Florence, Italy
Hanging out in Florence.
Well I only had one thing planned today so slept in (I even missed breakfast) and finally rolled out of my hotel by 1100. My one destination was the Galleria delgi Uffizi. I knew the general location of the museum so wandered that way. Turns out you really cannot miss it. The line to enter is quite intense. Of course they only let in so many people at a time so there is a wait….it ended up being about 1 hour and 20 minutes but it was worth it. I am very glad I am here this time of year though because I cannot imagine how much longer this line would be in the summer.
I found a collection of these lamp posts along the way to the Uffizi. I just thought they were cute....or interesting....or something.
I have to say though that I must have been tired today because the people I was waiting in line with really, really irritated me. The sound of the one girl’s voice drove me crazy.........she talked non-stop and I mean non-stop. The only time she stopped talking was when she was smoking. I eventually put my I-pod on and that worked much better.
Ponte Vecchio which crosses Fiume Arno. It is full of all kinds of little shops...mostly jewellery.
While in line I also got to watch the game that is played between local law enforcement and the guys that sell fake knock-offs. The boys would lay all their stuff out on sheets, a few people would have a chance to look and maybe even buy......and then the police take a walk down the street. Everything is quickly picked up and the boys take off running. They of course return in about 10 minutes and the whole thing starts all over again. It was actually quite entertaining especially when the police started to argue with each other as to how far they should follow them. They eventually agreed to send the youngest down the alley to follow them.
One of the many statues that decorate the wall outside the Uffizi.
I decided against the audioguide today and picked up a museum guide book (I get to keep it too)and I actually kept my I-pod on while I was wandering though the museum. Ignoring people actually made it extremely pleasant. Of course I have an excellent selection of classical music on my I-pod along with everything else so the mood was very nice and relaxing.
So what will you find at the Uffizi….lots of things. Works by Di Vinci dominate but the highlight is Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus (think naked woman riding clam shell). It was quite amazing and of course I couldn't take pictures so you will have to look it up if you want to see it. There were also some great works by Caravaggio including Bacchus and Medusa. Very different from his works that I saw in the church in Rome. In all I spent over 2 hours in the museum so worth the time in line and left feeling much better than I did when I entered.
I then had to make my way up to the Piazzale Michelangelo which is home to the fake David and happens to be on the only hill I have been able to find in Florence.
Making the walk up that hill.
It was a nice hike up but the fake David is certainly nothing compared to the real one but the view of Florence was very nice.
The fake David. The shape was right but really nothing else was too similar. Very glad I saw the real thing.
And since I was already on the hill I figured I would check out the church that happened to be up there. It was a few more steps up but not too bad.
Inside the Basilica of San Miniato Al Monte.
The Basilica of San Miniato Al Monte had been very nicely restored and is well maintained now by the local Monastery so it was worth a quick look. There was an organist playing as well in the very dark church which actually gave it an interesting feel.
Overlooking Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo.
I am turning in a little early after my late start as I am heading off to Siena in the morning. I am about to test the area’s bus service so wish me luck.
Julie
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