Florence
Trip Start
Nov 16, 1995
1
7
10
Trip End
Nov 25, 1995
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Florence,
Tuscany,
Italy
Wednesday, November 22, 1995
First we visited the Duomo, which is almost as large as the one in Florence , but without the great dome. At one time the idea was to double the size of the church, but the Black Death put an end to these plans. The carved marble floors in this cathedral are justly famous. Unfortunately they are now mostly covered with cardboard to protect them until some way is found to allow them to be exposed without being shattered to smithereens by stiletto heels. Perhaps they should make it like a Moslem mosque, where everyone has to remove their shoes.
Up and down well stocked shopping streets brings us finally to the magnificent Piazza del Cameo in the centre of the town. No other public space in Italy is as grand as this. Its sloping brick surface fans out from the Palazzo Publico and the impressive Terre Mania towards the semicircular row of palaces built along the upper edge of the piazza. This is the scene of the bi-annual ceremony called the Palio, of which the most famous event is the horse race. We return to the hotel, Miryam and Bryan ascend to prepare the luggage, and I go off to find the car. I get directions again, and after a long walk, find myself back at the garage. I pay my dues and listen aghast at the complicated instructions on how to get back to the hotel. Due to one way streets, I must exit the town and return to the San Marco Gate. I leave the garage and almost immediately enter the countryside. This cannot be, I think. I turn around and return to the town, but sure enough, I am blocked by one-way streets. I go back to the countryside, following a van in the hopes that it will lead me to the right place to renter Siena . Fortunately it takes me as far as a sign indicating San Marco, and finally I get back into town and arrive at the hotel. Miryam and Bryan had given me up, thinking I had driven off to Florence without them.
On the way out, we stop off at the local supermarket to stock up on picnic supplies. We buy all our panfortes here, a typical hard almond cake of Siena , as presents for friends and family. Next stop is the remarkable town of San Gimignano .
This is the epitome of a Tuscan hill town, with 13 medieval towers (all that remain of the original 56) that gives it the name " Italy 's Manhattan ". It seems these towers were constructed more as ego trips by the prominent families, each trying to outdo the other. Finally the city fathers constructed the Terre Grossa, at 178 ft., and prohibited any other building to surpass it. Parking outside the walls, we proceed through the gate and up the main shopping street. This is a tourist town, no doubt about it, but it is very nicely conserved and presented, with little tackiness or bad taste. It is quite small, so it does take long to get though it. We climb to the Rocca, the defensive fortress right at the top of the hill. The views are lovely, even though we haven't been favoured by sunshine yet today.
Afterwards we go back down to the town to look at the shops. Bryan sees a crossbow he would like, but it looks like a murderous weapon. Even the little ones could put an arrow through someone's eye in a blink (sic). We go in anyway to see if there is anything else we like, and we see some nice ceramics and beautiful marble chess sets. We go down to the next floor, which has attractive wood furniture. On the next floor down we find a large selection of kitchen utensils, the next floor down has metal work in bronze, pewter and copper. The next floor has pottery and tiles. We are a little apprehensive to go down any further, as the next one may be the entrance to Hell! Remember, we entered this shop at street level, we have already gone down 5 floors, and there's another one below us. We are so confused that we go back up to the street and hurry out into the light of day with a sigh of relief. And we didn't buy a darn thing!
Next stop is the leather shop. Miryam admires a wonderful array of leather handbags, but nothing is cheap. If you are paying so much for something, you really want it to be just right. but of all the bags there, not one is "just right". The sales person is in tears! Its low season and he'll probably sell nothing else today.
Onward through the Lombardy countryside to Florence . You realize that Florence is quite different from all the hill towns such as we have been seeing during the last few days. The suburbs creep up on you, and before long you have your fingers crossed that you are not going to get lost. We eventually find the Porta Romana, and enter the old town, and immediately come across the problem of one-way streets and limited access. Out hotel is on the north bank of the Arno , and we are on the south. We have to cross the Arno three times in order to get to our hotel, which is right beside the British Consulate (hence the name, Pensione Bretagna, not because it's owned by a Brit!). We have to unload in the middle of the road, as the curb is blocked with the ubiquitous scaffolding indicating a remodeling of the Consulate. To get to the reception desk you ascend by a minuscule elevator. People go up on one trip, the bags go up on a second. Here I am advised where to park, which is located some four blocks away, certainly closer than Siena , but no price break here, and a whopping US$ 20.00 fee for 24 hours. We are paying more per square foot to accommodate the car that we are paying to accommodate ourselves!
The Pensione Bretagna is certainly well located, one and a half blocks from the Ponte Vecchio and two blocks from the Uffizi, right on the banks of the Arno. The price is right at US$ 95.00 the night, but in spite of all the positive notes, it is no better than a pensione. The lift goes up to the reception only, all the other floors are served by stairs. The front desk manager enthusiastically helps with the suitcases, which probably keeps him fit. The rooms are all shapes and sizes. Ours is huge, lit by florescent light (Ugh!) and furnished a la garage sale. It's the type of room you want to get out of as soon as possible! We do just that.
We are here early enough to do the Uffizi Galleries. This must be the only museum or memorial in Italy that doesn't close two hours before sunset. This one closes ONE hour before sunset, and actually stays open PAST sunset. Other than St. Peter's, this is one of the few places we have actually seen a queue, though it's mercifully short. We request admissions for two adults and one free child. Doesn't work here and to our disgust, Bryan is charged full fare! The contents of this museum make it world class, but the gallery is a disappointment. On street level, the building is dirty and covered with graffiti. The lighting in the outside galleries that contain much statuary, is atrocious. Other than the fact that the works are exhibited chronologically, there is little direction, so unless you recognize the works, you can easily miss out on the most important paintings. Many rooms, at least 30%, are closed, as is the Loggia dei Lanzi in the square below, where we miss "The Rape of the Sabine Women" (rated R). Outstanding memory? Bottichelli's "Primavera"!
By the time we exit, it is dark, so we continue past the Palazzo Vecchio, with its huge statues, Piazza Signoria, Florence 's main square, and up the famous pedestrian street, Via de'Calzaioli which connects this with the exquisite Duomo and Baptistery. It's cold, but there are lots of people out this evening. Nowhere in our travels have we ever seen an abandoned city centre. All of them thriving and active places where local people come out to shop, stroll, eat and generally mingle with their fellows. We note the places we must visit tomorrow, and look for somewhere to eat. We pass a fast-food restaurant, Italian style, which looks good. We opt for this as a change. You pick your own pasta and trimmings, and take it to your table. It isn't as cheap as you may expect at a self-service restaurant, you even pay extra for the bread, but the food is very good. For dessert, I go to the gelato counter and choose a coffee flavor. Bryan chooses strawberry. It's not as good as Positano, but it's so good I go back for a second helping (and damn the cholesterol!). Price all told US$ 33.00.
On the way back to the hotel, we passed the open-air crafts market of San Lorenzo . Miryam once more looks for a handbag, even finding a Brazilian sales girl to "bater papo", but to no avail. The right bag just isn't there. I, on the other hand, buy a leather belt for US$ 6.25 in seconds flat!
