10-26 Florence, Italy

Florence was established in 59 BC by Julius Caesar as a military post.  After Italy was unified in 1860, Florence became the capital in 1861.  Much of Florence was damaged during WWII.  However, the city rallied and today its Renaissance legacy flourishes. 

Florence has a population of 374,151 and is predominately Roman Catholic.  You can find palaces, churches, and museums that overflow with quality paintings and sculptures of the Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Dante, Boccaccio, and Michaelangelo.

We took a private tour today with a group (two of whom we had met at dinner earlier in the cruise and invited us to join them) that was led by Giovanni Sirabella with Sunflower Tours.  (Nancy Heath organized this by getting recommendations from Cruise Critic.)  There were 8 of us in a mini van that began by driving to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower before it got too crowded there.  It was 55 miles outside of Florence.  

I had been there over 35 years ago, and it was not as I remembered it.  It seemed the tower leaned more back then. (Someone else I met on this trip had the same thought!)  But it was beautiful to see along with the large cathedral and Baptistry, the area known as Miracle Square.  The tower itself was closed for 5 years for renovation and just re-opened in 2001.   I had also forgotten that it was in this tower that Galileo tested his theory of gravity.  And, thanks to Doug’s help, it won’t be falling over any time soon! 

We drove back through farmlands before coming into the beautiful Tuscan scenery with olive groves and vineyards. We went to the top of a hill (Piazzale Michelangelo)where we were able to get a great overview of the old city of Florence.

We could see the Arno River which divides the city – and is connected by the oldest bridge in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio (which means “old bridge.”)  Today the bridge is lined with jewelry shops. 

We then drove down into the old city and entered through one of its gates and into the narrow streets.  (Another advantage of being in a minivan instead of on a ship’s bus tour which could not go into the narrow streets of the old town of Florence.)  We were on one side of the Arno river looking at the other and passed the old library.  There had been a flood, but the books were saved by a group of people who literally formed a human chain to pass the books out to safety.  Next to this was the Galileo Museum with his original telescope.

We then passed the Pitti Palace which is now a museum with collections of silver, porcelain, and costumes, but had bee the home of the Medici family until 1737 when the last male heir died.  There are also the beautiful Boboli Gardens there as well. 

We drove on to the beautiful Duomo also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.  Brunelleschi’s dome of this cathedral dominates the skyline of Florence. We were only able to walk around it from the outside.  The lines were too long.  It is the 4th largest cathedral in the world and has capacity for 20,000 people.  It took 173 years to complete.  It was made with green and white marble capped with a terra cotta tile dome.  The cathedral was consecrated in 1436.

At this stop, we also had a little time to shop, and we were able to find a leather wastebasket and a leather purse for me.  We even had time for a quick cappuccino.  As we raced back to the van, we caught a quick look at the elaborate Baptistry Doors by Ghiberti, coined the “Gates of Paradise” by Michelangelo.

Back in the van, we drove closer to the Ponte Vecchio where we got off once again to explore on our own.  That is where we also had a lunch break. We went with Linda and Peggy from our group to a little restaurant that over looked the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio – called the Old Bridge View.  It was delightful and we had wonderful pasta and wine. 

We then went out on our own again.  We rubbed the nose of the legendary boar, “il Porcellino” and put a coin in its mouth to ensure a return to Florence!  We also went to a plaza (can’t remember the name) where there were statues – one of David (a replica – not the original), the Rape of the Sabine Women, and the cutting off the head of Medusa (can’t remember the exact name of this statue!) In this same square there was a huge fountain with a statue of Neptune in the middle.  We enjoyed our time walking through the narrow streets and admiring the architecture.

Back in the van, our next stop was the Santa Croce Basilica where both Michelangelo and Galileo are buried. This is the elaborate burial alter for Michelangelo.  There were many famous paintings in this basilica as well, but we had such a short time, we were only able to see the two burial places. 

This was our last stop before heading back to the port, Livorno, where our ship was docked.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to drive there.

We enjoyed our day here, but know we need to come back to see the wonderful museums there just wasn’t time to see, plus the famous statue of David.