We arrive in Florence thinking that our bed and breakfast (the Mila) is no more than a 15 minute walk from the train station. These plans are quickly waylaid by the appearance of a block-long construction project that we have to find our way around, dragging our luggage behind us. We finally reach the Mila and are greeted by Marco, our tattooed host with a shaved head and an alternate life as a food and travel writer. He warned us about the construction.We had scoped out the rooms online, and, since there are only four bedrooms in addition to the community kitchen, bathroom, and dining room, we had made a guess that the room with the gigantic picture of a yellow rose would be ours. And, indeed, we walk into the room and see that we were correct. "Is there a tunnel behind that thing?" asked Kyle.
We freshen up a bit (and I shake my head at the still mysterious 'squat sink' and shower cord), and head out to the city.
This first day became our 'let's explore the city because we don't really understand how strange the ticket situation is, so we'll have to figure it out for tomorrow.' Which turned out to be fine, because it was nice to just wander a bit in Florence. While I already covered many of the main points, when I think of Florence, I also think of how bright it is there, and how much history is crammed into very small spaces. Everything is within walking distance of each other, really, and, for once, probably due to the heat, Italy has free public water fountains and spigots, at which people line up to refill bottles and splash themselves. You can even find places that dispense mineral water.
First walking into the heart of the city, we pass by the specialty cheese and meat shops, and get a first glimpse of the dome of the Duomo, engineered by Bruneulleschi, which is very famous, and rightfully so, as it gives me a little thrill just seeing it. We first, however, see the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, with its richly patterned black and white exterior. While the church itself is very beautiful, it is worth noting that the surrounding area is essentially brown and lifeless. We even step over dead pigeons.After that, we head towards the Piazza della Signoria, which is an L-shaped courtyard containing (besides hundreds of tourists), the famous fountain for Neptune, the Palazzo Vecchio (the crenelated, fortress-like, old town hall), a copy of Michelangelo's statue of David, and the Loggia dei Lanzi, which is an open-air statue gallery, containing such works as the Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna and the statue of Perseus and Medusa by Cellini. Nearby is the Uffizi gallery, one of Florence's famous art museums, which we check out and promise to return to tomorrow. We say the same about the Bargello, or National Museum, which has very odd hours/ticketing, and the Academia, a rather bland building that houses Michelangelo's David (infamous for its long lines).
For lunch, we stop at a small place that George recommended, where we dine outside, and I have truffle risotto, which is quite good. The highlight of lunch, though, is our happy plump middle-aged waiter who looks like he belongs on a jar of tomato sauce, who simply can't help singing a little bit as he serves us.
After lunch, we cross the Arno River on the Ponte Santa Trinita, getting a clear view of the famous Ponte Vecchio, which has shops like tiny houses hanging off of it. We would cross the Ponte Vecchio and window shop at the wares, mostly high-end jewelry stores. Also on the Ponte Vecchio are signs warning people not to attach love locks (which are ignored by some), and gaggles of priests and nuns. That is one thing that differentiates Italy from other European countries-the high level of Catholic religious.
The afternoon was also devoted in part to seeing the Medici landmarks, which is necessary for a Florentine trip. Included with this is, of course, the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, their main residence, with its lovely courtyard. Staring at it makes you wonder about all of the crooked deals and mechanization that was planned behind those walls. Nearby, we saw the Medici Chapels and Basilica of San Lorenzo, which is one of the many churches that claim to be the oldest in Florence, but it might have the most legitimate claim with records of it being consecrated in 393. It was also the parish church of the Medicis, and many of them are buried there. Therefore, a lot of the refurbishment, additions, and so on were financed by this prominent family. Other stops on the Medici tour were the Pitti Palace with the Boboli Gardens, where some of the Medicis would reside (and later, briefly, Napoleon), but was purchased mainly to house their monumental art and porcelain collections.
Our main site for this first day is the Duomo, with the Baptistery and Giotto's bell tower. Impressive from a distance, it is perhaps even more incredible close-up, with intricate designs adorning nearly every surface of the buildings. The baptistery, where people such as Dante received their first sacrament, has the famous octagonal shape and the golden baptistery doors. Since we went later in the day, we got in the Duomo with very little waiting. Inside the Duomo, you're not going to find the incredibly ornate artwork and architecture that you might in other churches, rather, it is very open, large, and austere. The center of interest is in the interior of the dome, upon which is painted a surprisingly luminescent depiction of the Last Judgment (it takes you a second to realize what the subject material is).One of the interesting things about the Duomo (and, indeed, many Italian churches) is the fact that they take respecting the cathedral very seriously. Firstly, there is a dress code that is enforced (which is why many street hawkers sell scarves outside of the churches), meaning no cleavage, no short shorts or skirts, and no bare arms. If you do not meet these requirements at the Duomo, you are issued a modesty smock, which is the green color and paper-like texture of cheap hospital gowns. It was always a kick to see people annoyed that they had to wear one, and watch some girls try and twist them into fashion (modesty smock sarongs were popular). I, fortunately, was never in danger. Secondly, the Duomo was also insistent in keeping the noise down, so every once in a while over a loudspeaker, a recorded message would say in a booming voice, "Shhh...Silencio, per fevore...Silence, please."
We ended the day with a trip to the Basilica of Santa Croce, bookending day one with another intricate decorated black and white church. The facade was actually designed by a Jewish architect (which you can kind of tell) who hoped to be buried there, but is instead buried under the porch due to his religion. Who is buried there is Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.At this point, we are tired and hungry and ready for some dinner. Unfortunately, we are not yet acquainted with the Italian way of dining, which is that dinner is usually not started until around 8 or 9 o'clock, with meals lasting 2-3 hours, and many restaurants close up in late afternoon/early evening to prepare. We had several restaurants in mind, but they were all closed. We decided then to just purchase a hunk of parmigiano reggiano with some fruit and crackers from a local store, and return to the Mila. We ate our meal in the sunny shared dining room. At one point, Marco came out and said, "Dinner, eh?" (this would be the second to last time we'd see Marco). And another girl passed by and asked us how much the bus into town cost (which we didn't know). I think we were all thinking, "Seriously? Just...walk for 15 minutes..."
Knowing that we would have to get up early the next day for the museums, we retired for the night.
