Finally Florence!

I had been anticipating a return to Florence since 2012. My last trip (See the blog post here) lasted only a few very short hours, and it was cram packed, and I still had to pick between the Academia (David) and Uffizi (Botticelli's Venus) Galleries, which broke my heart. Not this time.

I would also like to point out that right now my legs and butt are on fire. In the last 2 days, I have climbed 1428 church steps, plus the steps to Piazzale Michelangelo and the ridiculous stairs to our Airbnb (multiple times, once with a suitcase).  I know I tried to prepare for this, but dayum.

Upon our early morning arrival in Florence, we headed straight to the Piazza del Duomo and its centrepiece - Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, or the 'Duomo'. Quite unlike any other basilica, I have seen, the facade of the Duomo and accompanying buildings are white and green marble, with terracotta rooves. The main structure is neo-gothic and intensely decorated, with the giant dome in the renaissance style - demonstrating the gulf of architectural types fashionable in the two centuries it took to build. 

Filippo Brunelleschi's giant brick dome is the largest of its size and is a marvel of engineering. It inspired St Peter's which we had climbed the day before. The lighter 'inner' dome that can be seen from the inside of the church is painted in frescoes of the Last Judgment designed by Vasari but painted his student Frederico Zuccari, and are rather uninspired and generic, though the height of the dome makes the achievement impressive in a different way.

The bell tower is also worth mentioning - Giotto's Campanile stands adjacent to the front of the Duomo, and at 84.7 metres tall, falls just short of the dome. 

You can just peek at the frescoes from the floor.

Starting to long, slow, disorganised climb to the cupola.

Waiting for too long on some very steep steps.

Worth it. And not raining!

The view from the campanile at night.

The next morning we were up early. We needed to get into 2 museums and walk around the town. The Galleria Dell'Accademia was first. The 14th-century hospital pays homage to Michelangelo, with the unfinished 'prisoner's' statues lining a hall leading up to a soaring arch built just for David.

David is a character from the myth with Goliath and is depicted before the battle in which he defeats the giant, which was a first. Most artists depicted the victory. The marble he is carved from was initially rejected by 2 other artists, due to its imperfections, further demonstrating Michelangelo's artistic mastery.

As Florences most well-known and cherished symbol, he epitomises freedom and independence for the Florentines.

In person, David awes because of his size, detail and the way you can almost see the blood flowing through the veins carved out of the marble.

A new development, pictures are now allowed in the Accademia.

The 'Gates of Paradise' - Lorenzo Ghiberti 1452 hang on the Bapistry of Florence, facing the Duomo. A symbol of the Renaissance, they show a mastery of linear perspective in the difficult medium of bronze friezes.

The Town Hall with a modern sculpture in the middle of the square.

The replica of David standing in its original location.

The Ponte Vecchio.

This artist sold us tiny handpainted images of Florence.

Piazzale Michelangelo offers incredible views of the city.

After exploring Florence we headed to the Uffizi Gallery. So far I had had a great day, but the Uffizi was something new. I had missed it last time and it has irritated and upset me ever since. We joined the line and saw on the screens that the line had a three-hour wait and the museum would close in two. I walked to the front of the line and double checked we were in the right line. There were signs everywhere saying not to trust any tickets other than the official museum ones. I usually ignore the ticket swindlers but I was starting to low-key panic. I couldn't miss Venus and the Annunciation. Again.

A man in an official-looking coat asked if I wanted to join a guided tour for 40 euro. I asked a few questions, dubious and went and collected Sarah from the line. We were promised entry within 30 minutes. We surreptitiously googled the name of the company and it looked legitimate. I was still unsure, but it seemed like the only way we were getting in. We handed over the money and joined the queue with the group. It took a while, but we made it inside, and the guide was an art student with calm efficiency and a matter of fact way of explaining the paintings. She was perfect. She led us briskly through the sprawling gallery and hit us with all the highlights.

The Duke and Duchess of Urbino - Piero della Francesca

Primavera - Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus - Sandro Botticelli 

Doni Tondo - Michelangelo (With the original frame sculpted by the artist, and protected behind bulletproof glass)

Annunciation - Leonardo Da Vinci

Medusa - Caravaggio

After a bit of a rest at the apartment, we ventured out into the town for New Years. We had dinner and wine and talked about 2018.

A light show danced across the Ponte Vecchio.

There were a lot of people!

Fireworks everywhere!

New Year's in Florence was pretty great. There were so many different people and the whole place brimmed and was vibrant and alive. But 12.10 in Florence was a little scary. People threw fireworks and bottles into the crowd, and giant pieces of glass crunched under our feet as we walked back into the centre of town. When we reached the Piazza del Duomo, which we needed to cross, hundreds of people pushed back against the periphery, flanked by the police and army. The Piazza centre was mainly deserted, and in the shadow of one of the most beautiful buildings on Earth, the square was a mess. Bottles were flying, and in front of us, an idiot threw a firework badly, and instead of soaring over the heads of the crowd, it hit someone and bounced back to our feet. We got out of there as quickly as we could and locked the door twice when we got up to the apartment.

The Florence we left in the morning was disgraceful. We rolled our cases over sodden messes of glass and fast food wrappers. People clung to the corners, clearly still up from the night before. But we were going to Venice!