As much as we hated to leave Tuscany and the Villa (we all decided that another week would be good), it was time to fire up those diesel wagons, hit the road, and head on up the Florence.
So we backed them up to load up, posed for one final photo and took off. John, Jan, Greg & Kelly had to be in Florence by noon to turn in their car, but Skip, Josie, Lorri and I had until 4:00. The first group took the Autostrada but we took S222, a beautiful byway that winds up and down through the heart of the Chianti region. Our plan was to see some of the countryside, stop somewhere for lunch and maybe sample a wee bit if the local product.
Our plan panned out. After passing by Siena we found ourselves in the middle of what looked like a road rally, or I should say it looked like a road rally had happened earlier but the cars, the signs, banners and people were still all over the place. At one point we were passed by a screaming Carrera doing about a hundred mph. Once we were north of the rally area, we started looking for a place to stop. Eventually we found ourselves in Greve in Chianti, and as fate would have it, it was market day in Greve! We parked in the underground lot at the COOP and headed for the market. Surprisingly (right) the girls found some things to buy and then we found a place called "Gallo Nero" where we had a great lunch with a nice bottle of vino and friendly service. After lunch they told us we wouldn't be able to get out of the underground parking at the COOP because it closes from 1:30 to 4:00 (like most shops in town). Fortunately, the automated parking machines don't take a siesta and we were able to pay and escape.
Firenze! sounds exciting. "Florence" sounds dull. Firenze is a pretty exciting place if you like artwork, churches and shopping. It's another big city like Rome and it was quite a contrast from the bucolic countryside surrounding the Villa.
We drove around Florence for a while trying to find the rental car return place which we finally did, then cabbed it to our hotel the Hotel Laurus, smack in the middle of Centro Storico di Firenze. We were a stones throw from the Duomo and from the sixth floor deck, you could see quite a bit of the city.
This is a sketch of the view from our hotel window:
Our plan for Florence was Academia on Sunday, Fiesole on Monday and the Uffizi Gallery and Vasari Corridor on Tuesday.
We had a light dinner Saturday night at Donnini's on the Piazza Della Republica and Sunday morning got up to visit Michelangelo's "David", among other fantastic works at the Academia. We were a little early so we went strolling and stumbled upon the "Fiera della Ceramica" an entire square full of local ceramics producers having their yearly sale.
This area is famous for its hand-made and hand-painted ceramics, so imagine my (Lorri's) excitement to discover this extravaganza.
After Academia we went for a walk along the River Arno.
The Ponte Vecchio has been around forever. In fact, Ponte Vecchio means "old bridge". According to a plaque, it is first mentioned in 996. It was rebuilt after a flood in 1345 and it has survived to the present intact. Today it is a pedestrian crossing and is lined with jewelry and leather shops. It is the only bridge across Arno that in 1944, either (take your pick) 1. the allies didn't bomb to bits or 2. the retreating Germans didn't blow up to slow down the advancing allies. Either way, it's a pretty cool place.
The photo in the middle was taken through a jewelry shop and through its back window is another river scene. In the fourth photo you can see the supports for the Vasari Corridor. (We'll visit the Vasari corridor later)
This guy was hanging out near the Uffizi and at first glance he looked a lot like one of the zillion stone or marble statues that you see on the streets and in the galleries. But don't get too close because he'll reach his arm out and grab you.
On our way to find Vivoli we strayed upon another market. This one featured a lot of German food. I thought the big pretzel made a fine contrast with the church. We found Vivoli Il Gelato, supposedly among the best Gelato in the world, and had some. It was pretty good!
One of the main attractions in Florence is its Duomo, the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore. It's beautiful and big! The problem for us pedestrian photographers with our point-and-shoot cameras is getting far enough away from it to get a decent photo.
But we try anyway. I think my favorite view of the Duomo was from our hotel deck with cocktail in hand.
Sunday evening we all got together for our last "all eight" dinner together and it was one of the most memorable ones. Unfortunately I must have forgotten my camera. We ate at "Trattoria Antellesi" owned by Franco and Rosa Antellesi. Rosa was our server. It's a small place but the food was excellent and Rosa was a gracious and funny waitress. Even though she spoke hardly any English, she made us laugh. If you go to Florence, go here for dinner. It's at Via Faenza, 9 rosso, just around the corner from Hotel Laurus.
