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Published: August 23rd 2012
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Nothing prepares you for David, not having seen him before or even seeing the copy in Piazza della Signoria. He is a magnificent piece of art and definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far.
Florence is about 1 1/2 hours from where we are staying, but we drove only as far as Arezzo and then caught a train. Most Italian cities have limited car access and fine you for driving in the wrong place. The train to Florence takes about the same time as driving and is a lot less hassle. The train journey also gave us a view of something we hadn't yet seen in Italy - a yellow field of sunflowers. Tuscany and Umbria are famous for their sunflower fields but all the ones we have seen so far are just beyond yellow - a sort of burnt mustard as all the leaves have died.This field was bright yellow as we had imagined they should be. Our first stop was il duomo where we queued and then climbed to the top of the dome. This was better than going in the cathedral as we got exercise, got to see the interior of the cathedral, got closer
to the artwork and got fabulous views over Florence. The artwork in the dome is very descriptive of hell, with burning sticks being stuck in places you wouldn't want them to go. Jesus sits in glory directly over the altar. We had left home early so that we didn't have to queue too long at the duomo, so our next stop was a cafe for breakfast near the San Lorenzo markets. Last time we visited Fiona had got a fantastic handbag from the market, but nothing was standing out this time. Harriet got some presents for her friends, but we didn't get anything else, not even a snow globe. We already have one of Florence, so the last one Toby bought was in Gubbio. It has a wolf in it as St. Francis apparently tamed a man eating wolf in Gubbio by making the sign of the cross. It then lived a further 2 years in the town being fed by the locals and never caused any more harm. San Lorenzo was the family church of the Medici family who ruled the area. Their palazzo is around the corner and we sneaked a peek through the gates into the courtyard,
but didn't go in. Instead we went to the Capelle de Medici which is their mausoleum. We should have brought British passports as we would have got reduced entry, but never mind - Harriet doesn't have one anyway. We entered downstairs and were a little underwhelmed. We had expected opulence but it was very plain. However it was a different story once we got upstairs. They had really gone to town here with the decadent show of wealth. The granite and marble was beautiful but very ostentatious. The tombs for each of the leaders buried here were gigantic. They obviously thought highly of themselves. Next to the Capelle is a sacristy and this was one of the things we had come to see as it contains three of Michaelangelo's sculptures. They were beautiful. You weren't allowed to take photos but Harriet was a little sneaky and got away with it. She didn't use the flash which we presume damages the artwork or perhaps they just want you to buy the postcards - are we being cynical? By now it was of course gelato time. Perche no? is one of the recommended gelateria, so it made it onto our itinerary. We
sat on a bench outside and enjoyed our ice cream. It was pretty good - 8/10. We had a quick look in Miu Miu on our way to the Piazza Della Signoria, where we rushed to find shade. The temperature had risen dramatically and it was too hot to be in the sun. There were tour groups everywhere. We haven't seen huge numbers of tourists anywhere in Europe. There have obviously been some, but this was the first time we had encountered such hordes. We had been expecting this everywhere due to the time of year but assumed the numbers were low because of the economic climate. Florence is obviously high on the list of must see places for those who are still travelling. The fake David stands outside the Palazzo Vecchio. This is where the original used to stand although it was carved for the cathedral. We looked at the fountain with Neptune and the spot where a dominican monk was burnt as well as the loggia which is now an open air museum. The Italians obviously see art as on a par with religion as a girl next to us was asked to put her thongs back on.
She had kicked them off as she sat and sketched the art, but a museum official thought it inappropriate to be barefoot. We walked slowly over the Ponte Vecchio looking in every shop window at the jewellery. Toby was relieved that once more nothing caught Fiona's eye. Lovers still attach padlocks to the bridge and throw away the key as a sign of their never ending love, even though there is a notice forbidding them to do so by the town council. We don't think Italians follow any rules at any time. Lunch was in the best spot in town- the roof terrace of a department store on the Piazza della Republica. The views over the town and of il duomo were amazing. It was very hot but definitely worth it. We arrived at the galleria on time to pick up our tickets. We had prebooked tickets for the galleria dell'accadamia where the famous statue of David is housed and were glad we had because the queue was enormous and not in any shade. We had received an email stating that our tickets were comfirmed. Unfortunately the second email with the reference number had not arrived. We had emailed letting
them know we hadn't received it, but that had made no difference. The man on the door wouldn't let us in. He made us recheck to see if the email had arrived today and then reluctantly took Fiona in to check their lists. It wasn't looking hopeful. Harriet and Toby had to wait outside, but miraculously our names were down and we were going in!
We didn't want to rush straight to David, but wandered around a couple of different exhibitions, one on medieval instruments which were just like those we saw at the festival in Montone, and one by contemporary artists. As we came out of the latter, we turned the corner and there he was. He took our breathe away. We spent ages looking at David from all angles. There is no way that words can adequately express what he is like. Suffice it to say even a 14 year old, ie Harriet, was in awe of the art.
It was obviously gelato time again and so with a quick detour to the oldest orphanage in Europe we headed to the next recommendation for gelato. We could not believe that it was shut for summer holidays. Isn't that
like shutting a ski field because it's snowed? Luckily our path back took us past Gelato Di Neri which was amazing. They had more flavours than anywhere else we had been and traditional granita - not slushies. This place is a serious contender along with Augustus Perugia for best gelateria so far.
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