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Published: December 5th 2011
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Our second visit of the week was to Florence. We both had been before but as always there is more to see if you return to a city. We parked on the Piazalla Michelangelo above the city - an excellent place to park with plenty of room and a fantastic view over the cityscape - the Duomo roof, the Ponte Vecchio, the path and steps down to the river. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the car park to the banks of the Arno - joggers making their way to work, shopkeepers opened up all their shops. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio an interesting medieval bridge with goldsmiths shops selling their wares along the bridge.
We sat in the campo in front of the Palazzio Vecchio a fortress like town hall sandwiched between medieval buidlings and the Uffizzi art gallery. Like the Doges Palace in Venice there is a Percosi Segreti a secret guided tour of the building giving an insight to the inner dealings of city democracy. Perhaps the gallery and the secret tour are to be kept for our next visit to the city.
Glenn wanted to see the Capelle Medicee. I had seen it
Florence
The Duomo some years before, It is a beautiful building but unfortunately covered in scaffolding black and gold in keeping with the building. We avoided the Academia with the statue of David and the Slaves . We had seen them before on a previous visit.
Lunch bagettes of cheese and ham tasted fine as we sat outside the Museum of the Bargello. Most visitors to the city ignore the Bargello choosing instead to visit other sites in the city. However if you are going to visit one museum make it this one with its fine collection of Michaelango works, its beautiful courtyard and external staircase. Glazed terracotta by Della Robbia filling one room and the best collection of small bronzes in Italy.
Our final visit of the day took us to the Duomo and the baptistry. The exterior of the Duomo a confection of pink and white marble. You either like or loathe it with its 19th century facade. The inside vast and uncluttered. We wanted to have a look at the monument to the condottieri Sir John Hawkswood. We didnt climb to the top of the dome as we felt too tired after all the walking . The baptistry
Florence
The Baptistry mosaics is older than the Duomo it struck us as being rather dirty and in need of a clean. However inside the bronze doors are a masterpeice and the interior stunning with its black and white marble and the golden mosaics.
We spent the last few hours of the day over the river at the tiny church of San Miniato al Monte. Said to be one of the finest Romanesque structures in Italy and it did not fail to impress. The exterior marble geometric patterned, the inside busy with more people than we imagined would ever be interested in an out of the way church. It had changed little since the 11th century with zodiac and beast motifs on the walls .
The evening was spent in a local pizzeria in Collodi in the company of a group of Americans doing Italy. Food good I had the plate full of salami, hams and fish whilst Glenn had a pizza. Not the best meal but certainly an interesting evening listening to history as written by the Americans. Strange how history feels different with an American slant on it.
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