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Post by GRWelsh on Sept 28, 2023 8:26:26 GMT -5
I just booked a trip to Florence, Italy, for two weeks in November. I'll post my impressions when I get there. I'm learning, since this trip for two weeks is costing me less than my one week vacation to Venice last year. One big difference is that I got a VRBO apartment instead of a higher end hotel. I wanted an apartment with a kitchen and I'm within 3 minutes walking distance of the Mercato Centrale, or Central Market. I also reserved some skip-the-line tickets and two tours, one to the Tuscan countryside and the other to Cinque Terre. I plan to take a day trip to Rome on the high speed train (90 minute ride) as well.
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Post by geneweigel on Sept 28, 2023 9:21:02 GMT -5
In the 1997 when I was there the Baptistry had a machine gun-waving police chase of some African-looking characters that had blankets on the ground and jumped on a scooter. Its one thing to watch Tom Cruise drive past Italians at high speed but in person watching police emerge from narrow streets in front of you its pretty fucking scary. I was trying to get a look at the baptistry doors which had the Bible images by Ghiberti and Pisano but then I noticed that they were fake. Most of the art on the street are actually phony replicas so you have to go in to the museums. David is fake too.
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Post by geneweigel on Sept 28, 2023 9:24:56 GMT -5
My wife and daughter went about 5 years ago to Florence and they went up in the tower there as well. My wife said crime was worse in Florence than when we went as well with more weird beggars.
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Post by GRWelsh on Sept 28, 2023 10:47:03 GMT -5
I've been watching a lot of travel videos on Rome and Florence and some of them do mention pickpockets due to the crowds. When I was in Venice I did encounter some beggars especially on days 1 and 2. This time I am paying for some guided tours so that may mitigate some crime risk or straying into sketchy areas since I'm a first time visitor to Florence. I knew the outside art has been replaced with replicas... It was the same with the four horses stolen from Constantinople and mounted on the front of St Mark's Basilica in Venice -- I had to go inside to the upstairs museum to see the originals.
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Post by GRWelsh on Sept 29, 2023 12:23:53 GMT -5
Gene, did you take your sketchbook to Florence? Did you do any drawings or art inspired by it?
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Post by geneweigel on Sept 29, 2023 16:20:30 GMT -5
I did but didn't have the chance. I was intoxicated for most of the European tour so even my discovery of the salamander image on a wall was slurred.
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Florence
Sept 30, 2023 10:59:44 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by grodog on Sept 30, 2023 10:59:44 GMT -5
I plan to take a day trip to Rome on the high speed train (90 minute ride) as well. If you’re able to extend to two days, and visit Pompeii, it’s well-worth it. Allan.
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Post by GRWelsh on Sept 30, 2023 11:25:49 GMT -5
I've been considering coming back to Italy again next year to stay in Rome and visit the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pompeii and Herculaneum then. This year, I'm going to focus on Florence and Tuscany. I screwed up by not scheduling this vacation about a month earlier... Right now is the ideal time to get there. But I'll try to focus on the postives... Smaller crowds and cheaper rates. I'm probably saving at least $2k by going in November.
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Post by GRWelsh on Oct 18, 2023 14:47:37 GMT -5
It looks like I can rent bicycles in Florence so I am planning to get in some rides around the city and out into the Tuscan countryside. They have an e-bike option also in case I feel lazy.
Err... I just remembered... Isn't Sloth one of the terraces in Dante's Purgatorio? (From an article on the topic: "Dante forces the slothful into activity, making them run sprints around the mountain while reciting stories of both shameful sloth and decisive zeal.") I better watch myself over there.
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Post by GRWelsh on Oct 23, 2023 11:51:13 GMT -5
It looks like there are little trains called 'trams' (they remind me of our Pittsburgh Light Rail system or the NY subway) which are the cheapest and easiest way to get from the Florence airport (Peretola) to downtown Florence (Santa Maria Novella train station) in about 20 minutes for 1,50 euro each way. It also looks like there is luggage storage in the train stations which can come in handy when one arrives too early to check in, as I will be. I'll probably get to the Florence train station by 11 AM and my check in at my apartment isn't until 3 PM so I may store my luggage at the train station and walk around for a few hours just to get some first impressions of the city and grab lunch at the Mercato Centrale. Originally I had a private car but I canceled it since it is only a 20 minute ride from the airport and the tram is cheap, fast and direct.
