Florence: Day 2
I woke up at 5:30 am this morning and sat on the balcony with my espresso. A perfect start to the day and a lovely sunrise.
Sunrise over Florence
Today we had a full itinerary planned starting with breakfast at Piazza della Signoria. Brioche, cappuccino and fresh orange juice while looking out a the piazza.
Breakfast at Piazza del Signoria
In the square there is a replica of David, Poseidon fountain, Perseus holding Medusa’s head, several sculptures of the Rape of the Sabine Women, Hercules fighting the centaur, Menelaus & Patroclus. A more modern looking sculpture, a dodecahedron tribute to da Vinci, is a strange contrast next to the older, traditional sculptures.
David replica
Poseidon fountain – back
Piazza del Signoria sculptures
Dodecahedron and mulberry tree
As early as we were there, the square was relatively quiet. We could walk around freely and spend as much time as we liked looking at the statues. We meandered over to the Cathedral of Santa Croce and got tickets for entry. Everywhere you look there is some over-the-top display: high ceilings, stained glass, marble inlays, religious frescoes. Lining the edges of the cathedral are memorial statues for famous deceased people seemingly with an association to Florence, from Marconi to Macchiavelli, from Dante to Florence Nightingale, to Galileo Galilei, who I particularly wanted to pay my respect to.
Galileo Galilei
Next to the cathedral is a cloister designed by Brunelleschi. It has a simpler look compared with the cathedral. Part of the ceiling is a painting of some of the constellations.
Cloister and cathedral
After the Cathedral, Sarah wanted to go for a walk and I needed a quick rest, so we split up and then met back at the Piazza for lunch. We ate outside again. I had an unbelievable pizza with burrata cheese, sundried tomatoes and arugula, one of the best meals so far.
Pizza with burrata cheese, sundried tomatoes, arugula
After lunch we had tickets for the Uffizi museum. We had to be there at a specific time window. We agreed to split up and meet in the cafe later. The museum is huge and overwhelming. A main hall with mazes of rooms off it. I focused mainly on the sculptures but also found some paintings that caught my eye.
After I had walked all the floors, I made my way to the cafe and sat outside at a table in the shade. I treated myself to Gelato .. a huge bowl of lemon, strawberry and vanilla topped with whipped cream and cherry sauce.
Oh man…
Sarah met me eventually and we talked about our favorites pieces and what we wanted to do next. We took a leisurely stroll across the Arno river on the Ponte Vecchio. We got tickets for the Boboli Gardens and found some shady paths to walk along. We climbed up several staircases to a sweeping view of Florence and then walked down along some narrow tree-lines paths. Near the exit we took a side path and found a huge grotto sculpture with stone seaweed hanging down and an underwater look.
Poseidon
Face with view of Florence
Narrow bird net path
Regal looking garden area
Grotto – interior
Grotto – exterior
After the gardens, we walked further down the river to a neighborhood near Piazzale Michaelangelo. We happened in a strange shop/museum that had a music box playing loudly so we peeked in. Bizarre, oversized finger rings with skulls and creature, mysterious mechanical sculptures with gears and weights, a diving helmet that you could peek into to see an ethereal seadragon / seahorse floating. Alessandro Dari
After that we found another outdoor restaurant for dinner, this time I got pasta with porcini mushrooms. Sarah and I split up again after dinner. She wanted to walk up to the Piazzale Michaelangelo and I wanted to go back to the apartment to shower and pack. I walked back down a different bridge and saw the sunset as I walked back along the Arno.
Tagliatelle with porcini
The Arno
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