A lovely and slightly cooler day!

 

May 13, 2015

Ciao!  

Hard to believe that tomorrow is our 33^rd wedding anniversary!  Where has the time gone?

So…for today.  Up around 6-ish to a rather overcast sky.  Robert had been bitten by mosquitoes several times during the night, so no more open windows for us! [Why they go after me is a mystery.  It isn’t fair! – R]  (At least until tonight…)  Down to breakfast at 7:30 and our breakfast room was so full that it was necessary to share a table with another couple – who happen to be from Phoenix; so it is indeed a small world! 

Years ago, after I had “discovered” the Hotel Loggiata dei Serviti, I was shocked and appalled to find that Rick Steves (the travel writer) had “outed” it as one of his Florence hotel recommendations…I found it first!  

Magnum store window...

And now, it seems to be one of his main hotels for his company’s escorted trips to Italy, and that’s what our new Phoenix friends are doing.  So, the Uffici and Accademia for them today.  We on the other hand, headed first to the Bargello (which, apparently, I have been mispronouncing for years) and it’s supposed to be “Bar-jello.”  So…live and learn.

We got there just five minutes or so after their posted opening time of 8:15 a.m. and for at least the first half hour or so, had the place entirely to ourselves. 

Courtyard of the Bargello

I do love sculpture, (as opposed to “flat” art) and they have an amazing amount to see.  They have sculpture by Michelangelo, Cellini and Donatello among a host of others, but the work is staged so well in this former police station and then prison; huge, high ceilings and lots of light.  There is also a great representation by several members of the Della Robbia family – who mastered the art of painted and glazed terra cotta, and whose work – a striking blue background with pure white 3-dimensional figures is readily recognizable even by me.  

Fisher boy

Mercury

What is really interesting are the various “David’s” by other sculptors – all dwarfed in comparison with Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia, but very impressive nonetheless.  And for some reason, the Bargello seems to be missed by the majority of tour companies, and was blissfully uncrowded the entire time we were there. 

Jason and the golden fleece

Donatello's David

There were also many rooms on the second floor containing various, diverse collections of objects – ivories, jewelry, swords, plate; I don’t remember them from prior visits, but it seems that they have relaxed their stand on photography – just NO flash! – so we will have lots of photos to remind of us some of the beautiful objects. 

Detail of Donatello's David

Della Robbia - just beautiful!

More Della Robbia -- I'm becoming quite the fan!

Impressive collection, and wonderful museum.

From the Bargello we walked down to the Arno River at Ponte Vecchio and turned toward the Uffizi.  (There are SO many visitors to the Uffizi that you cannot possibly miss the museum!)  Walked past what used to be the science museum, but is now called the Galileo Museum, where we have visited twice in past years.  They have a collection of his first telescopes, as well as his middle finger on display…UGH!

Boar statute in the marketplace

From there it wasn’t far to Santa Croce, one of Florence’s biggest and oldest churches, and there again, surprisingly, there was no line at all for tickets, so in we went!  (I’m thinking everyone must have chosen today to go to the Uffizi!) 

Santa Croce is a bit like Westminster Abbey in London, in that many famous Florentines are buried there, including Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Rossini and Galileo.  (In fact, it features prominently in “A Room with a View” made some years ago, which we are going to watch as soon as we get home.)  The church is stunningly decorated, but repairs are still going on to damage that was done in 1966 when the Arno flooded.  Santa Croce was inundated by over 15 feet of water!  Some things, like Cimabue’s famous Crucifixion are basically “unfixable” they were damaged so badly. 

Another view of Ponte Vecchio and the Arno

There are also two big cloisters that are very lovely and peaceful.  However, they are now putting the final touches on a special show from a London design school, so there were a few various oddities around some of the naves and arches.  Rather, to quote from one sign, when the Renaissance meets the English Eccentric…hmmm…

Nave of Santa Croce

Memorial to Dante; he is buried elsewhere

After we had toured the church, I wanted to find the leather school that I had read about, that was started by Franciscan months after WWII to find work for the local orphans, making leather products.  The school is still in operation today, and we got some wonderful views of the church and an attached park as we wondered around the back looking for it.  You can watch young (and some not so) people working on various products, and they have a shop with some stunning things in it.  Robert did buy me a black leather purse, which hopefully won’t put us over the weight limit for our upcoming Ryan Air flight to Sardinia!  (Thank you, Robert!)

At this point, it was well past noon, so we hopped on a #23 bus which took us back to San Marco. 

We went back to the hotel to drop off purchases, and then back outside looking first for a bank (there are fewer of them around here than one would think) and then lunch. 

Cimbue's badly damaged cross

We ended back up at Pasticceria  Robiglio, our same place as yesterday (and as R says, if you know someplace has good food, why not return there?; couldn’t fight that logic).  Along with several glasses of white wine and Prosecco, Robert had a plate of pasta with pesto, which was wonderful, and I had pasta with eggplant, tomatoes and cheese, also very good.

R's pasta with pesto

My odd-shaped pasta

It was time for a Magnum...

First step -- into a cocktail shaker!

Ice cream bar dipped and coated then "goodies" applied

"My" Masterpiece

From there, we decided it was time to visit the Magnum store (you do know about Magnum Classic ice cream bars, don’t you?), which is just behind the Duomo, so not far from our hotel at all.  We walked in and asked how the process worked … which Robert documented, and I made a mess!!  But it was a delicious mess, so I’m certainly not complaining!  I’m now wondering how long it may take to get a Magnum STORE in Tucson?! 

Then, back to the hotel for some much needed rest!

More later!

Sorry...but I did enjoy it!

m

xxx