I booked a round trip from Florence to Rome for a day trip on a high speed train for $46.59. I wanted to ride a high speed train at least once, and become more familiar with Italian transportation. From what I can tell it's good to buy train tickets ahead of time as their cost and availability can vary similar to how our airline tickets work. Spending one day in Rome isn't enough but this is just to get a taste... If nothing else, I'll walk to the Colosseum, Forum, cross the Tiber, see the Vatican, cross back to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Basilica Papale Di Santa Maria Maggiore. That will be over two and a half hours of walking!
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Post by maximus on Oct 23, 2023 15:27:12 GMT -5
My favorite city on Earth. Haven't been able to get back in quite some time though. Can't say enough good things about the food and the people we met there. Hope you have a great time!
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Post by GRWelsh on Oct 24, 2023 7:56:47 GMT -5
Thank you! I'm looking forward to trying Florentine Steak and some other local foods. Something I noticed about my Venice trip was that I walked over 10,000 steps per day and I'm sure the same will apply to this trip. I guess that means I can eat anything I want!
It looks like my tram goes straight from the Peretola airport to the Unità stop in downtown Florence which is apparently named for the Piazza dell'Unità Italiana. Italy was united in 1861 and Florence was its capital from 1865-1871. So that is likely my first stop, and it's right next to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella so that will likely be the first church museum I will visit.
My apartment is two blocks from Mercato Centrale, two blocks from the Duomo, and two blocks from the Galleria Dell'Accademia. Also, one block from the San Marco Museum which has a lot of paintings by one of my favorite artists, Fra Angelico (he lived in and worked in this building for a time, it was formerly a monastery). I just did the Google Maps "street walk" and I feel like I've already been there! Now I know my way around...
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Post by maximus on Oct 24, 2023 9:40:07 GMT -5
We found Florence to be very walkable and easy to get around. Rome and Milan weren't so bad, just bigger.
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Post by geneweigel on Oct 24, 2023 19:35:00 GMT -5
In the 1990's, we went out in Rome from the hotel that was in North Rome and walked about 20 blocks. That area was just completely dead at night then as soon as the sun came out it was popping again. I think the recommendation came from US federal types (no one that I knew) so that always left me scratching my head as to why that choice.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 2, 2023 12:17:09 GMT -5
Travel Day (11/1): There isn't much to write about yet but I'll jot down a few notes for posterity. I had three connections and it was a brutal 24 hours or so just to get here. I left Pittsburgh yesterday at 3 PM and flew to Dulles in DC, and that was no problem. I visited the new Capitol One Lounge in Dulles which I now have access to for free with my Venture X Visa... I got a free red wine, hot appetizer food, and some snacks to take with me on the plane. The Lounge was nice as a perk for this travel themed Visa, but honestly I can't using it very much except when I have at least a 2 hour layover which is something I try to avoid, at least on domestic flights. I flew out of Dulles to Frankfurt, Germany, and got lucky sitting between a friendly German and Virginian-of-Afghan descent... Both very interesting people to have conversations to make the long flight more bearable. United also offers a full meal and free movies you can watch on the screen on the back of the seat in front of you. I watched DUNE Part One (2021) and INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023). They were both okay. The highlights of DUNE were the look of everything, attention to detail, score and sound effects. I didn't have any problem with the cast, but for some reason I thought the movie was just okay, and kind of dragged. The fifth INDIANA JONES seemed very "paint by numbers" to me. I wanted to like it but didn't.
