Florence – Days 2 and 3

What a Difference a Good Night’s Sleep Makes

Part of the fun of travel is finding treasures and beautiful things along the way – you know – how life happens when you are making a “plan”? Today the plan was to walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, shaking off the cobwebs and taking in the amazing view of Florence from high atop a hill. Don and I have walked up there several times before, but never in this heat. (31 degrees +).

Anyway, we were ambitious (in the beginning), but also making lots of peekaboo stops along the way, just to check out the things we were seeing.

So many beautiful sights along the way.

The clothes in the windows are to die for. If only we had a ball to attend . . .

Finally we make it to the Ponte Vecchio – gotta get the money shot!

Also saw some beautiful politzia guys

We still have to get across the Ponte Vecchio, which is like running the gauntlet for any jewelry lover, whether you are in the market or not. Needless to say, it took a while to get to the other side.

Though completely bored with our window shopping, Don managed to find a wine store and got to tell Tina all about whatever was in the window.

Having managed to tear ourselves away from the wine and the jewelry, we all decided we needed a break before tackling the hill up to the Piazzale. Our first Aperol spritzes! And a little box of nibbles at Signorvino’s on the altrarno (other side of the Arno River).

After which we all agreed that we didn’t want to walk up the hill to the top and took a taxi that was conveniently parked right outside the restaurant! Yay!

There is a church called San Miniato al Monte (“on the hill”) above the Piazzale, and we got dropped off there. It is a gorgeous church, surrounded by a wondrously huge cemetery. The church was closed for lunch by then (as they do), but we really enjoyed checking out the amazing statutes and crypts. Here are a few pics from that – I think maybe we should go back to these amazing monuments for the people we love. I want a giant angel with wings on mine (David, Cam please take note . . .).

The walk down the hill, through rose gardens and past a still-standing portion of the original wall that surrounded Florence, was thoroughly enjoyable.

After a siesta and dinner at a place recommended by Tina and Dave’s cab driver from the airport – which could have gone either way, but was actually really good food – we retired to our rooftop lounge for a nightcap.

Tina and I noticed this amazing little place with its lit balcony – this could definitely be our home away from home (ideally for a few months) the next time we come to Florence.

Today’s objective is to make our timed entry to the Accademia to see the original statue of David (and other things). If you would like to see this museum, you should book your tickets online as soon as you know you will be in Florence. I was unable to book just the entry tickets, so we ended up booking a skip the line tour on Viator. We usually just wing this kind of thing, but it was actually nice to have guide to tell us all about what we were looking at. There are some other cool things in here, such as the unfinished sculptures of Michelangelo, that are still “prisoners” in their blocks of marble, but of course, the start of the show is David himself.

There are also some amazing paintings in the exhibit.

The Accademia was not as crowded as we had expected, but even at that early hour, the temperature inside was starting to rise and the humidity outside was making its way in with all the damp bodies. Did I mention that the skies opened? And yes, we did have umbrellas – lucky us. Everyone else outside was huddling under even the slimmest of overhangs to wait out each deluge.

Next stop, and virtually around the corner, was the Santissima Annunziata. Another spot Don and I had never visited. It is huge inside, super ornate, and really quite mind-boggling.

Then there is this guy – is it just me, or does he look like he is having a jolly good old time?

Then it was on to the Cappelle Medici – we were on a roll, and this was a trifecta of things we had never seen before. The photo above and the ones below are from there.

In our quest to find a washroom, we headed into the Rincente department store. Super high end but this display caught my eye. I think this might need a rebrand for the English speaking market – check out the labels:

And all of the above adventures before lunch!

We are now having a long siesta/downtime, before heading out for a fashionably late dinner (7:30 – what!?!).

Tina asked if there was spinach in the lasagne and the waiter gasped and clutched his chest crying, “No! Please madame, No!!!”

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings . . .