Up early and in the bus, for a 4 hour bus ride from Lido Island to the magnificient city of Florence.
We traveled through the Apennines mountains and found ourselves under the Tuscan sun in Florence in time for lunch. Florence - the timeless city, birthplace of the Italian language, the Renaissance, and opera. So much to see! I had been to Florence in my 20's (not THAT long ago!!), but Bill in all his travels had not, so he was especially excited to see what this city he had heard so much about was all about! While I love American folk art, outsider art, and crazy contemporary art, Bill's artistic taste has always been for the classic approach, characterized by by Michelangelo, Leonardo diVinci, Sandro Botticelli and other Florentine masters. To say the least - Florence was heaven on earth for Bill Simon! Willie on the other hand - his tastes run toward fresh orange juice (so far Venice has been the best but still does not hold a candle to Istanbul), lemonade slush (Florence got a B+) and pizza (the jury is still out - more exploration is needed).
We put on our most comfortable shoes, as today was a walking day. Our tour guide led us along the narrow streets where bicycles and motor scooters and the occasional car (though not many) whizzed by until we turned a corner and WOWOWOW there it was - the Santa Maria del Fiore (Saint Mary of the Flower) aka The Duomo. The Duomo sits in a complex of buildings known as The Piazza del Duomo which includes the Duomo, the Campanile (the bell tower), and the Bapistery. These 3 buildings are now a UNESCO Heritage Site.
Work on the Cathedral began in 1296 in the Gothic style designed by Arnolfo di Cambio. It was completed structurally in 1436 with the completion of the enormous dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. My photos don't do this extraordinary building justice, as I need a huge wide angel lense to capture it all in one piece. The exterior of the Duomo is made of marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white. This cathedral is a case of the outside being much more striking than the inside. Compared to all the ornate churchs we had been visiting on this vacation, the inside of The Duomo was dark and sober...but the outside WOWOWOWOWOW.
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| Bill got up very early the next morning and went for a walk around the city - he said the Piazza was so quiet and peaceful in the early hours...   |
Next to the Duomo is the Campanile (bell tower), designed by Giotto di Bondone. The first stone was laid in 1334 when Giotto was 67 years old. It stands tall at 278 feet and is made of white, green, and red marble - all brought in from towns surrounding Florence. You can walk up to the top of the tower for amazing views ... 414 steps on a winding very narrow staircase with only a few resting landings in-between.
We would be passing by the Duomo many times during our stay in Florence as it seems all roads lead to the Duomo! We wandered over to the next amazing site - the church of Santa Croce where the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo as well as the Dante Memorial are displayed. Then the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's Town Hall. This massive Romanesque fortress-palace is located in the Piazza delll Signoria. From 1504 - 1873, Michelangelo's famous statue David stood at the entrance of the Town Hall, but was moved to the Accademic Gallery and in 1910 a replica was erected.
Then it was a visit to a leather making shop where we were instructed how to recognize a real leather purse or bag, and oh by the way there is a retail store next door that maybe you'd be interested in making a few purchases of an authentic leather purse, belt, box, suitcase, briefcase, or wallet? I was like "what a waste of time" but as I wandered through the store I saw a few things, and well they were the "real thing" and maybe it would be a nice reminder of our visit....
Having worked up an appetite, we left to find the restaurant where we would be having a group dinner. By the way, our group of Go Ahead Tour travelers are so nice and so much fun! A family from La Canada, a young couple from Torrance, an almost engaged couple from Atlanta (he is the Atlanta Falcons quarterback coach), a retired couple from Virginia, grandparents and 2 grandkids from Florida, and of course that good looking delightful family from Pacific Palisades, California !!! In case you forgot what they looked like, here is a reminder:
On the way we heard quite a commotion. Well, let's say I did as I kept saying to Willie "Do you see all the police? Oh there is another police van. Oh there are more police... " He would reply (if he replied at all) "Are we going the right way to the restaurant?" Then we saw a huge crowd of protestors coming our way in a wave, chanting and carrying large banners saying STOP THE ABUSE. Luckily it was peaceful but there were sure a lot of people coming straight at us, so I had to find out what's up? Turns out a year or so ago a few policemen made an arrest of a some persons for non-violents crimes (drugs), but during the arrest the police turned brutal and one of the victims died as a result of the beating. The police were charged with abuse and the case went to trial and a decision was just reached of Not Guilty. Many people today were marching in protest of that decision.
Finally we found the restaurant where we had way too much to eat, and then we lugged ourselves back to the hotel vowing to stop eating so much lasagna, pasta, pizza, and the almighty gelato...but oh "Mama Mia" it tastes so good!
Until tomorrow...xoox
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