Thursday Nine

---

We had to get up early to be ready for our tour of the Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor. Quick cappuccino and a sweet and we hurried off to our rendezvous with Barbara the tour guide. She was wonderful – educated, enthusiastic and interested – and it brought the Renaissance and the art to life. We had to hurry through the Uffizi in less than two hours (phew) before jumping into the Corridor. It is truly amazing that such a small city has so much art … the greatest concentration anywhere in the world. And the Uffizi was the first public museum in the world. The Vasari Corridor – done by “Little George the Yes Man” Vasari – was intended to allow the Medici to avoid contact with the public as they went from their palace over the Arno to their offices in the Uffizi. Not having to deal with the public was a great advantage when you are the Grand Duke. The public can be so “ordinary”. And the Corridor is a great place to show off your paintings and sculpture. It was also the first time portraits of artists were displayed … and every artist wanted to be included. Peggy and John walked the Corridor in the early 1990s and were amazed at how it has changed and the selection of art has expanded dramatically to be more than what was there in the days of the Medici.

After the tour, we returned to the Uffizi and wandered some more – and had a little late lunch – before exiting and making our way to Santa Croce and the Leather School. We love this place and had a great time checking out the new designs and then walking through Santa Croce. Afterwards we found one of our favorite wine bars and sat for a good long time, enjoying the appetizers and wine and watching the street traffic. Tired and contented we made our way back to the hotel and dropped like rocks.

---