Florence!

Saturday October 10, 2015

On the Shinkansen between Atami and Odawara

Cloudy

One city that has always been on my bucket list is Florence. So today – September 30, we were doing a one day trip to Florence which is not enough but at least I was able to get a taste.

First challenge was to take the train to Florence which was pretty easy but thank god Bob knew that we needed to “validate” the ticket before getting on. We needed to basically put the ticket in the validation machine so that the conductor knew we weren’t re-using tickets. Very odd. Anyhow it was uneventful as no conductor came through and we had great seats.

First stop was the synagogue which is where we met our wonderful guide Laura Greenblatt. She is an expat married to a Florentine and has lived in Florence for over 20 years. The largest synagogue in Italy. It was very beautiful and was done in Moorish style. Like in Hungary, the Jews were not persecuted during WW2 until near the end. Many in the North were sent to concentration camps but many in the South were spared. The synagogue is orthodox conservative so the women are separated from the men. But according to our tour guide, what is practiced at home could be quite different. I couldn’t take any photos as the security was extremely tight. (no cameras, phones, etc allowed). However, it was an interesting visit.

After the synagogue we went to Basilica di St. Croce which was a classic neo- gothic church which is a Franciscan church. Unlike most Franciscan churches which is austere, this is pretty ornate at least on the outside. Apparently, they were in competition with the church across the street and therefore became more ornate a larger as time went by. The interior is pretty austere though until you realize that Michaelangelo, Galeleo, Machievelli and may other famous Italians are laid to rest here. Laura was very thorough though in explaining to us Michelangelo was probably not too fond of the idea to be in an ornate marble memorial in Florence, and Galileo because he challenged the church with his science was not most welcome to be kept in a church at the beginning. Quite surreal to find some of the most important men in history are laid to rest in this magnificent cathedral.

After the St. Croce we walked to our first main museum stop which was the Uffizi Gallery. Amazing gallery It basically was the private gallery for the Medici family and today is the only museum that safeguards the Medici family’s private collection. Given there are over 40 rooms and to see it all will take the whole day, their collection was MASSIVE! It’s only until you go to the gallery, one realized how wealthy the family was. I was just thrilled to see the Annunciation up close by Leonardo Da Vince, and Doni Tondo by Michaelango up close. The painting by Michelango almost is 3D like a sculpture. But what I found to be most stunning was the Birth of Venus by Bottocelli. It was an amazing painting. Copies and photos do not do it justice, the level of detail is amazing. Venus” hair was laced in gold and looked like it was really blowing in the wind. Quite an inspiring visit.

Because we were running late, instead of having a lunch specializing in Tuscan food, we decided to go to a local café for some casual food, where we decided what to do next as some folks wanted to do something different. Anyhow, we ended up staying on schedule.

Next stop the Duomo, one the most iconic structures of Italy and the world. I’ve heard so much about it and thought I was prepared but still was very impressed. The pink, green and white marble that symbolizes, hope, peace and faith is mesmerizing. It is amazing what people have been able to create. The whole structure is magnificent and believe it is the largest basilica in all of Italy. I now know why Florence is a very special city.

After the Duomo, it was time for the climax of our tour, which was to go to the Galleria dell’Acadamia to see David, Michaelangelo’s masterpiece carved out of the largest block of marble ever found in Italy. And it was well worth the visit. Again with photos you cannot see the detail and how life like the statue is. One can see the veins in his arms. And yes his feet and hands are big but legend says that David was still an adolescence so was not full grown. Michelangelo was a one of a kind genius. I really like the way one discovers David. As Laura says while walking the corridor of marble one can see men trying to break out of the marble until you see David.

We then said goodbye to our wonderful guide Laura who was extremely knowledgeable about Florence and I really would like to use her next time I visit Florence as there will be a next time. We got the highlights which basically increased my interest so definitely will be back again.

Since we had one hour on our own, I went to the wholesale gold store COI that Laura recommended. Pricilla went with me and was surprised how well I was able to navigate Florence “which turns out to be a small city” without a map. Easily found COI and ended up buying 2 beautiful pieces of gold jewelry as a gift to myself!

We then met up at Il Borro, a restaurant owned by the Ferragamo family and had a delicious casual dinner

The Synagogue