Florence…Firenze…Furnace (yeah, HOT!)

July 21: This picture has not much to do with anything except that it was taken in our Airbnb bathroom, which was totally mirrored all around. I found it amusing to get a picture of myself in a series of mirrors of mirrors of mirrors...

So the morning dawned hot, but we were not daunted. After Morgana repeated her directions on getting through the big doors at the street level, we set off for the Galleria dell'Accademia and DAVID, hoping to find a little breakfast spot along the way. We encountered a couple of interesting niche art pieces along the way:

LOVE this juxtaposition of two very different kinds of "street art!"

And we did find a terrific little hole in the wall with fresh orange juice (every little coffee place had fresh squeezed orange juice without fail), good coffee and delicious pastries.

We got to the Accademia and quickly found Terrie, who had arrived and found a place to sit while waiting for us. Her knee was a bit worse for wear after having tripped over that genuine Florintine scooter lying on the ground near her Airbnb the day before. She told us that her knee didn't feel too bad, but it was pretty clear that walking a lot might be a challenge. But trooper that she was, Terrie just kept going.

Entry to the Accademia was timed, and the first thing we had to do was pick up our tickets and figure out how the system worked. The crowds were already thick, but we found a staff member who clearly answered the same questions over and over all day--but she was very nice, and very patient. We got our tickets, then had to wait around for our time to enter. Got through the security gauntlet successfully, and then...there we were, turning the corner to see...DAVID. I know that anyone who is stilll reading these accounts has probably already had this experience, but it truly is breathtaking to walk into that gallery and see this magnificent, huge, perfect man standing at the far end of the space.

Well, what a great beginning to an extraordinary day. Did I mention that this was my birthday? One of the best ever, I'd have to say.

And we made our way to David, enjoying the other Michelangelo marbles on our way to the main attraction.

Palestrina Pietà

Schiavo barbuto

St. Matthew (I love this photo; perhaps this boy will become a sculptor someday)

And we got up close and personal with David:

Exquisite in every way; such fine details. He looked so real that you could easily imagine him suddenly taking a deep breath and stepping down to our level.

We sat and watched him and his visitors for a while, but finally moved on. First, just to David's right (our left) was a gallery with half a dozen huge paintings, all of which have been cleaned and restored to their original brilliance! Here's just one of them--"Mary and Child, the boy John and eight female Saints,” Alessancro Allori, 1575.

That gallery led to the gallery of students' sculptures, a fascinating place.

Then we were in a gallery where religious paintings abounded. They too, must have been cleaned recently; they just glowed.

Vallombrosa Altarpiece by Pietro Perugino:

Saint James the Great, Saint Stephen and Saint Peter by Domenico Bigordi (Il Ghirlandaio):

Saint John the Baptist and Mary Magdalene by Filippino Lippi:

Cindy and I wandered among the galleries for quite a while, but finally realized that a) it was coming on to lunchtime and b) we had left Terrie sitting next to David for a long time--her knee was bothering her more than she wanted to admit so she had decided to do some people watching in lieu of being on her feet for too long.

Cindy wanted to go to Harry's Bar, that famous landmark, for lunch. So we left the Accademia and worked on finding a ride --not so easy. First we tried Uber but couldn't figure out where the driver was, so he gave up on us (or we on him, or both). We found a corner store where we could buy some bottles of water, which then validated our sitting at the table at the door. Finally found a taxi, and told the driver where we wanted to go. He took us there and we discovered that Harry's was closed for lunch. Fortunately we were close to Terrie's place, so we had him drop us there so we could figure out an alternative plan for lunch.

We saw a place on the map called Foody Farm, within walking distance (too short a distance to call for a taxi), so we headed over there. It was a terrific place, and we got a table where we could watch what was happening on the street (Lungarno Corsini) outside. This is the street that runs alongside the Arno River so there was plenty of pedestrian traffic to watch.

As usual, I don't recall what any of us ate, but it was a great meal. Cindy managed to secretly tip off the staff that it was my birthday, so they brought me a cake with a candle. Delicious!

Terre also enjoyed her dessert:

After lunch, Terrie decided that she needed to pass on any of the afternoon activities so that she could rest her knee. So Cindy and I proceeded on our own.

We had a ... need ... to find a place where we could sit next to the river and have a Negroni. Our next adventure, at the Uffizi Gallery, was scheduled for later that afternoon so we had some time to just laze. The Foody Farm was just next to the Ponte Santa Trinita, which, a little research shows, is the world's oldest elliptic arch bridge, built in Renaissance times.

Of course it was guarded by sculptures at each end:

And here's the massive Gothic Palazzo Spino Feroni, one of the many palazzos that can be found throughout Florence:

Looking down that street, we saw the Column of Justice in the Piazza Santa Trinita:

By this time, we had sighted a promising looking patio across the river from where we were walking. It looked like a place to sit in the shade and have that Negroni.

So we headed toward the Ponte Vecchio...

...the only bridge in Florence spared from destruction in WWII, and crossed over to the other side of the Arno. We found that patio, which belonged to the Hotel Lungarno, and were graciously given leave to sit on their patio and purchase the most expensive Negronis in town. But heck, along with the drinks they also brought us a lovely complement of nuts, olives, and chips--and anyway, it was my birthday. 🎂

There were some nice views from our shady spot:

And in seemingly no time at all, we were back on the Ponte Vecchio (one of the more crowded areas we encountered), heading toward the Uffizi.

I don't know if I need to dwell on the fact that it was really hot (but it certainly was). But we pressed on.

Happily, by the time we checked in at the Uffizi, the crowds had thinned somewhat, so it was easier to navigate--in that sense at least. But there was way too much to see, and limited time.

On the way to the Uffizi, we walked along a colonnade that provided at least a little cooler shade.

Before we arrive at the Uffizi, I'll bow out till the next chapter. It's too much to finish this day in one installment, so come back soon for the next story.

And don't despair; I'm almost done. One more day in Florence after this and then homeward bound.