The events in Florence began early on a Tuesday afternoon May 14th when Keith and I met my Czech cousin Paul and his daughter Lucy in front of the Duomo. The Piazza del Duomo (plaza) around the Duomo Complex was a great place to meet my Czech cousins just a 5-minute walk from our Florence apartment. The bus stop was located near this plaza as the hotel they were staying at was about a 15 minute bus ride.
They had climbed the Bell Tower the day before during the time we were traveling from Rome and getting settled in our apartment in Florence. We all had a long day on Monday but enjoyed meeting together for the first time this trip for a late dinner that evening.
So this was Day 7 for Keith and I in Italy - Duomo Day! Together we spent four hours enjoying each other's company in the Piazza del Duomo and all around the Duomo Complex. Paul and Lucy walked all three floors of the Opera del Duomo Museum and the Santa Reparate (lower level crypt) during the time Keith and I did the main floor and the Reparate at our pace. Keith and I came back later in the week after they left. I will include all my favorite artifacts and art-related photos in another post specifically about art.
Lucy & Beti
Paul & Beti on the south side of the Duomo Dome.
Baptistery and Bell Tower
Aperol Spritz in front of the Bell Tower
At 6:00 PM, it was my time to climb the Duomo Dome as it was part of the Brunelleschi Pass I purchased months ago which included everything - the Baptistery, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Opera del Duomo Museum, and the Santa Reparate (lower level crypt). Keith purchased the Ghiberti Pass which included everything except climbing the dome. Paul and Lucy had purchased a pass to climb the dome the day before when they climbed the Bell Tower but it was not good for the next day. Our passes were good for three days.
So I climbed on my own! I was ready and first in the long line while everyone waited for me on the plaza for about an hour. Time to climb!
463 steps
Herringbone pattern bricks
Maybe a stone mason working on the original construction?
The Top of the Dome!
Top of the Dome view of Florence with Bell Tower
Top of the Dome view of Florence & Beti's selfie
Top of the Dome pano view of Florence
Top of the Dome view of Florence looking down
Top of the Dome view looking down into the Piazza del Duomo
My climb was so worth it! I was in good shape for the challenge having spent the good weather days over the previous winter climbing the 316 wooden steps to castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Missouri near where we live. I would have been riding my bicycle this time of year on the Katy Trail in my 30th year if I was not in Italy now. Probably getting more than enough exercise which included about 5 hours a day walking on cobblestones with many stone stairways by the time this trip was over!
I understand that the 2024 Tour de France bike race would begin in Florence this summer so I took a photo of this bike advertising it!
The Piazza del Duomo was our favorite place to just hang out especially in the evenings. There was always entertainment with street buskers that stay far enough apart with respect for each other. Besides shopping and eating, there's people watching and visiting with the friendly locals and other travelers from around the world. This was an exciting place to be, especially after dark and Keith and I found ourselves hanging around until midnight most nights as it was so close to our apartment!
Giotto's Bell Tower at Night
Florence's Historic Core Map
All the events and activities we experienced in Florence were within walking distance of our apartment which I indicated with a pink heart on the above map. The museums we visited are indicated on this map with green arrows and were the main event locations of our activities in Florence. I will include my favorite art photos in another post.
Keith and I left early for our 10:30 AM appointment on Wednesday to see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia. We had purchased tickets months in advance. Paul and Lucy could not get tickets on site at this time so they used the morning to visit the Uffizi Gallery. We had purchased Uffizi Gallery tickets months ahead also and it was for the next day after Paul and Lucy were leaving Florence for a Formula One car race in Imola on their drive back to the Czech Republic. We made plans to meet for their last afternoon and evening.
Street entrance to the Accademia
Little Sneezy, one of Snow White's dwarfs, was quite impressed with Michelangelo's David 17' white marble sculpture! Much more of David in another post about art.
