Sunday, July 12: Florence

After an intense couple of days hiking, we took it easy by doing a day trip to Florence. Florence was simply lovely, a perfect Sunday trip. We actually missed our first train, which was supposed to take us to Pisa. This sucked, but I guess it was a good lesson, and we will make it to Pisa! We were already saving a lot of money by doing them all in one. So I am just pretending we were going to do them separately. We got to Florence late morning and took a short walk from the train station to the Duomo. It was spectacular! Lots of gold and light colors with ornate design on the outside. We spent some time in this piazza just taking in the view. We debated going up into the tower and going into the Duomo, but we determined it wasn’t quite worth the money and the wait. I guess after going into so many churches, just looking at the outside is plenty.

We then got tickets for Accademia, the museum, where we set up an appointment to come back later. We would still have to wait in line, but a slightly shorter one for making the appointment. We headed over to the Ponte Vecchio, which means the old bridge that is famous for its gold and silver shops along the sides. I was exited to be there because of its mention in the world-famous aria, “O mio babbino caro,” from Gianni Schicchi, by Puccini. The character Lauretta tells her father how much she loves her boyfriend and wants to marry him, saying that if here love is in vain, she will go to the Ponte Vecchio and jump in the Arno River. “Andrei sul ponte vecchio, ma per buttar in arno.” We took some fun pictures there and went across to visit a shop Yasmine was interested in, a fancy, authentic Florentine paper shop. It was funny that Francesca and I ended up spending a lot more money at this paper shop than Yasmine. It was so cool! The paper is quite beautiful and is painted with several different techniques, including printing and water spotting. There were so many products to choose from and they were all beautiful!

We grabbed some lunch and headed back to the Accademia, excited to see Michelangelo’s David. We still had to wait in a long line and go through baggage check, but it was worth it! There was lots of incredible Renaissance to see, and when we turned the first corner, we were awestruck by David at the end of that hall. The statue is displayed so beautifully under a dome of natural light, at the end of a long display of other works. David is grand and striking. I was amazed at the level of detail put into every inch of his body. I also didn’t realize the meaning of the statue. Michelangelo portrays David as a humble, honored victor of his battle against Goliath. He is meant to look calm and somewhat innocent, having his sling weapon draped over his shoulder. He is not meant to be arrogant or boasty, but simply grateful for his win.

We spent a lot of time (and money) going from shop to shop for the rest of the afternoon. Between leather, wine, and souvenirs, there was so much to see! The shops are sights of Florence in themselves. We had a nice dinner, got some gelato, and headed back to Rome. The best part of Florence was the atmosphere and simple, elegant beauty.