Day 4 Florence; July 19, 2008

We've settled into a routine: I lead the 4 others around and show them things, and then we split up for meals. Larry, Dick and I eat on the cheap, and Ron and Edith go to a sit-down restaurant. It seems to work pretty well, and gives everyone a little free time.

We took the train from Rome to Florence this morning. It was a Eurostar, which means it was fast and expensive. It slid like glass through the Italian countryside, with old fortresses and ruins topping the hills and vineyards and newer towns below. My people all thought it was wonderful, but some were so tired they kept falling asleep. Less than 2 hours later, we were in Florence.

Ah, Florence! Birthplace of the Renaissance and home to the powerful Medicis, ruthless patrons of the arts! Much of it still looks the same, with narrow little streets and red tile roofs, with the powerful Duomo overlooking it all.

Bus to hotel to drop our bags, then another bus to the Accademia. I wanted to show my people where Michelangelo's David is, so they could meet me back there at 4:00 for our reserved entrance time. We had a lovely walk down through the center of the old town, from the Accademia past the Medici Palace and the Orsanmichele church that in the 1300's was a granary, through the courtyard of the Uffizzi (fabulous Italian art we will see tomorrow) down to the River Arno.




We wandered out onto the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) to see the river and the gold shops and feel the ambiance of Renaissance Florence. It was evening and everyone was out for their passagiata (evening stroll.) This is really living!


Then we had to really book it to get back to the Accademia for our appointment. The David you see in the picture is a copy. they moved the original indoors, because in a riot someone threw a couch out of an upstairs window and damaged him. The real David is still as wonderful as he was 500 years ago! To me that is really amazing. People still look up at him and marvel. What makes a statue that much better than all the thousands of others?

Larry and Dick wanted to climb up to the top of the dome of the Cathedral, so they left the group and had an invigorating session with 467 stairs upward, in between the dome-in-a-dome construction of the first big dome since Roman times. It was a marvel then, and it still amazes. They came out way up on top and could see all over the red tile roofs of the city and clear to the mountains in the distance.

Larry and Dick and I wandered to the Straw Market and rubbed the nose of a big brass pig That's supposed to make sure you come back to Florence! I'm sure I will, because I love it here.

I'm eating my wieght in gelato. Italian ice cream is the best in the world! I'm going to have to quit it before I get really fat!