Florence!

Our trip to Florence was a whirlwind of activity. I think that we managed to walk more than we ever have in a three-day period. But it was really lovely!!! The city is so amazing, so much art and culture and history. I find it hard to believe.

On Friday we went to both the Uffizi and Academia museums. We loved David, as well as many beautiful paintings by Botticelli. To be able to look a few feet and see the beautiful works of art is breath taking. And the views at dusk from the windows of the top floor of the Uffizi are also. We decided that this was simply an overview of Florence and that we will have to return many times to really see everything.

Saturday was our relaxed church visit day and we visited many of the beautiful churches of the city. Our favorite was the church of All Saints. We visited early in the morning and it was silent and beautiful. There was also a beautiful painting by Ghirlandaio in the refractory next door that we also really enjoyed. It was of the “Last Supper.” I feel like we had an intensive lesson on Christian history and stories.

Later we had lunch at Dolores’ restaurant (which was excellent) and had a most entertaining waiter… they have the best chocolate cake!!! Then powered on the wine, chocolate cake, and several shots of espresso, we made it all the way to the top of the hill overlooking the city, where we watched the city grow dark and the lights pop on. It was through a mist of haze and slight rain, and the colors of the city blended with the lights and the bright greenery around us. (We have some photos but they are slightly grainy as it was dark and wet…)

That evening we went out with our friends that met us from Modena! We managed to traverse the city a few more times before dinner and then by the time we got home it was very late. I think that we both fell into bed (I climbed onto the top bunk…).

Sunday we went to the Boboli gardens (at Maggie’s suggestion) and absolutely loved it! Especially the smell of the damp moss and fresh leaves after the rain. One can get lost in the many forests throughout the grounds. Our favorite area was the little path that ran back and forth in the back of the gardens. There were some really beautiful large marble sculptures here that we liked a lot. Shaped like flattened out bubbles…

We also went inside the palace to see the clothing exhibit. It was housed in beautiful rooms, each with different colored walls and furniture. The whole palace was HUGE! I can’t believe that one or two or even 5 families could use all the space.
This was the new palace, connected by a covered walkway to the old palace, on the other side of the river. The covered walkway is really cool and it crosses the river on the top of the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge). This is the only bridge left in Florence after WWII.

These are a few pictures from our trip...

..in the old palace



...ponte vecchio



...boboli gardens at the palce