Florence, Day 1 (11/2): I didn't sleep much on the overnight flight and we arrived in Frankfurt, Germany, to heavy rain. Debarking from the jumbo jet, we had to walk down steps to buses, which took about 20 minutes to get us to the Terminal. As a result of that and having to go through passport screening again, I missed my Lufthansa flight to Florence and had to take one later in the day at 11:50 AM. I wasn't the only one and talked to another American who was in the same situation. The second flight didn't leave until around 1:30 and I didn't touch down -- bounce rather, with the hardest landing I've ever been on in a commercial flight -- until around 3 PM. Luckily, my checked luggage showed up although it was drenched as if it had been sitting outside for a while. I took the tram from the airport to city center, Unita stop, and walked from there about four blocks to my apartment. I walked past the Mercato Centrale but didn't go in yet. The co-host Gabriel checked me into my apartment, showed me around, offered touring tips and a map, and gave me my keys. I was kind of in a fog at this point, but he wisely advised me not to go to sleep right away. So, I ventured out into the streets to roam around a bit, and went to the CarreFour Express to buy some milk, spaghetti, marinara/olive sauce (sugo alle olive), Cotolette di Pollo and Vecchio Romagna brandy (the last two I had in Venice last year). My apartment has some basic condiments like salt, pepper, olive oil, paper towels, etc. so I'll have to remember to buy a few to leave for the next guests and the hostess/owner, Silvia. The apartment is very nice but a steep climb up stairs on the 4th floor (Europeans call it 3rd because they don't call the ground floor 1st floor). I can see the Duomo from my kitchen window, and if I leave it open I can hear the sounds of people walking the streets below. I just ate one of the fried chicken cutlets and I wanted to test out charger and converter to make sure everything works, but now that I sit down, I'm getting tired again, so I think I'm going to go out for one more walk around the streets. Tomorrow I have a guided tour of the Duomo and Accademia from 9 AM to Noon and then the rest of the day is free. EDIT: That worked out to be just about perfect. I went for a long walk taking my street of Via Di Ginori all the way south across the Ponte Vecchio and then back with some detours like walking around the Cathedral of Santa Maria Fiore -- the one with the Duomo, and I got to see lightning flashing above it. Then I walked over to see the Palazzo Vecchio. It was as warm as a summer evening and people were eating outside and musicians were singing and playing outdoors... Then, right when I was halfway back to the apartment: downpour! I stopped a bought a few more things: a dozen eggs, some cereal, dark chocolate bar and a bottle of Chianti. I think I'm about done for the day. The weather forecast looks good for my plans, so overall I'm feeling fortunate. One more impression: I keep noticing how the scale of everything in Florence is huge... Skyscrapers of the Renaissance! The statues are all the size of giants. And many doorways have arches that are 9' or 10' or higher... Not just of important buildings but also of homes throughout Florence. It reminds of the Bible passage about "... in those days, giants walked the earth"!
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 3, 2023 7:20:16 GMT -5
Florence, Day 2 (11/3): I had trouble sleeping last night due to jet lag and weird apartment sounds like outside pull cords tapping on my windows... It rained all night, but today was very sunny but also very windy. At 8:45 I met my tour group at Piazza San Marco about a block away and we got our earbuds and radios so our guide, Jada, could talk to us. While waiting for the tour to start, I grabbed an espresso at Grand Caffe San Marco to get out of the wind (1.5 euro to drink while standing? I think that's what it was). Our tour went through Galeria Dell'Accademia with a "skip the line entrance" where our guide told a lot of entertaining stories about Michelangelo's David, before we moved down Via Ricasoli to the interior of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. From there we walked into Palazzo Vecchio, and then past the Uffizi Gallery to the banks of the Arno River, and then crossing the Ponte Vecchio to end our walking tour. Jada said today was warmer than it usually is in Florence and that these crowds aren't bad, but I thought it was crowded with long lines at every major museum and church. I came back north to check out the Mercato Centrale and my impression is that it is a real tourist trap of high prices surrounded by street vendors! I'm better off going to the smaller grocery stores where the locals shop. I did just that and got some prosciutto, chicken breast, pecorino cheese, green leaf lettuce, and fresh croissants. I came back to my apartment and heated up one of the chicken cutlets from yesterday and put it on a toasted croissant with cheese and lettuce, and drank it with some frizzante water my hostess left for them. Then I made an espresso. My legs are pretty sore from all the walking so I need a break. EDIT: After a nap and a shower, I tried to do some stuff on the computer and found out I didn't have any internet service. So, I went out for a walk to send my hosts a message about it. It rained again strong after my walking tour, but now it was just wet pavement as I wandered around looking for a few specific items. I found an Italian dollar store and bought a pencil sharpener -- for the colored pencils I brought -- and some cheap Bristol paper. I explored some different side streets to and checked out some other book stores, stationary stores and grocery stores. At Pam Local I bought Listerine, Kleenex, and Maille Dijon mustard. When I got back the co-host texted me and advised me to restart the router to get my internet back, and that worked. For dinner I mad a prosciutto and pecorino croissant -- toasted in the skillet -- with lettuce and mustard. And now I'm drinking some hot chocolate since this Nestle Dolce Gusto espresso maker has a few of those pods. It's not a bad little machine for the apartment. P. S. Now that the jet lag is wearing off, this is great! I went out again tonight, up to Piazza San Marco for a little cigar.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 4, 2023 15:01:18 GMT -5