Beti at the Piazza del Duomo
Paul, Keith, and Lucy at the entrance to the Leonardo Da Vinci Interactive Museum
Lindt Chocolate Shop
The Piazza della Repubblic
1871 Merry-Go-Round at the Piazza della Repubblica
Piazza della Repubblica Arch with Paul, Lucy, & Keith
Paul strolling down the street as we all walk north towards the Duomo Complex stopping here and there at the shops.
Keith and Beti on our jasmine-covered 4th story apartment balcony with the Duomo Dome in the background
Paul and Lucy (with new Ray Band sunglasses!) on our apartment balcony
From my journal on that Wednesday:
"At the Accademia the lines were well organized for time slots and expanded a whole block filling most of the sidewalks and street! We were okay with waiting about an hour and did some people watching and visiting with some Canadians. Inside there were many other sculptures and paintings but it was mostly about the David which was spectacular! "...So Keith and I were done with the David about 12:30 PM then walked towards the Duomo which had so many choices for lunch. It was a leisurely paced afternoon to enjoy with my cousins who met us on the plaza. "...Lucy picked an interesting place for all of us to visit that was located near the Accademia - Leonardo Da Vinci Genius Museum. We had a fun and interactive time here with all the machines and information about the inventor. What an imaginative and innovated genius! I am glad we came here!"
"Afterwards we all strolled around towards a Ray Band Sunglasses store Lucy wanted to to stop. It was the only plan we had so we all just went in stores as we pleased together along the way. I found an amazing chocolate shop that Paul had visited the day before. Towards evening we started looking for a nice place to eat together as we walked closer to our apartment. After dinner we walked back to our apartment and relaxed with each other as dusk turned into evening when the dome and bell tower lit up. It was a relaxed time with good conversation and company. When they left us it was sad but we hoped we would see each other again soon. Keith and I had no problem going to sleep after such a wonderful day!"
Got an early start the next morning to be at the Uffizi Gallery before our 8:00AM scheduled time on Thursday. It was only a 20 minute walk to the location by the Arno River. I was a bit overwhelmed with the size and layout inside the museum. Keith chose not to use the headphone tour instrument because he was uncomfortable handing over our passports to the gatekeeper to assure we return the headphones like we did the day before at the Accademia. But going into the Uffizi without the useful direction and information tool was difficult for me. It wasn't long before my eyes blurred up and made it very difficult for me to read the small writing on each plaque. There was no going back as the crowds were increasing. I just followed Keith around as my vulnerability in the crowds was increasing. At noon we stopped to eat with our first cup of coffee of the day. There was a very nice outdoor cafe on the upper floor with an amazing view of the Palazzo Vecchio where we will spend more time the next day.
Feeling rested, we backtracked and finally found my favorite gallery with the work of Botticelli! I was feeling much better by now and was finally having fun as my eyes cleared up with a rest time, eye drops, and some food as we had already been walking about five hours. I enjoyed shopping at the huge gift shop and bought things for the kids and myself.
Entrance way to the Uffizi Gallery as viewed from the 3rd story inside the U-shaped building next to the Arno River on the south with the Duomo to the north.
Bridges of Florence on the Arno River viewed from the 3rd floor of the Uffizi Gallery. The first one is a pedestrian bridge with shops and is called Ponte Vecchio.
Outdoor Cafe on the 3rd floor of the Uffizi Gallery
Palazzo Vecchio viewed from the Uffizi Gallery Cafe
Palazzo Vecchio Beti's selfie from the Uffizi Gallery Cafe
Bell Tower & Duomo Dome viewed from 3rd floor Uffizi Gallery Cafe
We walked back towards our apartment stopping at shops along the way, made dinner reservations for the evening, and stopped for gelato. It was very crowded on the plaza so we decided to rest the afternoon in our apartment enjoying our balcony until dinner at 7:00 PM. We soon discovered we had some major plumbing issues in our bathroom from a leaking sink that flooded the floor. The manager, Rudena, was called and she came right over. She called a serviceman who was to come and fix the problem while she was present. We didn't want to leave as it started raining and we needed to rest. She respected that we needed some rest and she arranged for the repair to take place a couple hours later at 5:00 PM. Keith and I got a nap. The rain stopped. The sink was fixed and bathroom cleaned up before we needed to get ready for dinner. Then suddenly this beautiful singing was coming from below our balcony! It was a very special treat that made me smile!
