Passo della Consuma

Today, we woke up early in Florence. We hopped on the coach and headed towards the city center, a town filled with history. We were treated to a leather demonstration by a gentleman named Giovanni, in the heart of the city, at a beautiful store called Peruzzi. There, he explained to us what to look for when you want to buy real Italian leather products, including it being the same color on the inside and on the outside, the product should have an official tag stitched inside stating the manufacturer and where it is made and finally, that when it gets wet, it doesn't change color or fade. Otherwise, you may be buying a "leather jacket" made in China. Giovanni used me as a model to show off one of their beautiful jackets. When the demonstration was over, Paul tried on an incredible leather jacket, which ended up being from their Royal Collection (read: more expensive!) and decided to splurge on this purchase. We could even get it engraved in 24k gold leaf, so we got to see the special process in which they engraved the jacket. After the leather demonstration, we were treated to a local guide showing us around the city. Get ready for a history lesson. Firstly, the name Florence, or Firenze in Italian, means flower. Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses over the Arno River, was originally built in 900 but in 1365, there was a huge flood that covered the city with water and many things were destroyed, including the Ponte Vecchio. It is one of the few remaining stone covered bridges. In the center of the city is a cathedral called Santa Crocce. On the front of the building, you can see a Star of David because the designer of the building was Jewish. Michelangelo lived in Florence and went to church at that cathedral. It was here that Leonardo Da Vinci lived as well and where he began his painting of the Mona Lisa. He moved to France later in his life and ended up gifting the Mona Lisa to the King of France, which is why it is now displayed at the Louvre in Paris. (The people of Florence are not very happy about that...) Florence also has a Duomo (which we found out today, means "main church.") The Duomo, called Santa Maria De Fiori, was completed in 1439 and only took 60 years to build. It was the biggest cathedral in the world at the time until France and London built larger ones years later. We walked through Palazzo Senioria, which was made in medieval times and displays a replica of the David statue, which was used in order to scare enemies from entering the city. The David statue is based on the Biblical Story of the battle between David and Goliath, and as we know, David won! In that same Palazzo, there were statues of Hercules, Neptune (the god of water), and Perseus holding the head of the beautiful Medusa after chopping it off. It is said that Medusa's blood ran into the river, creating coral, which is now a popular addition to jewelry in the city. It was a very educational tour. After that, we had free time, and Paul and I decided to head back to Peruzzi and have another look around. I decided to purchase the beautiful jacket that I had modeled earlier in the day. I also got it engraved. Then, we had local Gelato, recommended by the wife of the owner of Peruzzi. It was delicious. Then we got sandwiches and headed back to the bus. Rome, here we come!Read more