I made it to the Megabus stop with 5 minutes to spare. I thought I knew where I was going, so I left an hour before the bus was supposed to leave. As it turned out, I did not know where I needed to be, Luckily for me, the bus was late, or I would have missed it.
I made it to Florence around 14.00. Or in other words, one of the hottest parts of the day. I made it to my hostel, dropped off my bags, and made it to Giotto's Bell Tower all before 16.00.
The Duomo is very easy to see from a distance, and fairly easy to find if you are handy with either reading a map or navigating a city. Sadly, I am neither one of those, so finding my way this first day in Florence was tricky. I was perpetually lost, but I got over it really fast, because FLORENCE!
The Duomo
The Duomo is the Florence Cathedral, whose full name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower. A mouthful, I know. So from here on out, I will only call it the Duomo.
Here is the front facade of the Duomo; pretty impressive. However, I decided to skip the Duomo for the first day in Florence, and instead headed to the Giotto's Bell Tower, which is right next door.
Giotto's Bell Tower
This photo was shot from the top of the Duomo.
I climbed all the way up to the top of the Bell Tower. For me, this was huge. I am claustrophobic, and I made it to the top! The climb was difficult not only because of how narrow the stairwells were, but also because the people coming down from the top used the same stairwell as the ones going up.
View from the Bell Tower
The climb to the top of Giotto's Bell Tower was 414 steps.
The photos above are taken at various heights on the Tower.
I tried to enjoy the view as much as I could, but the dread of having to walk all the way back down the 414 steps in the narrow stairwells put a damper on the view. Once I got out of the Tower and away from the Duomo (and the tourists that surrounded it) I found myself in the Piazza della Signoria.
Fountain of Neptune
The Fountain of Neptune is located in the center of the Piazza della Signoria.
The Piazza della Signoria is apparently the meeting place in Florence, so I've been told. I was to busy enjoying the piazza and the nearby Loggia della Signoria to people watch.
Loggia dei Lanzi
There are a few statues in the Loggia dei Lanzi, but I only took photos of a couple.
Medici Lion
The Medici Lion above is one of two lions that guards the entrance to the Loggia dei Lanzi.
Perseus with the head of Medusa
This statue is in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
Hercules and Nessus
Hercules and Nessus is in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
The Rape of the Sabine Woman
This is the back side of the Rape of the Sabine Woman, located in the Loggia dei Lanzi.
I admired the statues in the Loggia dei Lanzi for quite some time, but I had to leave. On my way out of the Loggia, I ran across David!
Michelangelo's David
No, this is not the original statue, it is just a copy. But still pretty cool to be able to be within touching distance of him!
This copy of Michelangelo's David is next to the entrance of Palazzo Vecchio.
Ponte Vecchio
This is a back view of the shops on the Ponte Vecchio.
This is a photo of activity below the Ponte Vecchio. There were a lot of people on the bridge, so I decided to wait to take photos once I got off the bridge.
Once I crossed the Ponte Vecchio, I went to the Pitta Palace, but it was closed when I got there. At least I know how to get to it now.
Saint Trinity Bridge
This bridge was one down from the Ponte Vecchio. There were fewer people on this bridge, so I made my way back into the city center via Saint Trinity.
I made it back to my hostel just before dark.
17 July 2015
I woke up early this morning to make it to the Gallery, so I could hopefully miss some of the huge crowds.
Graffiti
I like crafty and interesting graffiti. Graffiti that uses its surroundings to its advantage. On my very early treak to the Galleria dell'Accademia, I found myself alone on the streets. Well, as alone as one can get in a major city.
I bought my ticket for the Academy online, and I am very happy that I did. When I got to the line an hour before the Gallery opened, the queue to buy tickets was crazy long, but the queue for already having a ticket? Not long at all.
The Prisoners
The Bearded Slave is one of Michelangelo's Prisoners.
The hallway leading up to David is lined with four unfinished Michelangelo statues. Scholars have named them the Prisoners or Slaves, because they are still mostly encased in stone and are unfinished.
David
Look at him. He is beautiful.
The look on my face for the fist 20 minutes of viewing him.
Once I picked my jaw up off the ground, I slowly made my way around David.
The Gallery is not just home to David, but also other statues and paintings.
In a room off to David's right, there is a room filled with statues and paintings.
