Italy: Florence (Tuscanny)

Florence, capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation.”

🙂 Famous art from historic Masters. Ponte Vecchio. The famed terracotta dome. Statue of David. Food. Ambiance.

🙁 Nothing negative to report.

THREE things we did not know about Florence:

  1. The city of Florence that we know today dates back to 59 B.C. when Julius Caesar founded the city and turned it into a settlement for veteran Roman soldiers. 
  2. The construction of Santa Maria del Fiore (more famous as Il Duomo) began at 1296 and it was completed in 1436. This means it took 140 years to complete the construction process. It is the 3rd largest cathedral in the world (after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and London’s St. Paul.). It has the largest masonry dome in the world – as big as a football pitch!
  3. The famous gelato was invented in Florence by Bernardo Buontalenti and the first time this delicious creamy dessert was served was on a 16th-century banquet organised for the Spanish King by the Medici family.

26 September 2021

My second visit to Florence, but first with the family. The drive to Florence was swift taking only 1hr30mins which was in good time for our time slot to see Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia Gallery of Florence. We checked into our comfortable and centrally located accommodation: Dei Mori. As we had some time to kill, we strolled down the side street to have coffee under the shadow of the the Duomo, the cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. Stunning.

We got in the queue for our time slot to see David and were expedited through. It was wonderful to see all these incredible works of art. David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is a 5.17-metre marble statue of the Biblical figure David. The Statue of David embodies the city of Florence, symbolising independence and strength in the perfect image of youthful beauty. The right hand is bigger than the left with an enlarged abductor digiti minimi—suggested as a device to draw attention to the stone as a symbol of his courage and physical power.

After this interesting tour we headed out to the winelands…a scenic drive and we soon arrived at our destination – Poggio Amorelli – the Mazzarrini family produces high quality wines bottled at origins, made following the Chianti Classico method.

We had the most charming waiter and the olive oil, food and wines were to die for – a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon!

We definitely over stayed but felt very welcome!

A thoroughly excellent afternoon – we all napped in the car on the way back … but we still had to explore Florence. Unfortunately the sun had set and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge was quiet… we managed to get a few photos though…

We rubbed the boar’s nose for good luck and found a fab place to eat.

We were up at the crack of dawn to resume our journey onwards to Rome.

June 2015

This was a girls’ trip planned by Helen with Jenny and Charlotte. We had a wonderful time being tourists and enjoying the cafes and strolling through this ancient City…. from buying art on the bridge to shopping for shoes, art galleries, sampling gelato and sipping limoncillo – divine!

The nightlife was pretty good – we went to a an open air club overlooking the City – stunning!

Go Back to: Pisa

Go to: Rome

Go to: Italy

Go to: Italy Roadtrip

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