought a half dozen pairs of gorgeous and interesting boots. The purses come in wonderful styles and a rainbow of colors. The clothes are interesting without being trendy or outlandish. I would love to go back one day just to shop for clothes. Jon said he'd take me since he didn't get to go with us on this trip and we'll take the car so we have plenty of room for shopping.

I knew there was a reason I married this man!

To Italia via Venezia - Venice to us Americans

If you are fortunate when you live far from home you get to have family and friends visit. If you are very fortunate they want to travel to exotic places and they will pay your way. I am one fortunate woman.

My sister, Tricia is a teacher and she's been saving her money and decided to come visit me and while she's on this side of the pond she suggested we visit Greece or Italy. It worked out better for Italy. Having been to Rome last spring and finding it crowded, but not packed and warm but not hot, I suggested she might want to come for her spring break. However, she wanted to see all of Italy in that week and there was no way that was going to work. I asked her to see if she could get more time off or we would have to pare down her wish list of sites to see. She was able to finagle an extra week and we set our itinerary - Venice, Florence, Rome and Pompeii and Herculaneum. It was still an ambitious plan for only 12 days.



My sister arrived at my home in Holland on a Sunday and we flew out the next morning to Venice on Transavia, one of those budget airlines for Europe. This airline was fine for our arrival, but our departure out of Naples at the end of our trip was another story - to be told later. We landed on the Italian mainland and then rode in a bus for about an hour, then caught a water taxi to the city of Venice.

There is such a difference in the cities that were bombed or in which fighting took place during WWII and those that managed to avoid the whole mess. Venice was one of the lucky cities. It sits in all its aged shabbiness, slowly sinking into the sea and exuding a charm that only old quiet places have.

We were fortunate to do our travels in the off-season and with that came less crowds and milder weather. I highly recommend it. A sweater or light jacket was often needed in the morning, but the sun was usually out and the days were mild and warm.




We exited the water taxi at our designated spot and then began the search for our hotel. Venice is a spaghetti bowl of streets, alleys and canals. We wandered about a bit, asked a local, whom the books assured us would all speak English and be glad to help. We must of found the only one who didn't speak English. We wandered a bit more, suitcases in tow, until we managed to stumble across our hotel tucked away in a side alley.

We got settled in and headed back out again. Getting a 3 day pass for the boats was wonderful since we did not have to bother buying a ticket every time we boarded a boat and we saved a boatload of money to boot.



My sister enjoyed riding in the boat and enjoying the architecture of this grand old city. I enjoyed the day we went to neighboring islands, Murano and the one with the cemetery. Yes, the cemetery. So quiet and peaceful. It was wonderful and relaxing.



We went to the Doges Palace and toured the cathedral. I wouldn't recommend spending your money on either of those endeavors. Not much to see and crowded to boot. However, don't miss the chance to go to St. Mark's Square and spend 1 euro to feed the pigeons. We decided to try this and made the mistake of having my sister go first. She is not a bird person. She is, however, very courageous and tried it.



I got some birdseed and loved it. She then labeled me the Bird Whisperer (an allusion to the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel). The truth is they will come alight on anyone who has corn. We found the best way to attract them was to shake the corn in the bag, then pour some out into our hands. They know the sound of seed coming out of the bag and they wont be fooled by an empty bag. They may have bird brains, but like most animals, they are smart when it comes to food! Every day I managed to be in the Square and feed the pigeons. My favorite time was first thing in the morning when they are especially hungry and they will flock all over you. One even climbed up the back of my hair. It tickled.



Tricia got better at it. And yes, Mom, we used hand sanitizer after feeding the birds :-)




We took the boat that runs up and down the main canal as the sun was beginning to set. It was beautiful and restful. It is worth waiting for a boat that has open seats either in the front or the back. They don't all have them and they are often filled, but if you get on one, usually seats open up.



We didn't want to spend the 120 dollars or more to take a gondola ride, but you can ride across the canal on a trigeletta (sp?) for about $1.20. We took turns crossing, so we could take photos of each other. This is a service mostly locals use, so we rode like locals - standing up. It is easy to do and a smooth ride.

After 2 days we boarded the train and headed for Florence. Which I believe is the most stylish place in Europe. More on that next time.