We had another great day! Jam-packed with activities, just the way I like it. It was our last day in Florence, so we had to make the most of it and check all the remaining activities off our list.
Our first stop was the museum of Pietra Dure. I guess in English that would be "Stone Inlays"? I find this art (along with mosaics) incredibly fascinating! I loved it!
It was really hard to take pictures because everything is so highly polished that it's like shooting into a mirror.
These 4 panels show the painting on the bottom, and the Pietra Dure version on top. The detail was amazing! I wish it was easier to photograph.
Upstairs was a display of the tools used to create the panels and all the various types of stones used. So impressive!
This museum is just around the corner from the Acadamia where David is on display. You can’t imagine the line ups!!! Unbelievable, they must be hours long. Do any of those tourists know what kind of fascinating artwork is just steps away? With no lineups at all whatsoever! Perhaps I can say that because I saw David in 2003 so I am not missing out. My advice to you: if you ever find yourself in line waiting to see David, have your travel companion hold your place in line and pop in around the corner. According to Google, it's a 2 minute walk.
After this, we went for a coffee near the Duomo, and then it was off to the Medici Library to see an incredible staircase I saw online. It was a Facebook post, something like “The 10 most beautiful libraries in the world”. It showed an intricately carved spiral staircase that looked out of this world gorgeous. The Museum was interesting, small, concise. A few old books on display, all nice enough but no eye-candy stairs. I googled it again and it turns out the original information was wrong! The staircase is in Iowa, not Florence. Lesson learned: don’t trust Facebook post!
Next on our list was the Galileo Museum. Fascinating! I could have spend the entire day in there but you have to draw the line somewhere if you have other things to do with your day.
These wax models of pregnancy were fascinating!
Among other interesting exhibits was Galileo's middle finger… Flipping us the bird from hundreds of years ago!
When we were done, we needed a break from all the museum-ing so off we went to the Piazza de la Signoria for a drink.
It was supposed to rain this afternoon, and while we were sitting down a few random drops started to dot the ground. It wasn’t so bad, but by the time we got to our next destination: The museum in the Palazzo Bargello, we would have needed umbrellas had we stayed outside.
My prime motivation here was to see Donatello’s David.
I checked that box, and admired a lot of compelling sculptures by Michelangelo, but the majority of the museum was devoted to pre- Renaissance religious art and that’s just not my cup of tea.
By the time we were done, it was time for lunch and we tried an outdoor terrace but the seats and tables were still wet so we ate inside.
The sun was out in full force afterwards, so walking to our next stop was a challenge – we zigzaged in the shade all the way to the Specola (Museum of Natural Science) only to discover it’s been closed since September 1. ARGH!
We got a nice shot of the Piti Palace, so it was not a wasted walk...
Our tired feet
Time for another break. We went to Gilli, one of Florence’s oldest Grand Cafes to have some dessert. My guidebook said the millefeuilles are not to be missed…. frankly: meh. I didn’t even finish it.
I surreptitiously took this picture while waiting in line to use the bathroom. I wonder if the woman knew just how much her dress matched the décor! HA!
After this, we strolled around for a while and stopped for another drink near the Duomo. Drinks with a view are hard to resist!
When we left, Frank realized he did not have his camera!! As if shot from a cannon, I rushed back to Gilli and thankfully they had found it and it was not stolen. What a relief!
Next on the list as a visit to the Synagogue, but despite being within opening hours we could not get in. The gate was closed and there was no one at the ticket office. We were not the only confused tourists wondering why, but we gave up pretty quickly and moved on.
It was already quarter to 4 by then and there was no sign of the rain that was supposed to start around 3. We thought we'd cross the Arno to look for a place to have dinner there, but after trekking around for a while we decided to stick somewhere that would not mean a long walk back to the hotel afterwards.
We ended up at Piazza de la Signoria again and the weather was perfect for outdoor eating. We even saw a parade go by.
Just as we took our last bites, we felt a few drops but the skies still looked clear so we decided that we’d start heading “home” and stop for a night cap along the way. We picked a nice café with a great view of the Duomo.
We hadn't been sitting for long when the sky opened up and all Hell broke loose. Thunder and lightning and a torrential downpour out of nowhere. It was a mess!
We waited it out as long as we could and then once we felt a break in the pounding, we dashed. Our hotel is roughly a 10 – 15 minute walk from there and we made back before 8PM relatively dry.
Now, time for sleep! Good night!
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