Florence, Day 3 (11/4): This 12th level ranger is whupped. I'll write some more tomorrow. For now, let's just say I went on a group tour that took the entire day: to Pisa -- I climbed the leaning tower -- then to lunch (prosciutto, salami, pecorino cheese, balsamic vinegar, crostini, ragu pasta, and almond bruschetta) with wine tasting at a Tuscan villa and winery -- where I shipped back about a case of Chianti wine -- and then to the medieval city of Siena and its fantastic semi-circular square and cathedral, and finishing up at the high village of Sam Gimignano where I got the world's best gelato flavored of Vernaccia (white wine) and chocolate at Gelateria Dondoli and bought some truffle specialties for my parents to try. It was a great group tour and well worth under the hundred euros cost. Thankfully, tomorrow is a day of rest and nothing at all planned.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 8, 2023 8:45:56 GMT -5
FYI guys, the internet access via Wi-Fi in my apartment in Florence has been out since Sunday. My hostess thinks it may be due to the damage from flooding last week. It hasn't affected my plans but that is why I haven't been posting anything... I'll post more of my notes from a Word document later. To get temporary access, I came to a local "Gen Z" cafe, Libri Libreria, which for Scott to have a reference is a vibe a lot like the Beehive in Oakland used to be, back in the 80's and 90's... Lots of young people, art on the walls, stacks of books and comfortable chairs and a little garden out back where a kid was singing and playing guitar. Not my scene but I need the internet. I got an Americano and chocolate muffin... Good! Highlights of this week so far:
Sunday, Day 4 (11/5): Browsed top level of Mercato Centrale, then walked across Arno River, saw Pitti Palace, and then walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo with a high view of the river to take lots of photos. Sunny and warm, but very windy. Going back stopped at square in front of the Church of Santa Croce which had a bustling outdoor market.
I still had some trouble sleeping last night and adjusting to Italian time, and I was still recovering from jet lag and exhaustion from the activity of the past few days. So, I slept in late to around 10 AM. I got up and had a brunch of fried prosciutto, a scrambled egg, some pecorino cheese, an espresso and some frizzante water. The day was bright with highs predicted to go above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so I felt I better get outside and roam about because I don’t know how many more nice days like this I’ll get in November. November in Florence is the rainy season, and the day I arrived there were terrible floods. The Arno river is still showing as muddy even four days later. I dressed in soft pants and a t-shirt and hoodie, and walked to the Central Market. Since it is Sunday, the ground level where they sell all of the fresh meat and vegetables was closed, but the upper level which is like a gourmet food court was open. I browsed around but didn’t buy anything since I was still full from breakfast, but I did snap a few pics of Florentine style cicchetti and cannoli. Then I walked south along my usual route and saw a street hustler with a crowd around him. He was playing the shell game and a small circle of people were betting 50 euro note per guess. To me, it looked like a hustle where he was deliberately clumsy and let them win but then upped the bet and suddenly became more sly and quick. I took a short video of him and he jumped up to confront me and demanded I give him 50 euros, but I demurred and moved on. I crossed the Ponte Vecchio and went to see the front entrance of the Pitti Palace, and there was a line to enter and get to the Boboli Gardens. So, I walked east and went up to Michelangelo Piazzale where I’d heard there was the best view of the city from up high. It was a steep but not unpleasant hike up well-maintained foot paths. It was a great view, and I took a lot of photos and videos. After that, I continued my ascent to the cemetery that was partly fenced off, but I found a relaxing area and sat down on the steps, enjoying the view and the Italian sun. It started to get windier, and so I descended to cross the bridge east of the Ponte Vecchio back to central city. I took a couple photos of the grotesque door knockers that are somewhat common here. I walked around in Santa Croce square where there was a bustling outdoor market surrounded by shops of gold, gelato and artists. Then I walked north through the Santa Croce neighborhood and back to my apartment for an early dinner of Cotolette Di Pollo, pecorino cheese, lettuce on a croissant with mustard, espresso, frizzante water and a glass of Chianti. My legs were burning from all of the walking so I took a nap and then got a shower. My internet is down and I messaged my host who said it may be down due to the recent flooding, so I am typing out my notes on a Word doc for now and I’ll post them later. I went back out to San Marco square, and saw a lot of people arriving in Florence – I could tell by the suitcases they were pulling behind them. Sunday is probably a good day to arrive, since so many businesses are closed.
