May 18- Sciopero, so Santa Croce

We were supposed to go to Cinque-Terre today, but there's a rail/bus/ whatever strike, so we were given the option to reschedule, leaving today without a plan. So, we decided to visit Santa Croce.

Santa Croce is only a few minutes away from us, and we've walked past it many times, but haven't gone inside. I went online for tickets. They said the tickets would be sent in 30 minutes. I ended up doing several chats with the company as our entry time approached, and received them after almost 2 hours, minutes before our entry time .

What a place. Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michaelangelo are among the notables buried here- but that's not all. There are 2 beautiful cloisters, and the Refectory which houses some restored treasures from the flood of November 4, 1966.

That day saw a devastating flood that not only took 35 lives, but resulted in the destruction of thousands of books, manuscripts, and works of art. For reference, the water reached about 15 feet where we are staying - we look down quite a distance to the Arno from the road near our apartment. The water hit Santa Croce, The Duomo, and everything in between. Ponte Vecchio was severely impacted. I watched a documentary done at the time by Franco Zeferelli and Richard Burton, made to bring attention not only to the impact on the residents of this incredible city, but also on the effect on centuries-millemia of the world's culture. It highlights the efforts of people from around the world who participated in steps to preserve and restore what could be salvaged.

The Last Supper by Giorgio Vasari was one of these. It was commissioned in the mid-1500s. It was salvaged, with tissue paper affixed to the surface to prevent the paint from falling off. Restoration didn't begin until 2005, and took over 10 years. The painting is breathtaking. They also installed a pulley system so in case of future flooding, it can be raised.

We walked through the cloisters, enjoying the peace and beautiful views.

When we departed, we headed toward our little "Santa Croce" grocery for more Coke Zeros. I saw a sign for St Francis Gardens, and took a detour. Back behind Santa Croce is the leather school. I was only there for a few minutes, but plan a return.

After procuring the bevs and some more Doritos for W, we stopped at a little restaurant on the Piazza for some refreshment, and met a family -parents from DC and kids schooling in NYC. They were doing the total Room With a View thing, staying in the building over the restaurant. They were planning to do the sunset at Piazzalle Michaelangelo. We alerted them to the steep hike.

Check the picture captions.

And then home.Read more