Florence…how I love Florence! Yesterday was wonderful! After breakfast at Casa Cares, we became tourists again. This time our destination was Florence. We took the bus to the local train station to go to Florence. We got on the train and had to sit wherever we could find a seat since this was during rush hour. The train ride was only around 20 minutes.
Once we arrived in Florence, we headed off on a walking tour hosted by our villa host, Dr Paul Krieg. During our walk he showed us various areas around Florence including Santa Maria Novella Church, the Palazzo Strozzi, the Arno River, Santo Spirito Church, Palazzo Pitti, Ponte Vecchio, Uffizi (which we will get to see later on in the trip), Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Repubblica, Duomo (including the Baptistry, and Bell Tower), San Lorenzo Church, and Accademia. For most of the places we were able to briefly walk through and look around. He also pointed us to an open market where we did a little shopping. I bought my first real leather purse! I also picked up a dress and some yarn (we are starting an evening knitting group with Italian yarn!).
A few of us broke away from the group to find a cheap lunch. There are usually two options for lunch…either a sit down with the professors (costs around 20-30 euros) or find something on your own. Both days I have gone with to eat on your own group. Yesterday we made a great choice. We found a little pizza palce where we each had one slice (big slice) of pizza or panino with a drink for 4 euros. That is perfect! It seems like I am drawn to anything with fresh mozzarella. Our best meal is back at Casa Cares anyway!
Before we left Florence for the day, we all went to the Accademia to see The David. It was marvelous to see in real life. I wish I could have taken a picture to share. It is enormous and I just stood in awe to believe that one man carved this out of a HUGE piece of marble. It was inspiring not only to see this massive artwork, but also to watch the multitude of people who were standing in awe as well. This situation reminds me how human beings are so much a like no matter their race, religion, or beliefs. Everyone who walked into the door of Accademia yesterday saw and reflected on what this piece of artwork meant to them. For me, David symbolized victory not only for his situation but also for Michelangelo’s victory over the “ruined” piece of marble.
After Accademia, we headed back to the train station. We will be returning to Florence two more times before we leave. I hope to go into the Bell Tower at the Duomo, visit Santa Croce Church (were Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli) and continue my shopping!
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