Four nights in Florence and we barely scratched the surface of the surface. We trudged repeatedly back and forth across the Ponte Vecchio and through the Piazza della Signoria and, like Mark Twain in The Innocents Abroad, “wandered through the endless collections of paintings and statues of the Pitti and Ufizzi galleries, of course.”And yet, I don’t think we saw a gnat’s eyelash of all the treasures that city holds.
Even so, we gathered plenty of memories. Here are some of my favorites:
What a thrill it was to step into an alcove at the Uffizi and be met with Botticelli’s masterpiece, “The Birth of Venus”. Impossible to get a decent photo of the entire painting but I brought home this snapshot of the lovely lady rising from a clamshell. (polloplayer photo)
Also at the Uffizi: the Doni Tondo, or Holy Family, is Michelangelo’s only surviving painting. (polloplayer photo)
Dante is, of course, everywhere in Florence, including the many stationery shops. (polloplayer photo)
The Baptistery of Saint John is currently obscured by scaffolding on the outside, but a peek of the inside will take your breath away. (polloplayer photo)
I had my first (and possibly last!) taste of grappa when our very generous waiter at Trattoria Antico Fattore delivered it to our table gratis, along with a heavenly helping of tiramisu. (polloplayer photo)
The interior courtyard of the Palazzo Pitti – oh, those Medicis knew how to live! (polloplayer photo)
Loved the Boboli Gardens (polloplayer photo)
I spy the Duomo: view from the Boboli Gardens (polloplayer photo)
Michelangelo’s tomb in the Basilica of Santa Croce (polloplayer photo)
The Florentine bistecca is an art form unto itself. We had a great meal at Ristorante Trattoria Angiolino. (polloplayer photo)
Interior of the National Museum of Bargello (polloplayer photo)
The Bargello houses a treasure trove of della Robbia reliefs, including the Madonna delle Cappuccine. (polloplayer photo)
And, of course, Firenze’s greatest treasure: Michelangelo’s David. (polloplayer photo)
Four days wasn’t nearly enough. But I suspect four weeks or even four years wouldn’t be sufficient to uncover all that Florence has to offer. And yes, I’ve already begun plotting my return…who wants to go with me?
io per favore!!! when do we leave?
Lovely photos of some of the world’s finest masterpieces. Florence has so much priceless art it is, as is pointed out, difficult to see all of it or even find it. But a lot of fun to try.