One feels privileged to be here and honoured to be allowed witness genius. There is a sense of being an invited guest summoned to marvel and wonder rather than a mere tourist come to examine and exploit. In Rome one feels the power and the strength of the Holy Roman Empire... but in Florence one sees its greatness and its glory. To stand in a room in the Uffizi, or the Accademia or indeed the Pitti Palace or the Palazzo Vecchio and be completely encompassed by some of the world's greatest and most famous masterpieces, to come face to face with the genius of Michaelangelo/Leonardo/Raphael/Bellini/Botticelli/Lippi — to name but a few — is awesome. It confirms Florence was truly the centre of the Universe during the Renaissance period, thanks in no small way to the patronage of the ruling family the Medicis: lovers of art and artists. It must have been a wonderful place to live then — and today, hundreds of years later, it is still a wonderful place to visit. Having flown from Dublin into Pisa we boarded a coach just outside the airport bound for Florence, and an hour and fifteen minutes later arrived at our destination The Pensione Pendini in the Piazza della Republica. A marvelously central location, but a stone's throw from Brunelleschi's magnificent Duomo which totally dominates the Florentine skyline making it virtually impossible to get lost. The Italians love their food and the food in Florence is wonderfully good and wonderfully Italian. A lovely little restaurant called ZaZas on the Piazza Mercato Centrale, 2 minutes from the Duomo, had been recommended to us before we left and I would have no hesitation passing on the recommendation. It is a wonderful establishment where you will be treated to the most excellent repast of fine Tuscan dishes in very pleasant surroundings. Mind you, if you are thinking of visiting ZaZas then it is advisable to book or you could be facing a wait of up to one hour for a table at this extremely popular venue. And if, perchance, you are waiting, you could do worse than call next door to the Flexo Restaurant where the food is of the same excellent standard and the staff are most friendly and helpful and are in no rush to get rid of you regardless of the late hour. ZaZas have a lovely little finishing touch — they produce their very own Cookbook full of recipes from the Menu — which you can buy for €13 — and what a wonderful keepsake or present it makes. There is just so much to see in Florence that one just cannot take it all in and I would suggest you decide on a couple of special personal choices otherwise everything will just blend into a blur and you will remember nothing. For me it was Botticelli — one of my favourite painters — and in particular, his famous 'Birth of Venus'. Watching Venus rise from her shell in the Uffizi Gallery I experienced that warm swell of deep satisfaction basking in the knowledge that as I stood there allowing the huge painting to totally envelope me; I was realising one of my long-time dreams. In the depths of many humdrum and banal days in my future — well we all have `em don’t we? — I will conjure up those moments and use that image to transport myself out of the ordinary and back to that majestic time of excellence. Michaelangelo's 'David' is another must — with the original housed in the Accademia Gallery and copious copies at the Uffizi and on the Piazzale Michaelangelo. This truly captivating sculpture is the recognised symbol of Florence. However, I would also have to say that if I had seen another 'Adoration of the Magi' I would have been tempted to scream; every painter in Florence must have painted it at some stage or other. But at €6.50 admittance fee, to feast your eyes on some of the best and most famous works of art in the world, the Uffizi is a steal. If one wants one could spend the entire day star gazing. a little tip; if a queue has formed there when you arrive just go to the ticket desk and book for a later time then you can come back and walk straight in; there is no point wasting time in this totally absorbing city. One criticism would be that there appeared to be no itinerary of paintings; it would have been very helpful to have a small leaflet with each painting listed and explained.
The Piazza della Signoria is home to a myriad of imposing sculptures including 'Cosimo 1' on horseback, the splendiferous 'Neptune's fountain', a copy of Michaelangelo's 'David', and of course The Loggia where one will find the Rape of the Sabines, Hercules and the 'Centaur' and a wonderful bronze statue of 'Perseus holding Medusa`s head' — stunningly savage. From here, you can also enter the ostentatious Palazzo Vecchio and once again feast your eyes on the glories of the Renaissance that abound in the many great halls and apartments.
Speaking of spending money, Florence is a wonderful city for leather and leather goods and the markets offer the punter marvelous choice and bargains in jackets, bags, boots, shoes and gloves. I purchased two pairs of the softest kid gloves at €20 each and looked at a black leather jacket at one of the stalls and was very quickly ushered into the shop at the back to be shown an even greater array of goods. The markets were full of the most beautifully decorated pashminas ranging in price from €5 to €12, exactly the same pashminas that I have seen in shops at home for €38. Ladies, don’t come home without them, they are a huge fashion accessory and will stand the test of time just like Florence itself. Florence is awash with Churches that house the most splendid and complete collections of religious paintings and sculptures that you are ever lightly to see, including Michaelangelos wonderful Pieta. These elegant edifices are also the final resting places of some of Florence most famous sons from the members of the Medici family to Machiavelli, Lippi, Botticelli and of course Michaelangelo himself. 'Heaven and Hell', 'Paradise and Purgatory' abound to the extent that
it appears that nothing else was painted in Florence between 1400 and
1600. The Pitti Palace, with its Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments, is an impressive structure and again a must for all art lovers, as it is home to the private collection of the Medicis and includes Italian and European masterpieces. My favourites here were 'The Three Graces' by Rubens and 'The Sleeping Cupid' by Caravaggio. There are some stunning Raphaels on display along with Titian/Van Dyck and Suttermans. The Royal Apartments are both interesting and breathtakingly beautiful and then the tour ends with the Boboli Gardens — an expanse of green and ornamentation, including the 'Fountain of the Pitchfork', an Egyptian Obelisk and the Grand Grotto. At a cost of €11.50 for entrance to the Palace and then an additional €6.50 for entrance to the gardens it is an expensive tour. I would think that €11.50 for both would suffice in fairness the gardens are not worth the extra charge except maybe for the views out over Florence but then you can experience the same panorama from the Piazzale Michaelangelo at no cost at all. The rather steep climb to the Piazzale Michaelangelo is completely forgotten when you reach the summit and a truly exquisite vista spreads out before you as far as the eye can see. We made the climb towards evening and were lucky enough to be at the top to see the sun set over this lovely compact city.
This testament to a truly golden era of greatness. This wonderful monument to genius. This symphony of excellence that is Florence. Strange. lots of sites mention Florence, but we cannot find many we would recommend. One looked good but seriously crashed out our computer! Try this one, though:
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