A few short hours later and we arrived in Florence. We were greeted by warmer weather, winding streets and the overpowering yet still pleasant scent of leather. We had a leather market set up right outside our hotel window actually!
Angela and I walked through the market for a bit and I got a ~kewl~ sunglasses case. I wish I had purchased more. It was all real leather (they did the flame test on each item to prove it) and you could haggle prices to get a better deal. I will readily admit that my haggling skills are dismal but I love a good challenge and would be up to try again :) Just outside the market was a bronze boar that supposedly brings good luck if you rub it's nose. I suppose it is the explanation for my luck these days...
After the market we headed towards the the Cathedral. Now, I must say that if I've ever considered having a guest blogger describe a place, it would be this post about Florence. My sister Sarah is incredibly well-versed in this specific Cathedral and art/art history so if you would like more information about either, please contact her! I am too afraid to misrepresent any information though so, as per usual, I'll just leave some rambling thoughts and photos here :)
We climbed the tower and the hike was well worth it! Here are a few pictures of the amazing views from the top of the tower. From up here I could definitely see how people fall in love with this city. It was breath-taking.
We descended the Tower and snapped a few more pictures before heading for some aperitivo. Again, I loved the exterior of the Duomo- so striking and beautiful. Equally as striking is the photo below on the right- me modeling this season's latest grunge-chic travel line in font of the beautiful front doors of the Cathedral. I hear plaid shirts tied around your waist are making a comeback...
There was a temporary musical exhibit at the entrance that I perused a bit. Most of the instruments in the exhibit were all that remains from the Medici collection. The Medici's were extremely influential in so many ways to Florentine society and music was no exception. Below are a trio of violins that made me think of my younger siblings.
Now, I had to make a tough call on which museum to visit in Florence as I knew I only had time for one. I chose Accademia though because I had to see David. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The building itself was constructed to house the famous statue after it was moved from the Palazzo della Signoria in the late 1800s. At just over 14 feet tall, the statue was so impressive. I don't claim to know much about art but this is some serious talent. Well done Michelangelo. You can walk around the entire statue and I took the PG image on the lower right in case nudity isn't your thing.
David is of course the most well-known piece in the Accademia Gallery but I did see a lot of other amazing work. The hall of sculptures was unfortunately closed but I reached my phone in anyway to snap the below photo. There was a significant amount of iconography and other decorative pieces from churches through the decades in the Gallery. Again though, I was there for David so I didn't spend too much time elsewhere :)
After touring the museum, I met Angela back at the Cathedral so that we could take a tour inside. It is set up by the people of Florence to showcase their town and the artists/works they are most proud of. We had a pretty good audioguide that explained a lot of the pieces inside. Two of my favorites are below. First, is the 24 hour clock that hangs above the main entrance. The hands of the clock move opposite to our modern-day clocks in a counter-clockwise movement. (I struggled to find synonyms for clock in that last sentence... sorry.) The 24th hour wasn't our traditional midnight either. It indicated sunset which was a crucial indicator of time in the 1400s because that was when the gates of the city would close. The bells were synchronized to the clock to notify the farmers when sunset was approaching. My second favorite within the Duomo was the painting inside the dome. Now, as with many things, the picture below really doesn't do it justice. The dome is massive and standing beneath it, craning your neck as you try to take it all in, is something that a camera cannot really capture. I took a picture anyway though to share :)
After touring the Cathedral we had some amazing pizza at Dante's. If you go to Florence, this is THE pizza place to visit. I would confidently say it was the best pizza I had in Italy. We left Florence that afternoon for a wine tour which I will write about next :) I'll leave you with two of my favorite pictures from Florence though. First, the woman in the apron below. What a character. This picture still makes me laugh when I see it. Second, is an Instagram aided edit from the roof of the Duomo. Such a gorgeous place- I still feel lucky I was able to experience it!
Ciao friends!
Angela and I walked through the market for a bit and I got a ~kewl~ sunglasses case. I wish I had purchased more. It was all real leather (they did the flame test on each item to prove it) and you could haggle prices to get a better deal. I will readily admit that my haggling skills are dismal but I love a good challenge and would be up to try again :) Just outside the market was a bronze boar that supposedly brings good luck if you rub it's nose. I suppose it is the explanation for my luck these days...
