Travel info meter is set to 90% After cohabitating since the ’70s Carol and I are on the same page in a number of areas. Yesterday Carol looked up from her book and said ” What’s the name of that other big organization”? “Other?.. you mean like UNESCO, Wal-Mart, Amtrak, … uh, NATO”? “Ya, that’s it”! “Sheesh, you make it so easy”.
So, day 2 in Florence finds us on the deck with cappuccino and croissant in hand planning which sites to visit. Everything will be on foot during our stay; no trams, busses, or subways because we have a relatively short, (1.5 km) flat walk to the main center which leads to all of the top attractions, viewpoints, etc..
The architecture in Florence is much older than in Paris and Barcelona so it lacks the flourish of the other styles but makes up for it in engineering skill and sheer size. Like the Duomo which is the largest domed cathedral in Italy and was started in 1294 and completed 140 years later; then the facade was added to and restored in the 1870s.
Today we toured a small portion of the grounds at the Pitti Palace built by banker Lucca Pitti in the 1400s. It is so vast that it would take multiple visits just to see everything on the outside. We didn’t have the time to take the inside museum tour in our short stay with so many other parts of the city to investigate but it was mentioned to us by multiple people as a must-see.
The size of the structures that kings, queens, bankers, and popes built over the last 2500 years makes our parliament buildings look like the change room at Bob’s Bowling Emporium.
The fact that many of these gems are right in the middle of the city, now surrounded by other grand buildings which everyone can enjoy and marvel at while shopping or on their commute to work adds to the continuity in their cultures and why all of our hosts have been so eager to show off their cities and towns to us.
The Arno River cuts the city in two and on one side the elevations rise and fall making for panoramic views far into the distance out to the mountains and all the city’s high points are on display. Because of the river it means bridges are a necessity and there are stunning examples including the Ponte Vecchio which was the only bridge to survive untouched in the second world War and where parts of it date back to Roman times.
There is only so much that you can take in at one time that you become numb to it all and are walking past or giving scant interest to the magnificent history. I have been chronicling in pictures some doors and doorways that caught my attention as we strolled by. These are some of my favourite memories and help keep the architecture in perspective because they are being used everyday by people who live, shop, and work in the buildings.
The Bascillica of Santa Maria Novella is a classic structure dating back to the late middle ages but what makes it truly special is that the Fiddler’s Elbow pub is on the same square. It is a truly classic Irish pub that has outdoor seating and a fabulous indoor ambience reminiscent of the early 2000s. Wonderful tattooed barmaids, fun, customers from around the world, big screen TVs showing GP motorcycle racing and great beer. My favourite was Machete, a hoppy Italian beer… oh, and the cathedral was kind of interesting too.
Earlier in the day when I wasn’t totally baked by the sun we went to Michelangelo Plazzale where the views were stunning but it happened to be near the King Grizzly bar. Again great atmosphere with Italian beers on tap. Classic Italian taste in a medieval building. We were hitting all the high points today!
At the Plazzale it was a million stairs up but there were a few flat spots along the way to rest and vendors (always black African men) were set up selling souvenirs and scarves of the variety that Carol wears regularly. They were usually well spoken (in Italian) and had the necessary English skills to make a sale and one in particular was handling Carol’s tastes well. The sign said 1=3€, 2=5€ and we were wondering what meagre profit there could be for him to spend his days catering to tourists. So Carol decided she would buy 2 (we have less than zero space in our bags) and give him a tip. So she hands him 10€ expecting 5€ in return and then give him a couple of euros to make us all feel better about ourselves, instead he pockets it and bids us farewell. It turns out Carol’s tastes are of the 2=10€ variety and we misread the sign… and that’s how he makes a profit from the tourists. It was funny at the time for us as just one more instance of language confusion which occurs constantly for us.
We eventually made it home dead tired after searching out a special eating spot suggested by our departed host that was ‘just around the corner’ according to her map, but in reality was about an 18 block journey… and it was closed! as almost all stores in the area were for Republic Day. The trip was salvaged when we found a Peruvian restaurant closer to our base and took the food back.
The terrace was cool by then and we had a good meal in a wonderful setting. End of Day 2 in Florence.
Blue Delivery 