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Florence
Nov 10, 2023 22:10:45 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by grodog on Nov 10, 2023 22:10:45 GMT -5
Sounds like you’re having a great time, Gary! Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures Allan.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 11, 2023 13:59:19 GMT -5
Thanks, Allan! I had another good day in Florence!
Florence Day 10 (11/11): Today I slept in, did a few Marco Polo videos for my sister to show her my apartment and the bakery downstairs where I bought a chocolate muffin. I had a leisurely breakfast and checked out things online and then bought my ticket to the Uffizi Gallery with a "skip the line" option scheduled for 11:45 entry. It was mostly sunny and I walked around a bit before going to the museum, and saw that famous sandwich place, All' Antico Vinaio. They had all three store fronts open on the same street, Via Dei Neri behind the Uffizi, and each had a line. I saw some people eating the huge sandwiches, but they looked too big to me so I held off. I went into the Uffizi Gallery and spent about a total of 4 hours there. It was like fine art overload. Really, this museum needs a few days at the very least to absorb all of it properly, so in retrospect I should have got the 5 consecutive day pass. Still, I enjoyed it and took lots of pictures and saw ancient Roman statuary and many paintings by artists from the late Middle Ages, Renaissance and later eras. After that, I came back to my apartment and made a cashew chicken salad with potatoes and homemade honey mustard dressing, with a Chianti. I went back out afterwards to walk the streets in the busy evening, which is bit cold but dry today. Now, I am tired and back in for the night to rest and plan up for tomorrow. I still have 4 free days left and nothing in particular scheduled, which I feel good about... Some ideas are to to check out rental bikes to ride up to Fiesole, eating a fine dinner of Florentine steak, visiting some other museums or churches I haven't seen yet, and simply walking about the city and snapping more photos of grotesque door knockers, huge doorways, and the amazing architecture of medieval and Renaissance Florence. P. S. I just realized there is al All'Antico Vinaio close to me at Piazza San Marco so I may still try one of their sandwiches soon...
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 12, 2023 12:58:54 GMT -5
Florence Day 11 (11/12): Today was cold, gloomy and damp. I went for a walk to a little park just north of the Jewish Synagogue to the east -- it has a famous green dome -- and then came back to check out a flea market going on in Piazza della Santissima Annunziata and did a wine tasting with a representative from a local Tuscan winery named Tinti. I liked it and ordered a case of Chianti to be shipped back home. I notice I've spent the most on this vacation directly after wine tastings... Hmmm. After that, I came back home to eat and read and then went back out in the evening to get a gelato cone of coffee and dark chocolate flavors (3 euros) and walk the streets. Very crowded around the Duomo, as usual. I just didn't feel like doing much today, which is fine after all of the activities so far.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 13, 2023 9:50:22 GMT -5
Florence Day 12 (11/13): This morning I went to the Bargello Museum which has many statues including some by Donatello, and also many medieval and Renaissance weapons, ivories, bronzes, bas-reliefs and precious and sacred items. I really enjoyed this museum, and it isn't nearly as big or overwhelming as the Uffizi so it can be reasonably done in one day. Also, I bought a combination ticket online (22 euros) that allows access to four other museums within a 3 day period. After the Bargello I stopped in at the Fabriano store and bought a watercolor paper journal (28 euros), and then bought a chocolate croissant (1.5 euros) at the bakery downstairs. For my big meal I made spaghetti with the sauteed ground meat, marinara olive oil sauce, Emmental cheese and Chianti. This afternoon I plan to visit the Capelle Medicee. It's been raining nonstop, so it's a good time to hit two museums in one day. EDIT: I went to Capelle Medicee this afternoon and saw the Medici tombs and Sagrestia Nuova, and more statuary and designs by Michelangelo himself. The Cappella dei Principi had what looked like different colors of marble, a lot of verticality and many sacred treasures on display. Very impressive! Yes, I have taken many photos and videos. For tomorrow morning, I already bought my tickets online for the Palazzo Vecchio Museum. It looks like the weather is going to improve as well, in case I want to do more things outside.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 14, 2023 14:42:09 GMT -5
Florence Day 13 (11/14): This morning I made breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried prosciutto, cheese, toast and espresso, and then I walked down to the Palazzo Vecchio Museum where I had bought a ticket online for 9 AM entry. I snapped a lot of photos and it was impressive but sadly there was a lot of construction going on and blocked off areas, and my ticket didn't include climbing the tower. After that I came back for lunch of spaghetti, ground meat with more of the marinara olive oil sauce, Emmental cheese, Frizzante water and Chianti. In the afternoon I walked around in the streets to the north and saw a TV show or movie being shot on Via Gallo. Later I walked south and got gelato at the Gelaterium (fresh and never frozen, charged by weight, I got chocolate, hazelnut and Tiramisu flavors in a cone for 3.8 euros... highly recommended), and then went on a guided tour (in Italian only) in the Casa Martelli. Today was clear and it didn't rain and got up to 68 degrees... It felt like a day in September.
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Post by GRWelsh on Nov 20, 2023 8:23:08 GMT -5
Florence Day 14 (11/15): In the morning I went to the museum which is Palazzo Davanati since my Bargello ticket included that, and it was a well preserved medieval/Renaissance house with multiple levels... Very inspirational for fantasy ideas. Then I walked to the Basilica di Santa Trinita and took a few photos inside. I crossed the Santa Trinita Bridge and took some more photos and did a Marco Polo video for my sister, which was interrupted by a guy selling leather belts. Some of these street sellers can be very aggressive, and I especially experienced that in Rome. I walked over to Oltrarno and past an orthodox church and came back north via the Ponte Vecchio. I rented a mountain bike for 5 hours at "Florence by Bike" (20 euros) and rode up to Fiesole where I got a fantastic view of the entire valley that Florence is in. I have to say for my last full day in Italy, the weather was the most perfect... 68 degrees and sunny. It turned out to be the best day of the vacation.
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