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Touring Florence

FLORENCE, Italy, Sep 15 - As you know, we arrived in Florence thoroughly rain-soaked and ready for a few days of respite and relaxation.  The first day we had earmarked for sightseeing in this Tuscan jewel of a city started off dry and sunny.

Daytime Sightseeing

Even though Florence is an ancient Renaissance city, we ended up staying in lovely hotel in a modern part of the city.  Some of the building were still under construction.  But most of it was finished an looking like the 21st century version of the Renaissance - very tastefully done.  Our accommodation made us feel as if we had an apartment and spent the two days there living like and among the Italians.  We shopped in the local food store, drank cappuccinos in the local espresso bars, and took local buses from there into the old city and back (right photo).

As for the old city of Florence, how can any words describe the beauty of the Duomo (above and below...

... from the outside or the inside (right)...

... or of the Plaza Signoria (above0.

Elizabeth also walked away from the Florentine shops with a new purple purse to match her purple top (left), while I discovered an excellent waffle shop (middle).

Above are some additional scenes from Plaza Signoria, including Michelangelo's David (copy, right).  As you can see, even during the offseason like right now, in mid-September, there are hordes of tourists milling around it. 

A nice lady in a pottery shop near the Pontevechio (Old Bridge), told us that the best time to visit Florence is in the fall or winter.  "There are not many tourists then," she said.  She offered us a three-room apartment that she had just refurbished herself (she is an architect).  So if any of you are interested in a bargain deal at a prime Florence location, let me know and I'll put you in touch with her.

Speaking of Pontevechio, I took some pictures of it while Elizabeth was buying some silver jewelry from an Ecuadorian merchant, and also getting a lesson in how to make it.

Later on, we walked across the Old Bridge.  As you can see, there was no shortage of tourists there, either. :-)

We ended our morning visit by scouting out a location for tonight's operatic concert, and by buying the tickets for an evening visit to the Uffizio Gallery on Plaza Signoria which houses many priceless art treasures.

Nighttime Sightseeing...

After some R&R back at our hotel, we returned to the old town Florence in the evening, starting with a visit to the Uffizio Gallery.

Of the thousands of amazing works of art, the one that won my hard was this painting of the Christ's birth by Filippo Lippi (1406-1469).  I've also taken a photo of its description in case you are interested in learning more about it and the artist.

You can also see the Pontevechio (Old Bridge) at night from the top floor of the Uffizio Gallery (right).

This is when we got to attend an unexpected concert by an excellent string quartet.  Guess that's a side benefit of attending the gallery exhibits in the evening.  Check it out...

  Uffizio Gallery Concert in Florence, Italy - Part 1/2 (9/15/09) (1:00 min)

 Uffizio Gallery Concert in Florence, Italy - Part 2/2 (9/15/09) (0:23 mins)

What followed was probably the greatest embarrassment of this trip, and perhaps one of the biggest ever.  After we had so carefully scouted out the location of our tonight's operatic concert, when we arrived at the doors of the church where it was supposedly taking place, there was no sign of life around it whatsoever.

The left photo of the church whose address was shown on our ticket voucher was taken during out daytime visit there.  The middle left shot was taken at night, at a time the concert was supposed to be about to begin.  Evidently, I've been had by some Italian Internet shysters.  Of course, I will claim a disputed payment through my credit card, but still, I ended up feeling very foolish to have allowed myself to be taken by these fraudsters like some gullible kid.

A consolation prize was a lovely dinner we had instead of the concert at the Dante restaurant on the left bank of the river.  And on our way back through the old town, we some some new sidewalk art contending with the ancient masters from the Uffizio Gallery.

And that's all she wrote from our second day in Florence.

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