A journey of discovery through the landscapes, art, food, and people of Italy
Day 7: Florence
We rode the vaparetto back to the bus through the iconic mist of the Venetian lagoon and headed straight away for Florence. We had a big day ahead of us! Because our second day in Florence was also the first Sunday of the month, all of the museums are open that day for free admission - the lines are long, the rooms are crowded and it is impossible to get group reservations. But Donald had a plan! So we were to see both the Uffizi and the Academia today instead of splitting them up, so it was important we got there early. We dropped our bags off, met up with our local guide, Ricardo, and headed straight for the Uffizi. Even for art novices like us, this was overwhelming! You could just feel the importance of these paintings. We were in awe! I snapped a few photos of our favorites. It was crowded in the museum, so Ricardo gave us advice that made us all laugh and would help us manage crowds for the rest of the trip: "Smile and be aggressive."
We took a short museum break to have a look at the Florence Duomo and learn about Brunelleschi's dome and Ghiberti's baptistery doors. The detail here is amazing! Our guide also pointed out other important things, like where to get his favorite gelato! We then headed into the Academia to see Michelangelo's important sculptures. We learned about the prisoners before arriving and staring in awe at the David. Florence is so jam packed with important art! It is so helpful to have a guide pointing out interesting details and telling you about the history - otherwise we would have missed so much!
Remember when I said to always go to optional meals your guide offers to arrange? This is a perfect example! Donald knew of this little place that was pretty much just large enough for our group. They served us a tomato based bread soup called "Pappa Al Pomodoro," wild boar rage, Florentine steak that was flamed at the table side, and an awesome selection of desserts from a cart. Oh yeah, and unlimited wine, for the wine lovers at the table. This was probably the best meal of our trip, and we tried a ton of local specialties we never would have ordered on our own! It was such a fun night!