This morning started with breakfast in the room. Lots of bread again and coffee. After breakfast we headed out into the city. Our first stop was the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace). We didn't tour this palace but we wandered around the sculpture museum in the square and checked out the fountains.
Palazzo Vecchio
Lion statue in the open air museum
Statue of Perseus cutting off Medusa's head
From here we walked around the corner and into the Uffizi Gallery. The Gallery starts with Medieval art and progresses through the Renaissance. It is huge but unfortunately not everything is open all the time. Highlights include works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Titian, Cimabue, and Raphael.
The main hallway of the Uffizi is covered in paintings of citizens and sculptures. From there different rooms branching off hold art from different periods.
Medieval Artwork
The Birth of Venus
You also get a fantastic view of the Arno River from the main hall
The P
The Ponte Vecchio from inside the Uffizi. This bridge is covered in shops selling gold and silver.The shops originally held butchers and othertradesmen until they were kicked out and replaced with gold and silversmiths
Nice views of the Arno from here
Me and my mom on the bridge.
From here we wandered through the streets on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio going in lots of shops and eventually we stopped for wine and paninni's at a cafe near the Pitti Palace. The palace was built in competition with the ruling Medici family however, the Pitti's ran out of money and had to stop construction. The Medeci family bought the palace, finished construction and moved in (they kept the name though).
From here we wandered through the streets on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio going in lots of shops and eventually we stopped for wine and paninni's at a cafe near the Pitti Palace. The palace was built in competition with the ruling Medici family however, the Pitti's ran out of money and had to stop construction. The Medeci family bought the palace, finished construction and moved in (they kept the name though).
The exterior was built this way to hide the wealth within. It is the back of the palace with the gardens that looks pretty.
Looking out over the main courtyard and the gardens
The one and only picture I got in the palace (I was told to put the camera away). This is entering the Palantine apartments and series of rooms in Baroque style. After these rooms are the Royal Apartments where the Medici's lived mostly This is followed by the Modern Art wing (art post- Renaissance through the early 1900's). In the various areas you can see the change in istyle and taste of the various occupants in the way they decorated the room.
After leaving the Costume Gallery (halls showing Italian fashion through the years) we exited to the gardens and climbed a hill for this view of the city.
View of the palace from a hill in the Boboli gardens
One of the tree lined paths in the gardens.
The Boboli gardens are huge- there are 3 botanical gardens, 2 grottos and a bunch of other fountains, gates and other areas to see. This in near the pool.
The Ampetheater
Nice view of the palace and the city of Florence!
The Medici Grotto
Inside the grotto is a replica of Michaelangelo's unfinished The Prisoners which is now in the Accedemia. This is where it orignally stood.
Fat man on a little turtle!
After the palace we picked up some pastries and walked over to the San Lorenzo market to shop. We at dinner at Da Giorgio where we had a multi plate meal which was delicious! I had tortellini rosa, steak and fries. My mom had spaghetti, pork in a truffle sauce and salad. The truffle sauce was amazing!
After dinner we wandered over to the Ponte Vecchio where there was a man plating guitar and singing. We listened to him for a bit and enjoyed the view of the river.
The Arno River at night
No comments:
Post a Comment