Rosie and The Operator are out and about early, the rain has gone leaving overcast skies and a nice cool start to the day. The city is transformed into another kind of busy at this hour of the day. The business of everyday life, delivery vans are everywhere dropping of fresh food to restaurants, delivery guys with boxes of tomatoes tied high like the leaning tower of Pisa on the carrier of their scooters are whizzing by, rubbish trucks are collecting the piles of bin bags, and street cleaners are polishing the cobbles. They too have to be early to beat the throngs of tourists.
The Operator leads Rosie to the Uffizi Gallery, the museum opens at 8.15, Rosie and The Operator were feeling smug, there was only a short line in front of us for tickets…..11 mins and we were at the ticket office, who needs to book in advance, just get out of bed early. When we got to the ticket booth…..we were told we were in the wrong line……you must buy tickets from across the square, this was the online reservation ticket line. Shame. Across the square we went…..the line was already at the one hour wait mark. Bugger. Will try again first thing tomorrow now we know where to go. Epic Fail.
The Uffizi borders the edge of the Piazza della Signoria, the civic square, over which looms the turreted fortress like Palazzo Vecchio, built in 1314 it originally housed the Signoria, the highest level of Florentine government.
The palace then became the residence of Cosimo Medici in the 16th century. This square is one of the most amazing in the world, partly because of the imposing palace, but the trove of giant sculptures is exquisite, including the replica of Michelangelos ‘David’.
Beneath the ancient loggia built in the 14th century are more sculptures carved by the famous of the day. Rosie just doesn’t know where to look, there is so much to see.
We toured inside the Palazzo Vecchio home of the Medicis in the 1500s, it is mind blowing. Sweeping stone staircases, the grand ballroom with floor to ceiling paintings done by the envogue artist of the day Vassari.
All of the amazing artworks in this palace whether they be of religious scenes, or allegories of the ancient gods have members of the Medici family in them taking pivotal roles in the story. The murals also depict the high points in the families lives as well, not short on modesty at all, or showing off their wealth and greatness.
The private rooms are lavish and cosy, their outdoor terraces also have amazing artwork on the walls and ceilings. You could actually imagine people living here all those centuries ago, and living very comfortably….except for all the stairs….they were a killer. This self guided tour through the rooms was well worth it.
While Rosie was wandering the apartments of the Medici imaging life in decadent Renaissance Florence The Operator was climbing the tower. Only recently opened to the public it towers 95 metres above the piazza. Remember….the taller your families tower, the more powerful and important your family was.
Of course, the Medici tower was the biggest in town
The views from the top were incredible, thanks for taking the stair climbing hit Operator….Rosie knows she has many more stairs to come, she has to pace herself.
Next stop the Duomo, the most iconic landmark in Florence with its famous red tiled dome, beautiful bell tower and amazing pink, white and green marbled exterior. It sure has the wow factor and Rosie votes this church number one in the world.
It just looms up out of the tiny square it sits in, it is a squat, solid design with pretty intricacies like a wedding cake. Building begun in 1296 and it took over 150 years to complete, the dome was built by Brunelleschi and is actually two domes built concentrically out of red brick.
Looking for a spot for lunch we went past the the Mercato Nuovo, the major leather market housed in a loggia next to the bronze fountain statue of ll Porcellino (piglet).
Legend has it if you place a coin in the boars mouth and it drops down into the grating you will have good luck. If you rub the pigs nose, it guarantees your return to Florence. The nose of the pig is so shiny from the rubbings it has actually worn through the cast bronze.
The crowds around the pig were amazing later in the day. The one above was taken on my early morning meanderings before the market opened.
The smell of the leather market is amazing, Rosie bought a new purse….score, 10 euro cheaper for genuine Florentine Leather than the markets of Rome….as you would expect.
Across the river is the Piazzale Michelangelo, the main parking area for buses and tourists visiting the city for the day. It is quite a high point and the view over the city is amazing!
Another day in this beautiful city has drawn to a close. Tomorrow we are trying for round two at the Uffizi…we have totally got the line sussed….we hope.