The street busker that was singing below our apartment balcony.
I woke up just as the sun rose which is my natural time wherever I am. Enjoyed our balcony with some fresh fruit from the open market less than a minute walk from our apartment. The final planned tour of our trip was for the Palazzo Vecchio (Town Hall), a few minutes walk away to begin at 9:30AM on this final Friday. There is always much more to see and experience on every block so we stopped at our leisure. We were leaving on Monday and left the rest of the weekend unscheduled to enjoy events as they happened.
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We entered into the Piazza della Signoria (plaza) and greeted first by the Horse Statue of Cosimo I de Medici about 5 blocks from our apartment on Via Del Corso. Now I know we are engulfed in Medici History! Palazzo Vecchio with the tower is the Town Hall of Florence. There are active government offices but much is open for tours.
Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria
Horse and Carriage
Horse and Carriage Driver
Arched open market is filled with leather vendors.
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Palazzo della Assicurazioni Generali building was originally built for a banking family then served as one of the largest insurance companies in the world. It was built in the 1870s replacing earlier historic buildings.
Loggia dei Lanzi is an arched public gathering place full of famous sculptures. History tells of rivalry between the Pazzi and Medici families with Francesco de Pazzi and others hung out the high windows of the Palazzo Vecchio for murdering Giuliano de' Medici during Easter Mass at nearby Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral stabbing him 19 times in front of 10,000. Lorenzo Medici declared war on the Pazzi family and the subsequent hangings were fresco-painted on the walls of the Loggia dei Lanzi by Sandro Bottcelli about 1478. In 1494, the Medici family were expelled out of Florence and the frescos destroyed.
Our tour was to begin at 9:30 AM and we met our group and guide behind the Fountain of Neptune. Our guide, Glenda, was a pretty little Italian lady who was very soft spoken and knowledgeable. There were only three of us for the 2-hour tour so it was very nice. There was a 150-year celebration for the police service in the great hall (Chamber of 500) so it was not open to tours other than from the balcony overlooking it all. That was a good perspective anyway. It was the largest public hall in Italy at the time it was the capital for six years. So much art and decorations most of which was done after the death of the first Cosimo de Medici.
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Entrance to the Palazzo Vecchio with Adam and Eve sculptures
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Inside courtyard of the Palazzo Vecchio
Michelangelo Buonarroti (b.1475) and Leonardo de Vinci (b.1454) were rivals. Having the two artists work on opposite sides of this great chamber with each artist undoubtedly trying to out do the other must have certainly sparked the competitive fires in both! Books could be written about this chamber alone with its history and mystery! The room was turned into a space for the glorification of Cosimo I de Medici and the City of Florence.
After the tour we walked back to our apartment leisurely stopping in a store here and there. We took some paninis back to our apartment because the plaza was getting crowded. Took naps and just enjoyed our place until 5:00 PM ready and refreshed to go out and walk along the Arno River to take some awesome photos!
Ponte Vecchio (bridge) over the Arno River and Beti's selfie
Looks like a wedding event on the Arno River as they float under the Ponte Vecchio!
Came back through the Piazza della Signoria again to take some evening photos and stopped for dinner at the same open cafe we had breakfast earlier in the day. Short walk back to our place and sat out on the balcony enjoying the lively sounds and wonderful smells of the city until late.
Loggia dei Lanzi at night
Here I am in front of the Fountain of Neptune where the "Bonfire of the Vanities" took place in February 1497 during the Mardi Gras Festival. It was the most infamous act of European culture in history which included the public burning of art and books including items of clothing, perfumes, cosmetics, mirrors, musical instruments, and anything Girolamo Savonarola, a Roman Catholic priest, thought typified artistic and moral degeneracy.
