Medici Mania in Florence

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Wealth, power, respect all in the grasp of the Medici family and preserved forever in gold leaf ceilings, detailed frescos and monumental buildings were our objective of the day. Mom and I strolled through the Medici chapel and plazzio absorbing the Medici family history that has endured for six centuries. They were generous patrons of the arts. Among the beneficiaries of their support were Leonardo DaVinci and Michelangelo.

Our next stop on the journey took us to the gallery on Via Cavour that painstakingly recreated wooden replicas of more than 50 of DaVinci’s inventions. From the first design for a tank to huge wings designed for self-propelled flight, DaVinci’s genius is unmistakable. The best of this gallery was that the inventions were interactive so I got a chance to test DaVinci’s ideas and marvel at the accuracy of his scientific predictions. I thought of one of my students and his master inventor ways! Don’t worry I took lots of pictures ;)

After the business of learning comes the pleasure of shopping in Florence! Mom and I meandered through the markets of the Plaza of San Lorenzo. In Medieval times, peasants would bring their farm goods to town and sell their fruits and vegetables. In this same plaza, vendors of cheap clothing would showcase their wares for the peasants. To make a purchase, a peasant would pick up a stone and throw it at the article they wanted to buy. We’ve advanced a bit beyond that method and now we just exchange Euros for the things we want, but the idea is pretty much the same. The quality of goods in San Lorenzo has improved greatly. Now leather vendors, glass makers, and souvenir hawkers create a boisterous and fun market environment. We found a soft leather purse for Mom and a few other goodies worth throwing stones at.

After a long day of history and culture, we had a lazy dinner and ended our day excited about our upcoming Venice adventure. Til then…



With love from Italy,

Rickelle & Cris

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