Firenze: Part Tre

Today we got out early to see as much as we could with our last full day here. We were hoping that the weather would cooperate more so than yesterday, and we ended up getting lucky with cloud cover most of the day but no rain. Our first stop was the Palazzo Vecchio, one of the fortified palaces of the Medicis during their 300-year gubernatorial reign over Firenze. They say that the palace has the second-most impressive collection of Renaissance art after the Uffizi, but I was surprised to see that it was all attached to the walls and ceilings! Unlike the Uffizi, the Palazzo was covered in intricate fresnos and carved ceilings, as opposed to framed canvases hung up. Each of the rooms seemed more ridiculous than the last and all the apartments seemed to cluster around a massive great hall that is now used as a conference center. The city of Firenze and, more specifically, the mayor's office, still uses the Palazzo for a government building on a day to day basis, so it doesn't just function as a museum by any means. On our way out, we accidentally stumbled into the marriage and death certificate office I think.


After the Palazzo, we walked across the Ponte Vecchio behind the Uffizi and got our first glimpse of the bridge during the day when the goldsmiths and jewelers were actually open. We went south from the Arno and found a little pizzeria called Gusta Pizza that my friend from FWCDS had recommended. We got a margherita and caprese pizza baked in a massive pizza oven right in front of us. After we got some food in our stomach, we went across the street to the Palazzo Pitti - another of the Medici's homes - to walk around the Bobili Gardens for the afternoon. It was very much like Versailles but on a much smaller scale. It was good to get some exercise in, though, and we took a whole lot of pictures. The whole site was up on a hill in the south of the city and offered a great vantage point.

I went back to the Tuscana food and wine store that we went to the first night and got three bottles of chiante (the maximum you're allowed to carry back without being considered an importer) and some Italian spices to combine with the vinegrette and olive oil I bought on Thursday night. I think I'm going to have to pack my suitcase full of Italian goodies and put all of my clothes in a bag to carry on the plane with me or else I won't have any room left.

Sunday morning, Bob and I went to Mass (in Italian) inside Santa Maria del Fiore. It was definately a unique experience, and even though we couldn't understand 99% of what they were saying, it was amazing to be in there looking up at the dome from the altar. After that, we climbed Giotto's bell tower for one last glimpse of the city from above, checked out of our hotel and headed back to the airport. By far the best and most rewarding vacation we've ever been on.