We have fallen off the wagon a bit
with posting the rest of our photos and stories from our time in Italy. It is
probably because we are too busy salivating in the windows of patisseries and
eating cheese. Paris is keeping us busy and very happy with the blue blue skies
each day, but more on that later.
Firenze was our last stop in Tuscany
and while we had both visited previously we were more than happy to revisit the
incredible museums, cathedrals, streets and piazzas and even some of the places we did
not have time to explore in the past.
After the quiet seclusion of the farms
where we stayed and small isolated villages we visited Florence was equal parts
affronting and exciting. The drive in to return the car was certainly an
experience, and thankfully the police were very kind in providing directions
when 'the navigator' tried to have me drive across Ponte Vecchio. On foot we were
much more comfortable and happy to explore. And explore we did.
We wandered the streets and
particularly enjoyed exploring the “south bank” where the pizza and gelato was
far superior, the streets much less crowded and the vibe a bit edgier. There were some great restaurants, our favourite little Piazza della Passera that was a little piece of tranquility to enjoy a drink or gelato. We revisited museum giants such as Uffizzi and
shuffled through the immense crowds to enjoy the magnificent artworks.
Wandering up to Piazzale Michelangelo we enjoyed David the replica as well as
one of many spectacular sunsets over the
beautiful bridges and rooftops of Florence.
In the leather markets we indulged in
a few purchases and in the central food markets a few more, although these
lasted far less time and we had to refrain from buying the many legs of
prosciutto hanging. We did thoroughly relished the $3 bottles of considerably
good wine readily available, although this was nothing new for our trip. We
enjoyed free live music and piazza markets that offered samples of cheeses and
organic beers.
Florence was quite alive and while we
largely tried to avoid many of the main tourist areas (the line up to enter the Duomo
went the entire way around the cathedral and it is a BIG cathedral) we were thankful
that we had been before in quieter times. Although we soon realised that we had
both in fact been to Florence in July and while busy, neither of us recalled it
being so crazy. This brought us to consider whether we had suddenly become less
patient and tolerant of crowds, and that we had somehow glorified the time that
we spent there previously or Italy had become immensely more popular in recent
years. It seems to me it must have been the latter as I have always been quite
impatient and was very aware of the crowds when we spent two hours lining up
for the museums in Florence previously. The queue is said to now be up to four hours each day, so we quickly concluded that we could splurge and pay the booking fee to avoid the queue.
Despite the crowds (which outside of
the main tourist spots were few) we had a fantastic time in Firenze, it really
is a beautiful city. More than anything we loved wandering the streets and
enjoying the beautiful architecture and art everywhere in the city from
beautiful marble statues to incredible frescoes. Oh and the gelato, we really
enjoyed the gelato discovering a mojito flavour perfect for afternoon
refreshers and after eight the perfect minty treat at the end of the day!
Above. Looking down the Arno river to the Uffizi Gallery on the left.
Above. The famous Ponte Vecchio with it's jewellery shops either side and an endless stream of tourists crammed in between.
Above. The delicious 'La Carraia' Gelateria home to the exquisite after eight. The Ricotta and Pear was pretty popular with us also.
Above and below. The covered market filled with rather tempting foods.
The view of Firenze from Paizzale Michelangelo and just below the replica of David.
Above. Enjoying a live orchestra performance in the Piazza.
