The Grandeur of Florence

Florence. Firenze. I've found myself wondering multiple times on this trip-- why don't we, in Western countries, refer to cities by the same names that locals call them. To us, it's Florence, Italy. But to the locals, it's Firenze. They live in Roma, not Rome. And Venezia, not Venice.

View of the Old Bridge from Piazza Michelangelo.

We started our first full day in Florence by meeting Ben and Rups at the Piazza Michelangelo for some impressive views of the city. From up on the hill, we could get a clear view of the Old Bridge, the Duomo Cathedral and various other impressive buildings. From here, we got our first glimpse of the grandeur of Florence.

Next, we wound our way through the city to visit the Accademia, home of the Michelangelo's famous sculpture, "David." I've heard of friends who waited hours to shuffle through a line to view David. But we were able to walk into the Accademia with no line, and oggle David for as long as we pleased. I'm not actually sure if we saw the real David (apparently they often put a fake one in the museum if they are touring the real statue), but nonetheless, I was impressed by the details of the sculpture. You are not allowed to take pictures of David, so I have nothing to show. 

Our next stop was All' Antico Vinaio. The number one rated Florence restaurant on Trip Advisor. They make overflowing sandwiches of fresh meat, cheese, tomato, artichoke and anything you could imagine, on fresh focaccia.

Ben and Rups waiting in line at All'antico Vinaio.

Tom loved this place so much, we went back for lunch the following day too. And at $5 Euro ($7.50 CAD), it was one of the cheapest lunches we had!

Tom and I chowing down.

After lunch, Ben and Rups took us to their favourite gelato shop, and then we parted ways so they could catch a train back to Venice-- they were flying home the next day.

Tom and I headed to the Boboli Gardens, part of the Palazzo Pitti. We wandered around for almost two hours enjoying the expertly manicured gardens and grounds. At that point we had been on our feet for almost seven hours, so decided to call it a day. Then we tracked down a Chinese restaurant so we could have a break from non-stop consumption of pizza, pasta and panini.

Tom in the Boboli Gardens.

A fountain statue in the Boboli Gardens.

On our second full day in Florence, we finally went inside the absolutely beautiful Duomo Cathedral. Tom and I stayed at a B & B inside the heart of old town-- and could actually see the Duomo down the street from our hotel window. These pictures don't even do the Duomo justice-- this is definitely a building you need to see in person to appreciate. It is a towering structure made of white, pink and green limestone. It is beyond ornate, the carvings adorning every surface and corner are intricate and detailed.

A side view of the Duomo Cathedral.

   

A front view of the Duomo Cathedral.

It was also interesting to see that the outside facade of the Duomo is in being restored. Sections of the building are gleaming white, while large sections are still grey-- or even black, with years of built up grim and pollution.

So... With all this grandeur on the outside of the building, we imagined the inside of the building would be a sight to see. And sadly... It wasn't. The inside of the Duomo is surprisingly bare. The Pisa Cathedral was far more impressive on the inside than the Duomo in Florence. By far the most impressive part of the interior were the extensive paintings inside the dome.

Paintings on the dome in the Duomo.

Tom and I took the steps up to the top of Duomo to get another view of the city. Something I found a little sad was the amount of graffiti on the cathedral. Why people find it necessary to deface everything, I will never understand.

Graffiti on the Duomo.

Tom and I at the top of the Duomo.

We spent the rest of the day eating gelato, getting more sandwiches, and exploring the Galileo Science Museum.

On our last morning in Florence, we sat on the steps of the Duomo and watched locals hawking their crappy souvenirs to tourists. It was actually a very interesting sight to watch. You see the same souvenirs everywhere-- these blobby kids toys that squeak, wooden letters you can connect like a train, painting replicas, knock-off purses, and camera tripods. It's illegal for these people to sell their wares, so they are always carefully watching for police or carabinieri, who circulate through the piazzas on a regular basis. When the sellers see the police coming, they scoop up their stock and melt into the crowd, only to reappear moments later when the police are gone.

Then we were off to the Santa Maria Novella train station, and on our way to Rome!