After the market we headed towards the the Cathedral. Now, I must say that if I've ever considered having a guest blogger describe a place, it would be this post about Florence. My sister Sarah is incredibly well-versed in this specific Cathedral and art/art history so if you would like more information about either, please contact her! I am too afraid to misrepresent any information though so, as per usual, I'll just leave some rambling thoughts and photos here :)
The Cathedral was amazing. I loved the design that decorated the building and gave it such a unique character. The Tower and Dome are two obvious main features of this Cathedral. Brunelleschi's Dome is noted as one of the greatest engineering feats of the Renaissance. The construction of the Cathedral began in the late 1200s but the technology or tools didn't exist to figure out how to construct the dome without external support (Sarah informed me that the Italian's hate buttresses) and there wasn't enough wood in the region to build enough scaffolding to complete the dome. Brunelleschi engineered a way to complete the dome though with movable scaffolding and it was finally finished in the 1400s. So cool!
We climbed the tower and the hike was well worth it! Here are a few pictures of the amazing views from the top of the tower. From up here I could definitely see how people fall in love with this city. It was breath-taking.
We descended the Tower and snapped a few more pictures before heading for some aperitivo. Again, I loved the exterior of the Duomo- so striking and beautiful. Equally as striking is the photo below on the right- me modeling this season's latest grunge-chic travel line in font of the beautiful front doors of the Cathedral. I hear plaid shirts tied around your waist are making a comeback...
I woke up early the next morning and made my way to the Accademia Gallery. I arrived before it opened but still had to wait in line for 45 minutes before getting in. I had a lovely view though (photo below) and also The Goldfinch on my Kindle to help pass the time. (Quick recommendation for everyone to read that by the way... amazing book!)
There was a temporary musical exhibit at the entrance that I perused a bit. Most of the instruments in the exhibit were all that remains from the Medici collection. The Medici's were extremely influential in so many ways to Florentine society and music was no exception. Below are a trio of violins that made me think of my younger siblings.
Now, I had to make a tough call on which museum to visit in Florence as I knew I only had time for one. I chose Accademia though because I had to see David. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The building itself was constructed to house the famous statue after it was moved from the Palazzo della Signoria in the late 1800s. At just over 14 feet tall, the statue was so impressive. I don't claim to know much about art but this is some serious talent. Well done Michelangelo. You can walk around the entire statue and I took the PG image on the lower right in case nudity isn't your thing.
David is of course the most well-known piece in the Accademia Gallery but I did see a lot of other amazing work. The hall of sculptures was unfortunately closed but I reached my phone in anyway to snap the below photo. There was a significant amount of iconography and other decorative pieces from churches through the decades in the Gallery. Again though, I was there for David so I didn't spend too much time elsewhere :)
After touring the museum, I met Angela back at the Cathedral so that we could take a tour inside. It is set up by the people of Florence to showcase their town and the artists/works they are most proud of. We had a pretty good audioguide that explained a lot of the pieces inside. Two of my favorites are below. First, is the 24 hour clock that hangs above the main entrance. The hands of the clock move opposite to our modern-day clocks in a counter-clockwise movement. (I struggled to find synonyms for clock in that last sentence... sorry.) The 24th hour wasn't our traditional midnight either. It indicated sunset which was a crucial indicator of time in the 1400s because that was when the gates of the city would close. The bells were synchronized to the clock to notify the farmers when sunset was approaching. My second favorite within the Duomo was the painting inside the dome. Now, as with many things, the picture below really doesn't do it justice. The dome is massive and standing beneath it, craning your neck as you try to take it all in, is something that a camera cannot really capture. I took a picture anyway though to share :)
After touring the Cathedral we had some amazing pizza at Dante's. If you go to Florence, this is THE pizza place to visit. I would confidently say it was the best pizza I had in Italy. We left Florence that afternoon for a wine tour which I will write about next :) I'll leave you with two of my favorite pictures from Florence though. First, the woman in the apron below. What a character. This picture still makes me laugh when I see it. Second, is an Instagram aided edit from the roof of the Duomo. Such a gorgeous place- I still feel lucky I was able to experience it!
Ciao friends!
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