Rosie and The Operator caught the Frecciarossa from Station Termini Rome to Florence, 277km in one and a half hours….average speed 249km.
Lovely trip, really enjoyed it, the locals were wise and started chewing lollies straight away….as soon as that speedy train hit a tunnel BAM your ears pressurised something terrible, and there were alot of tunnels. The countryside is still very green after a long hot summer, we flashed past fields of drying sun flowers and crumbling abandoned houses next to the rail lines. Vineyards and hilltop towns made for a picturesque landscape framed by the train window.
Our hotel in Florence is one street back from the banks of the Arno and is ancient, large and the rooms spacious. The view from the window is great, the Ponte Vecchio is one street to the left, just out of view. On our arrival in town the skies opened up, the day turned twilight and torrential rain with thunder and lightening were the order for the rest of the day.
Not to be deterred we had a wee wander around town and reconfirmed our Rome experience to do our sightseeing early in the day. The crowds in Florence, coupled with the danger of thousands of umbrella’s ready to take your eye out was not pleasant.
The thing with Florence is that the old town is very flat, the streets are super narrow and it is a bit harder to get your bearings, well according to Rosie, The Operator has just rolled his eyes. Lucky for Rosie she has her personal GazMan, GPS, and he is working outstandingly.
Florence looks so different to Rome, the buildings are smaller and more opulent and decorative. The roads with there narrow footpaths are well paved and more even underfoot. The buildings are also painted earthy Tuscan colours or are made of local coloured stone and the absence of graffiti is refreshing. The city has a feeling of pride and the beauty is astounding.
The rain was persistent and getting heavier, we sheltered across from the hotel in a handy wine bar and sampled the local vinos and had some lunch, the things you have to do under sufferance….
At 5pm the clouds cleared and the sun poked its head out, we wandered onto Ponte San Trinita and took photos looking back onto the Ponte Vecchio, the evening sun was getting low and a golden glow highlighted the ochre buildings.
The Ponte Vecchio is the oldest bridge in Florence built in 1345 at the crossing point where an ancient Roman bridge once spanned the Arno River. It is home to jewellery stores and goldsmiths shops after the Medicis in the 1500s kicked out the butchers who were the original tenants of the bridge because they threw their offal and off cuts into the river causing a stench.
Standing in the middle of the Ponte Vecchio between the arches this is the view up river, right. The Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence not destroyed by the Germans in WW2
The gold shops when closed, all have heavy ancient wooden shutters with old worlde locks and hoists to pull the shutters up. The hooks you can see hanging down are the holders for the shutters when they are open.
Tomorrow the weather is going to clear and we are out and about bright and early to photograph the waking city and get a ticket, hopefully not having to wait in line to long… for tickets to the Uffizi Gallery.