Monday, Day 5 (11/6): Visited Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a nice little museum within two blocks of my apartment.
I got up around 8 AM and saw that it was sunny and warm outside. I took a short walk down to Piazza San Lorenzo where I was able to connect with the Firenze Wi-Fi and see that the weather forecast was a high of 65 degrees Fahrenheit today with three days of no rain and a sunny day for Rome on Thursday. I feel I am lucking out with the weather since November is the rainy season in Florence. I came back, showered and changed into a short sleeve shirt, then I went to the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a nice, little museum close to my apartment. After that I walked to sit next to the Baptistry and just enjoyed the feeling of sunlight for a little bit.
Tuesday, Day 6 (11/7): Group tour on bus up to Spazia, then got on train to visit Cinque Terre villages of Vernazza, Monterossa and Manarola. Had a seafood misto fritto (shrimp, octopus, etc.) lunch at cafe in Monterossa with some tourists I met from Florida.
Wednesday, Day 7 (11/8): Visited Museo di San Marco, another little museum/monastery close to my apartment -- only a block away. It has a lot of works by Fra Angelico and also some relics, paintings and a bust of Savonarola, who also lived there.
EDIT: My host came over with a web cube and set it up so I have internet in my apartment again. Tomorrow, I'm taking a high speed train to Rome. So, it is helpful to have the internet to plot out my destinations!
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Post by geneweigel on Nov 9, 2023 10:43:50 GMT -5
Wow, that is fantastic. I had only on day in Florence and 3 days in Rome so Rome seemed more modern going towards the outer areas but it was just that it was more time for curiosity pulled me out of the tour sites.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 10, 2023 13:52:59 GMT -5
Highlights of Rome from yesterday: Took a high speed train from Florence to Rome (90 minutes) and arrived around 8:30 AM local time. It was very cold and I put on gloves and had my Map app and earbud guide me around the city. The first stop was the Colosseum. I realized my battery was getting low on my iPhone and stopped into an Information kiosk/cafe to recharge. Then I went along the various ancient Roman Forums (there are more than one) and snapped many photos, while trying to imagine Romans in their togas and armor walking around below me like ghosts... The day was warming up and I had clear weather. I walked up to Capitoline Hill where there were protestors with police nearby, but there was no problem. I went into the Capitoline Museum and browsed around at the ancient Roman stele and cemetery inscriptions as well as the most impressive collection of ancient statuary I've ever seen including "The Dying Gaul" and famous busts from the Halls of Emperors and Philosophers that I've seen photos of. Then I walked to the Pantheon, and had an early dinner at Ristorante di Pizzeria la Sagrestia. I asked the owner for recommendation and got Tris Roma, which was a combination of three traditional Roman pasta dishes (amatriciana, carbonara, and cacio e pepe). I had this with a Chianti, Frizzante water, and complimentery appetizer of crostini with tomatoes, herbs and olive oil. And then an espresso. The pasta was fantastic but the portions were so huge... it is a good thing I'm doing so much walking! Next, I went to Trevi Fountain, visited Venchi to buy some dark chocolate bars for folks back home, and then walked up the Spanish Steps and enjoyed the high view of the city for a while. From there I walked to the Basilica Papale Santa Maria Maggiore but go there to late to go inside. There is a lot of security around the church and a gate. By then it was time to walk over to Roma Termini and catch my train, and I got back to Florence at 9 PM where it was raining. Rome is big, glitzy, heavy with traffic and cars honking everywhere, and police holding AR-15 style rifles are not uncommon. Downtown Florence is a lot more relaxed and easy to walk around in.
Friday, Day 9 (11/10): At 8 AM I got a pistachio brioche at the bakery downstairs for breakfast. My hostess came over at 10 AM to make a permanent change to Wi-Fi internet access, and so far so good. I went to the grocery store to get a few items, and then went to the Basilica di San Lorenzo and crypt-museum where Cosimo de' Medici and Donatello are both buried. I also took some photos of reliquaries... One looked like a toaster oven decorated with precious stones and full of human bones... Today, it rained all day on and off in Florence and tonight there was a thunderstorm. It was a good day of rest for me to recover from my walk about in Rome yesterday. Coming up next: the Uffizi gallery.
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