Florence (Firenze)
5-12: Depart from Roma-Stazione Termini catch
train to Florence Stazione di Santa Maria Novella to Merlini Hotel
We took the train from Rome to Florence and this
time it was a wonderful ride! When we weren't in tunnels :( we
were treated to a gorgeous red poppy filled scenic delight. Villas,
ruins, hill cities, more poppies, Common Kestrels (Falco tinunculus)
and Common Buzzards (Buteo buteo) and possibly a Red Kite
( Milvus milvus) or maybe a Black Kite (Milvus migrans)
... hard to be sure when the train is screaming through at 100
plus MPH ... just wonderful. I was almost sad to have the ride
end. Ah, but we were now in Firenze!
We found our hotel (3rd floor which really means
4th floor because they don't "count" the first floor???),
no elevator. We got used to it but did stay away from the hotel
until ALL of our days travels were completed. Although it was
a hike back to the room each night, we did have a great view.
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| View in the morning with the shutters open. |
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| View from the hotel of the Duomo and Campanile at sunset. |
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| View looking left out the window at sunset. Yes, we were
very taken with the view. |
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| Babs in Florence! Happy Girl!! Yum Yum! |
Florence is a small city. Most everything is within walking
distance.
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| Out walking our first day brought us right to the Duomo
and Baptistry....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. |
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| More Duomo....Marble the colors of white, red, and green
are the colors of the Italian flag. |
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| Duomo, Baptistry, and Apse in Piazza di San Giovanni |
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| Into the Baptistry for my first time...I cried. Oh, the
beauty. This is the ceiling, all gilded Byzantine mosaics
from the 11th century. I had seen the Ghiberti doors last
time, but not gotten inside. |
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| Interior of the Duomo..dome completed in 1434 engineered
by Brunelleschi. |
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| Duomo Ceiling |
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| Baptistry, Duomo, and Giotto's Campinile |
Yes, I am totally in love with the Duomo, and
its environs. When I see any other church I must compare and the
Duomo comes out best! The colors, the detail, the artistry, everything
is exquisite!
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| Duomo Detail - Click here
for a larger image of the detail. |
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| Duomo Detail - Click here
for a larger image of the detail. |
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| Duomo Detail - Click here
for a larger image of the detail. |
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| Duomo Detail; the dome above the saint's scuplture has
stars painted overhead. Click here
for a larger image of the detail. |
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| Demonstration at the Duomo complete with hammer and sickle
flag and music. |
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| 13th century Palazzo Vecchio next to the Uffizzi with
the copy of Michaelangelo's David in front. We went to the
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, which is behind the Duomo, to
see the real David. Fantastic! They are restoring it and have
a great display area, well lit and good information about
the restoration process. |
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| Banco di BdS--I'm everywhere and I have a bank! It's
really the Banco di Sicillia...better not fuss with them! |
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| I loved all the tiny cars in Florence; here's another
that is small enough to park with the motorcycles. There were
many vespas and other motor bikes and many three-wheeled trucks.
The streets are so small that an American SUV would probably
not fit! We did, however see one Chrysler PT-Cruiser in Florence,
as well as a few in Rome, and several in both Paris and Amsterdam...no
accounting for taste. |
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| Just down the road from the Uffizzi is the Ponte Vecchio
crossing the Arno river to the Oltrarno and beyond. Florence
is a very small city! |
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| Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) outside behind the shops. |
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| Ponte Vecchio - the shops, mostly (95%) jewelry by edict. |
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| View down the Arno from the Ponte Vecchio |
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| View down the River Arno from the Ponte Vecchio |
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| Polizia that patrolled from the Arno side of the Ponte
Vecchio back to the Piazza del Duomo. |
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| The lovely horses were very patient with tourists and
not at all camera shy. |
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| The Polizia rested themselves and the horses in the shade
of the Duomo Campanile. |
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| Back to work! |
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| On the way to the Pitti Palace, we snuck a peek into
one of the gated villas. Lush gardens inside; wonder who lives
there... |
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| Lion on the front of the Pitti Palace-front
view |
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Side view |
Where the Uffizzi Gallery was a disappointment because many
of the works that I had hoped to view were in rooms that were
being restored, the Pitti Palace was a joy. The lighting was
very good on most of the artwork and the ceilings were magnificent,
not to mention the fabulous inlaid stonework tables. A
site not to be missed!
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| View from the front of the Pitti Palace. Notice the lack
of crowds; we got there nice and early for our visit. |
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| Fountain at the back of the Pitti Palace. The exterior
of the building was not particularly attractive; it had a
fortified look. |
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| View from the Boboli Gardens that sprawled above the
back of the Pitti Palace. |
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| A closer view of the back of one of the Pitti Palace
wings and more of Florence shot from the Boboli Gardens. |
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| Another shot of the back of the Pitti Palace and more
Florence. |
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| A view of the Duomo and Campanile from the Boboli Gardens. |
And, sadly, it was time to leave Florence and
head up to Paris and the Musee D'Orsay!
5-16: Leave from Florence Stazione S.M.N. overnight
train to Paris Gare de Paris-Bercy
Onto Paris!!!
Questions?