The Medici family had transformed the City of Florence into an international hub for the arts and this act was considered the worst case of "fundamentalist chauvinism." Savonarola refused to take direction from the pope and was considered a heretic by the people when he went too far. On May 23, 1498, he was hanged and his body burned on this spot in front of the Fountain of Neptune.
Night time on the Piazza della Signoria viewed from the entrance to Palazzo Vecchio
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Moon over the Palazzo Vecchio Tower, Cosimo I de Medici on his Horse, and Beti on the Piazza della Signoria
On Saturday, we had a later start as there was nothing scheduled. We decided to finish the two stories we missed at the Duomo Museum from the day we enjoyed with my Czech cousins. We had wanted to spend more time there but time with cousins was limited. It was certainly worth a come back!
After lunch at the adjacent Duomo cafeteria, we thought we might like to check out where Michelangelo was buried along with other famous artists at the Croce Basilica which was located a bit of a walk towards the southeast where we had not explored yet. On our way we changed our minds when we came upon the Bargello National Museum, the former barracks and prison of Florence until 1865 built in 1255. That was on our 'maybe list' when we were purchasing our advanced passes months ago. It turns out you can purchase on site with no problems or crowds. It was a self-guided tour at our own pace. I'm so glad we did stop and see all the artifacts and amazing art!
Bargello Courtyard pano
Beti in the Bargello Courtyard
Courtyard stone well replaced where prisoners were led to the scaffold for their death. In the 1780s, Tuscany was the first European state to abolish the death penalty.
Outside Stairway to Upper Floors
Bargello Tower
We walked back to our apartment after a few hours strolling around and still had time for a nap at 3:00 PM until the Bell Tower's double bell tolling at 6:00 PM woke us for the Saturday evening Mass. It was about time for us to go to dinner. It was still a little too early for dinner so we decided to try one of the horse and carriage rides for a half hour all around Florence's Historic Core. We got the driver with the beard and top hat I admired every night with his two white horses.
Beautiful White Horses
Carriage Driver
Beti & Keith
Piazza del Duomo by Horse & Carriage
Beti with Horse & Carriage
The horse and carriage ride through Florence
Such a beautiful evening and sunset! Really crowded on this Saturday night but everyone got out of our way and we enjoyed the sights all around the Duomo Complex to the Arno River around all the wonderful shops back to the 1871 Merry-Go-Round at the Piazza della Repubblica. Just as we were let off, we heard a young man sing opera in the street that brought tears to my eyes as he was so passionate!
We were then ready to go to dinner at one of our repeat places we enjoyed at the Piazzo del Duomo. After another amazing meal, we walked back towards our apartment and stopped to listen to a musician on an accordion. I enjoyed him very much as did a little girl about my granddaughter's age next to me who just danced joyfully to the busker's beautiful Amore song (too long to include here). I did get this short clip that showed his talent. There certainly was love all around!
Sunday was our final full day in Florence and again we had a leisurely morning with Mass at the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in the Duomo as our only plan for the day. The Mass was in Italian but we could follow along well enough. The Gospel reading was printed out in four different languages in the bulletin. No music was included to my disappointment but the art was magnificent!
Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral entrance
Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral entrance
Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral bronze doors at entrance with Keith
Inside the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral before Mass started
After attending Mass, we walked back to change clothes stopping for a cannoli and coffee. Enjoyed our balcony and began to organize our packing. Final walk around visiting shops but didn't feel like having a big lunch or dinner this day before our long flight on Monday so we again got a couple paninis to take back to our balcony then our final gelatos. Light rain started sprinkling and the clouds were building up so we just stayed close to our apartment. We got back just before it poured rain!
Had a restful afternoon with a nap. Watched an American Western on TV which we turned on for the first time since we left Missouri two weeks ago. Then we watched the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune which was fun to see. Finished packing as much as we could before leaving early in the morning for the train station. Went to sleep by 10:00 PM.
We were both ready to go home. My iPhone and my mind were full!
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