Florence in a Day

Friday, July 1st, Florence in a Day.

Breakfast is included with our room and is reasonably good with unlimited cappuccinos, slices of ham and cheese and an array of rolls and croissants. We walk to the Duomo and wait briefly in the Florence Pass line and within minutes of opening are climbing the narrow winding stone staircase up to the dome. I am grateful that it is cool inside this stone cathedral but my heart pounds as I climb the stairway, prodded on by those behind me. Several hundred steps later we pop into the interior of the dome and I am able to catch my breath. Looking up, the glory of heaven and the depths of hell swirl around the elaborately painted ceiling of the dome. 

Duomo dome painting

Detail painting of Hell

Down below the people are small specks on the floor of the vast cathedral. We circumnavigate half way around the interior walkway of the dome before resuming the climb up yet another spiral stone staircase. A final short and almost vertical stairway pops us out onto the view platform at the exterior of the dome. According to which guide book one reads, there are between 414 and 463 steps in total.

View of Florence from the Duomo

Final climb to the top of the Dome

Although it is just 9:00 A.M. the Florence sun is already brutal and a mirage of heat waves shimmer across on the red tile rooftops. We circle around the Duomo platform inhaling the 360-degree views of the Campanile, the Vatican and the Arno River with its many bridges. Although there does not seem to be a time limit, after 10 minutes we begin our winding descent and have a second chance to view the interior of the dome. We circumnavigate the other half of the interior walkway craning our necks to admire and memorize the exquisitely painted dome. The sunlight shocks our retinas when we exit the dark of the staircase and pop out onto the blinding plaza. 

Across the plaza is the Duomo Museum and we spend two delicious hours wandering the timeless rooms filled with Roman sculptures, Gothic triptychs and a remarkable unfinished pieta carved by Michelangelo. The museum is beautifully curated, uncrowded and cool.

John admiring Gothic Triptych

Michelangelo's unfinished Pieata

John admiring the Ghiberti Doors

Magdalena, carved in wood

We find a small café in the museum complex and sit for a cappuccino and a bite to eat before setting out across town to the Academia where we will see Michelangelo’s famed David. On our way we pass an TI (Tourist Information) and pop in to ask directions to Bank Italia which we believe is the sister bank to our bank back home. We retrace our steps to the indicated spot but there is no ATM and frustrated, we circle back towards the Academia. When we arrive, the lines snake down the block and the priority access line is so long that we leave feeling foolish for buying the expensive Firenze Card. We walk toward the Uffizi Gallery, also on our priority list and when we arrive, our Firenze Card gains us immediate entry and after a security and bag check we are free to wander the immense hallways and galleries of this world class museum.

Uffizi Gallery hallway

The Botticelli room is one of the highlights, but each gallery is a visual treat and seeing the familiar paintings is like visiting old friends. I see tears welling in Art’s eyes as he gazes at some of the masterpieces he has only seen in pictures and I feel great satisfaction watching our son’s appreciation as he drinks in the centuries of art and history. The octagonal Tribura Room is a tiny jewel of a gallery where we are only allowed to peek through the doorways into the opulent interior. 

Art, Venus of Urbino, Titian

Drawing, Giovanni Bellini

Octagonal Tribuna Room, 1584, Uffizi

Detail of Spring, Botticelli

The Birth of Venus, Botticelli

Not far from the Uffizi is the Bargullo Gallery, a must-see according to Rick Steve’s. We slip inside the ancient museum and after the crowds in the Uffizi, it is strange and wonderful to have this museum virtually to ourselves. This museum houses Donatello’s famed David and a number of other remarkable bronze sculptures.  Although the Uffizi Museum certainly deserves its fame, it is interesting how this jewel of a museum is virtually tourist free.

Bargello Museum

Marty, Donatello's David

It is 4:30 when we walk back towards the Academia Museum for a final try at entry to admire Michelangelo’s David. Our feet throb and the afternoon is hot and humid and the priority line into the museum is still long. There are simply too many people already inside to allow immediate access. Disenchanted, we stroll around the block, find an outside café to rest and order drinks. Art and I order Campari Spritzers and John orders a Negri and the cool sweet alcoholic drinks take the stress out of the lines and puts a glow on our late afternoon.  We order second rounds accompanied by savory appetizers and revived and fortified we walk back to the Academia for a third try at entry.

Michaelangelo's David

We have timed it perfectly and get immediate access to the Academia Museum with a 40 minute window before closing. The last time I saw David was some 30 years ago and he was exhibited outside. Today he stands monumental at the end of the Academia Museum’s immense gallery. Crowds of tourists gaze up at the flawless white Carrera marble David admiring his fine features, immense hands and his nudity. Seeing David in this interior venue is inspiring and the perfect culmination for our day in Florence. 

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Crossing the Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Our near perfect day in Florence complete, we wander slowly back towards our hotel, crossing the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and paralleling the river. We stop and read countless menus but cannot agree on a restaurant for dinner.  Art leaves us in frustration and returns to the hotel.  We have been wandering a labyrinth of cobblestone streets that open onto a plaza. The evening light casts a warm glow over the square and John and I choose an outdoor café and enjoy a simple dinner of salad, a cheese and meat platter and a bottle of white wine. We talk and laugh and enjoy people watching from our corner table adjoining the square. Our meal is exactly 40 Euros or about $45.00. In most instances, service is built into the prices and tipping is not expected. 

Back at the hotel, I call to reserve a hotel in Venice and am fortunate that one of the Rick Steve’s recommendations, Pension Guerrato, has availability. Art walks the short distance to the train station to buy us train tickets to Venice tomorrow morning.