Part 4: Florence and the Tuscan Countryside

Buongiorno! Today we got up early to catch our 7:30am coach for our excursion to Florence. Once on the bus, we met our guide, Lucia, and got bright pink stickers to identify us as a touring group. The travel time from Livorno to Florence was about an hour and a half, and she spent most of the hour talking to us about the history of Florence, the Medici royal family, and other famous people who made Florence their home. Apparently Florence was quite the cosmopolitan place back in the day, which continues today. Once we arrived, we first stopped at a piazza which over-looked the whole city of Florence – absolutely gorgeous views of the old city walls, the cathedrals, and old palazzos. After a few minutes stop for picture taking, we again boarded the bus and traveled the rest of the way into the city center to begin the walking tour. Lucia guided us first to the Accademia Museum, where we saw fine examples of Medieval Art, and compared it to the paintings of the Renaissance – definitely an interesting study of art work, and so thrilling to be so close to such old artifacts! The other main attraction at this museum was the famous statue of Michelangelo’s “David.” I must say that it really is worth the hype to see the real one; it really is very impressive to see all 15 feet of him in real life and to look at all the angles and details and everything. We also got to see some other unfinished sculptures done by Michelangelo, and learn a little of the history. Very cool stuff.
After the museum, we traveled on to Cathedral Square to see the famous Duomo, Baptistery, and Bell Tower of Florence. The detail in these places is absolutely amazing, and to hear the stories of how they were created and what they’ve been through is just beyond imagination. From there we walked to the other famous square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria, to see the copy of the “David” that now stands in the original’s place and other statues, fountains and monuments. Around the corner was the old Palazzo used by the Medici family, and the Ponte Vecchio with all its gold and jewelry vendors. We also visited the Church of Santa Croce and got to see all the famous people buried there, like Michelangelo and Galileo just to name a couple. Very cool to see their sarcophaguses with all the fancy marbling and statues and plaques surrounding them. After that we were treated (included in the price of the tour) to a delicious “authentic Florentine” lunch, which included spinach lasagna (it was yummy – even to a veggie hater like me!), thinly sliced roast beef with gravy and roasted potatoes, followed by a delicious tart which I can only describe as being creamy, fruity, and light. We had limited time to explore on our own and then met to take the bus back to the boat for our departure.
Tomorrow is a day at sea, which I know the DiMantova’s will be enjoying by sleeping in and relaxing all day. Until tomorrow…