We know the O’connors from our prior life in medicine. Neil and Audrey have visited us in Paris, Mexico CityMadrid, Kyoto, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and now Florence. Our time with them is notable for the most laughs, the most miles of daily walking and the most money spent on food and women’s clothing and accessories. They unfailingly plan new and interesting things for us to do which makes them always welcome to come and visit us at any of our destinations.
Looking down from our third floor window to our front door.They departed on a train from Boston to Newark on April 18 and flew overnight to Milan on a business class only flight and then took another train from there to Florence arriving here late afternoon on Sunday April 19.They walked about a mile from the train station to our apartment and we are sure that they walked from their home in Boston to South Station for that train ride. Carry on only for them and they always look stylish.That evening they booked dinner for us at The Hermitage Hotel roof top restaurant L’Osteria della Tre Panche. It was lovely and overlooked the Arno River.We walked back to our “home” enjoying the sights of the city at night.Beautiful sunset. As you can see, Florence is swarming with tourists.Holding hands to keep us upright on uneven sidewalks.For their first full day in Florence their agenda had us climbing the 463 steps up Brunelleschi’s Dome of the Florence Cathedral. There is no elevator and the climb is not advisable for people with heart conditions. Well we will see about that warning!This architectural marvel is still a mystery. For over 35 years the Cathedral remained incomplete because no one could figure out how to build a free standing dome large enough to cover the space. A contest was held with a sizable monetary reward for whoever won. Brunelleschi, a jeweler, sculptor, architect and engineer by trade won and was awarded the commission, without providing many details he explained that he would build a smaller dome that would support the large outer shell of the Dome. The stairs we climbed are located between the two domes. You can see down into the church from the walkway around the base of the dome. It is described as a stairway to heaven.When the dome was completed in 1436 it was the largest free standing dome in existence and it is still the largest masonry vault in the world. It took 16 years to build. The interior of the dome was painted by Giorgio Vasari nearly 100 years later.Here we are at the top of the Duomo overlooking Giotto’s Bell Tower which will be our next climb.Jim wisely declined the second climb of 414 stairs up the Bell Tower. Sandy did it and paid the price with very sore legs the next 2-3 days. Her 80 year old legs complained about doing nearly 900 stairs all at once.View of the Cathedral from the Bell Tower.Look how tiny the people below are.
We were fortunate to catch the 11:30 am bell ringing while in the tower. Click on this photo to hear the bells ringing out.The basilica and tower exterior is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, alternated by white and features an elaborate 19th century Gothic Revival design.We always light candles for friends and family.Santa Maria del Fiore is the name of the Florence Cathedral. It took 140 years to complete and underwent many changes and challenges.Our next stop was to the church of Santa Croce which is known as the “Temple of the Italian Glories”.It is the burial place of nearly 300 illustrious Italians.Galileo’s tomb.MarconiFermiMichaelangeloGhiberti sculptor and creator of the two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistry.We wrapped up our busy but fun filled day with dinner at a lovely restaurant Trattoria Marione which is near our apartment as we were all tired and ready for bed.Day two began with an early entry to the Uffizi Gallery home of many masterpieces by Botticelli, Da Vinci and Michelangelo to name a few. Despite the early morning entry it was still very crowded and has a confusing and circuitous floor plan. Jim felt overloaded with all the paintings of the Madonna and Child. City Hall to the left and Uffizi to the right.City hall and its tower which we will climb later.The Birth of Venus circa 1445 by Botticelli captures the moment when the goddess of love and beauty born of sea foam and propelled by the winds reaching the island of Cypress. It was formerly hung in the Medici Villa di Castello in 1550.La Primavera (Spring) circa 1477-1482 is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance by Botticelli. This large scale mythological painting features nine figures in a flowery orange grove which includes over 138 botanical species.Medici’s Botticelli’s Madonna and child.And yet another Madonna and ChildLeonardo Da Vinci Annunciation.Grand hallway of Uffizi.Beautiful ceiling of main hallway.View of the Arno from Uffizi hallway window. Looking across the river at our friends Madeleine and Don’s apartment where we are giving a presentation about our retirement life later this month to the members of a club that she belongs to.Van Gogh After the visit to the Uffizi we took a guided tour of the Vasari Corridor.This historical and architectural marvel connects two of Florences most famous landmarks; the Uffizi Gallery and the Palazzo Pitti.Built in the 16th century, this corridor provided a private passageway for the Medici family allowing them to travel from the Uffizi where they conducted state business to their residence at Palazzo Piti. This hidden and protected route extends above the Ponte Vecchio Bridge.During what is referred to as the “Night of the Bridges” when retreating Nazi forces blew up all of Florence’s bridges to hinder the advancing Allied troops. The Ponte Vecchio was spared as Hitler admired the view and artwork. It was the only bridge in Florence untouched by the war.In 2016 it was closed to the public for restoration and improvement. It was officially reopened to the public in 2024. Our tour ended at the Piti Palace.In the afternoon we visited the Galleria del’Accademia, home to the famous David by MichelangeloThis magnificent sculpture of carrera marble measures 17 feet tall and weighs about 12,478 pounds. It commands the room.Michelangelo was only 26 when he inherited this damaged block of marble that was begun and abandoned by other artists and thus created the most famous figure in the history of art. Most people do not notice the unusual large head and right hand. This is because David was originally intended for the Florence Cathedral and likely to be placed high above ground level: instead it was placed in front of the Palazzo Vecchio but moved to the Academia as the elements of weather were damaging the marble.
You really need to walk around the whole statue to appreciate it. In 1991 David’s left foot was attacked by a man with a hammer breaking the second toe. The fragments were recovered and the sculpture restored.The tree stump supports the weight of the marble structure.After an exhausting day of museums we had Negroni samplers at a nearby restaurant on our way to Gilda’s bistrot for dinner.
This blog covers the first three days of Neil and Audrey’s visit in Florence. Tomorrow we take a few trains to Cinque Terre which will be in a separate posting.
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