Copy of Andrea del Santo's Modonna of the Sack by Irene Anna Duclose Parenti
Boy with a dob by Luigi Pampaloni
Dante visiting Hell, accompanied by Virgil, recognizes Farinata and speaks to him, by Baldassarre Calamai
Hero for Florence: Homage to David by Antonio Pio Saracino
I did not get photos of these paintings and sculptures because my camera died. Once I got tired of the gaggles of tourists in the Gallery, I left and made my way to the Duomo. I started in the queue at the corner of Via del Servi and Piazza del Duomo.
In the queue
I spent well over an hour in the queue to get inside the Duomo to climb it.
The Duomo
The above photo is the view of the inside of the dome. The rest of the church was very dark, so I could not get any decent photos.
View from the Top
The climb to the top of the Duomo was only slightly better than the climb to the top of the Bell Tower. Slightly. The only reason it was slightly better, is that the traffic to get to the top and to come back down was not mixed; each direction had their own set of stairs to use.
So if I could visit Florence again, I would only climb the Bell Tower. I know I said the climb to the top of the Duomo was slightly better, but the view from the Bell Tower was more enjoyable. Also, the only reason the climb was better in the Duomo was because of the one way traffic. The climb to the top of the Bell Tower was more interesting; I could look out portholes and rest on landings.
I escaped the Duomo and found a small cafe to rest and eat. From the cafe, I went to the Pitti Palace and the Gardens.
In the Palace, I only went to the Calleria del Costume and saw some cool dresses.
Amphitheater
The Amphitheater was the first thing in the Giardino Bardini that I stumbled across. I enjoyed the view of the Amphitheater and then made my way up the long staircase to Neptune's Fountain at the top of the hill.
Neptune's Fountain
Neptune's Fountain was at the top of the Amphitheater in the Bardini Gardens.
Selfie with Neptune
Looking down the hill I climbed, with my back to Neptune.
I'm not sure what this statue was called, but it is located at the head of Cypress Alley
Cypress Alley
The Cypress Alley started off going downhill and then back up hill.
The garden may be huge and hot, but at least it is peaceful.
Secret of the Sky
Sculpture by Kan Yasuda
This sculpture was located along the side of the Cypress Alley about halfway down.
Island Fountain
The Island Fountain is exactly what it sounds like: an island with a fountain on it.
There is a drinking fountain near the Island Fountain. In the bottom of the basin are two heads. I was not expecting them, so they startled me a little.
I left the Gardens shortly after I left the Island Fountain because I was exhausted and the heat was getting to me.
A word from someone who has visited the Gardens during the hottest part of the day: listen to your body when it says "Stop, this is crazy."
I found a little cafe and enjoyed an Italian coffee. It took me an hour, but I finished it.
Basilica of the Holy Cross
After my coffee and much needed break from the heat, I went to the Basilica of the Holy Cross.
Piazzale Michelangelo
From the Basilica of the Holy Cross, I decided it would be a great experience to climb to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The Piazzale offers a panoramic view of the city center. The Piazzale also has a bronze replica of Michelangelo's David.
Monastero di San Miniato
Located a little further uphill from the Piazzale Michelangelo is the San Miniato Monastery.
Santa Maria Novella
I slowly made my way down from the Piazzale Michelangelo and back to my hostel. I called it an early night.
18 July 2015
I woke up nice and early to get to the Uffizi Gallery. Amazingly, I was the first one in line!
2nd Floor of the Uffizi Gallery
The Uffizi Gallery is filled with amazing sculptures and paintings. So many that I bought a book.
The Uffizi Gallery is also filled with tourists and tourist groups. However, "group" is too nice of a term for some of them. Don't get me wrong, some of the groups are lovely. They are polite and wait for you to finish viewing the piece you are looking at before they move in to also view the piece and listen to their leader.
For the not so nice groups, "gaggle of tourists" sounds better and is more accurate. Like geese, these tourist groups are loud, go where they want and when they want, take up lots of room, and leave a swath of disorder behind them. Gaggle of tourists also tend to be loud and rude. They crowd around a piece, cameras flashing everywhere (even though flash is not allowed). They do not care if you were there first, they care more about keeping up with their gaggle guide than about being polite.
In late afternoon, I got fed up with the gaggles and exited the Gallery. I went back to the hostel and slept.