Province of Siena

We made our way to Firenze today with the primary goal to explore the historical district and to see Michelangelo's David.

One of our first challenges in getting to the historical center of Florence was figuring out how to navigate entering the restricted zones where automobiles without a pass are subject to steep fines. Thanks to an internet search, we learned that private parking garages can alert the city for the purpose of a temporary waiver. We managed to find a parking garage that was located fairly close to the Duomo de Firenze.

Given that we had nearly two hours before our tour of La Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze, we decided to wander around the historical district. We first reached the massive Duomo. This cathedral's construction began in 1296 and was consecrated in about 140 years later upon its completion. While we didn't purchase tickets to enter the Duomo, we were impressed with the detailed exterior.

While Jim C and I were wandering through the streets to inquire about ticket logistics, Nancy happened upon a street artist who was dressed like an ancient pope and frozen in time until she activated his animation with a donation. It was fun, and a tad bit creepy ("Stranger Danger") to see the photos of her interaction with him.

We arrived at noon for our scheduled guided tour of the Academy Gallery that houses Michelangelo's David. Our guide, Safe, shared that he was of Tunisian and Italian heritage and he observed that most of the interesting sites of Firenze were found outdoors. He playfully remarked that, in contrast, the interior buildings would only be limited to portrayals of Mary and Jesus.

On the tour, we learned from Safe that Michelangelo's masterpieces would discover what figures emerged from blocks of marble. Further, Michelangelo was torn between artistic commissions of two popes and their respective families. One of the unfinished pieces is a self-image of sorts portraying Michelango as a stressed slave depicting his conflicting challenges: so much art to create, so little time.

We enjoyed the other sculptures in the Academy as well as many paintings from Renaissance artists. One exhibit also demonstrated many period musical instruments. I was impressed to see a Stradivarius violin as well as several ancient instruments. Nancy observed that she wandered if the instruments were sad being relegated to display cases rather than a more fulfilling demonstration of musicians playing them.

After a light lunch, we walked over to the Pitti Palace and the adjacent Boboli Gardens. We opted to remain outdoors rather than touring the interior structures as we recognized that we were experiencing a bit of museum fatigue. While some might view that as a missed opportunity, we enjoyed the opportunity to be outside and admire the architecture and grounds.

In the late afternoon, we made it back to our car, and we enjoyed an alternate route back to our Agritururismo. The tree-lined streets and views of the city from the hills overlooking the city were spectacular.

We managed to arrive in time for drinks and pool time before a wonderful farewell dinner with Nancy and Sharon. We really enjoyed sharing the Tuscany leg of our journey with them.

It's time for bed as we need to get them to the airport early tomorrow morning. Ciao!Read more