A journey of discovery through the landscapes, art, food, and people of Italy
Day 8: Florence
We always try to sneak out early before things get busy when we are traveling, as it is the best time for photography. But, we were just so tired today, so things were in full swing when we left the hotel. We had the whole day free, and a list of things we wanted to do! Luckily our hotel was just a few blocks from the Duomo, so you can't get more centrally located than that! We stopped in to see the Duomo's baptistery first, and then climbed up the steps of the bell tower in the Palazzio Vecchio. We had debated between climbing the dome or the tower of the Duomo, but then I read about the tower of the Palazzio Vecchio and that you could get great views of the skyline including the duomo, so thats what we decided on. I'm happy we did! It was a beautiful view, and we spent a bit of time touring the Palazzio as well. We also did a quick visit of the Duomo museum before stopping for lunch. It was fascinating to learn about the building of the duomo, and there are several important words of art located here, such as Michelangelo’s last Pieta and Donatellos Mary Magdelene.
Because we did both museums yesterday, we didn't have a formal tour planned today, but Donald offered to give those who are interested a tour of Santa Croce, so we hurried to meet him there. Santa Croce was beautiful. It is the largest Francescian church in the world .The façade was done to match the Duomo. Michelangelo and Galileo were buried there and there is a chapel designed by Bruneleschi out back. After that tour, Donald took us for a gelato at a wonderful place that we never would have found on our own, and it was , which was delicious. The guides know all the best tricks!
After we left Donald, a bunch of us walked across the river and went to Boboli Gardens and the Belvedere fortress for views of the city. David and I broke off to see the Pitti Palace, the final home of the Medici’s and were rewarded by an unexpected Renaissance parade outside the palace! We were tired after all our running around the city today, so we decided to find a little restaurant on the square in front of the Palazzio. We didn’t expect much from the food there because of its touristy location, but it was actually pretty good. We had a delicious appetizer of pears, pecorino and honey, and enjoyed our location for people watching. We returned to our room early to call our parents and relax a bit. We have seen so much and are only halfway through!
