Firenze

Monday, 19 May

After breakfast, took the high-speed train to Florence, or Firenze, as they call it here. The trip was about one and a half hours, at speeds of up to 250k (155 mph). About what the drivers do on l’autostrada. We were offered a complimentary snack - coffee, wine, juice, cookies and crackers.

Upon arrival at noon in Florence, we had to wait for another group to arrive from Venice, then went to the hotel for check-in and spiel on more tours we could purchase; we finally got into our room about 3:30 p.m. Naptime! Then we wandered into Florence for dinner. We are doing a lot of walking because the hotel is 20-30 minutes from the city center.

Tuesday, 20 May

The group went to see Michelangelo’s David at the Galleria dell-Accademia. Completed by Michelangelo in 1504 when he was 26 years old, it stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio; it is 17 feet tall and magnificent! In 1873, the statue was removed to the Gallery, and an exact replica replaced it in the plaza. No photos are allowed in the Academy, so the photo here is of the replica standing on the original site. The other notable pieces we saw in the Academy by Michelangelo were entitled the Prisoners. They were all unfinished, so you can see the progress of Michelangelo’s work. They truly looked like prisoners, trying to escape from the marble.

The other statue above by Cellini is of Perseus with the head of Medusa. It is in the same square as David.

The lion is one of the symbols of Florence. Even some of the dogs look like lions!

Florence is full of art, outside and inside. The Santa Maria de Novella basilica is one of the major basilicas in Italy. It is colorful marble on the outside, and contains works by Donatello, Lippi, and Botticelli, among others.

We had lunch at a cafeteria-style restaurant, where you go through the line and pick your pasta, pizza, vegetables, dessert etc. We had rigatoni with mushroom sauce and fresh vegetables. It was delicious!

Their display of gelati here is amazing - the containers are huge to entice you to eat more - like we need enticement!

We had dinner at a small restaurant near the hotel, Trattoria Baldini. Some restaurants do not open until seven, and we got there about 6:50 p.m. The owner told us that they were not open, but we were welcome to come in and drink wine! An honor bottle of chianti was on the table, and the 10 minutes went by quickly!

The hotel has a rooftop deck, with not much on it, but great views. They are definitely underusing this space! Buona notte until tomorrow!