25 °C Ciao bellas e bellos....and anyone who doesn't wish to be classified as either!
Having flitted through Italy more than 7 years ago at the end of a whirlwind European holiday, I was sad to have not had more time to soak up beautiful Tuscany, so, with the window of opportunity that finishing a job afforded me, I decided to take a week off to Bella Toscana.
After a delay in getting there - the Italian airport workers were on strike (Shock! Horror!) - I flew into the balmy Italian capital, where after rushing to catch the train to Florence, was dismayed to learn that my train was delayed by "a couple of hours" due to a bomb scare in Milano....Benvenuto a Italia!!!
Ah...so after a hiccup of a start, and a good night's sleep in Florence, I set about to explore the city, that is truly an open-aired tribute to the Renaissance. After a jitter-inducing macchiato, and resisting the temptation to savour some gelati before 10 in the morning, I meandered my way past the hoardes of African knock-off vendors in the Mercato Centrale and caught a glimpse of the gobsmackingly inspiring Duomo before arriving at the Galleria degli Uffizi, home to the world's greatest Italian art collection (as they so smugly proclaim).
As I wound around the corner to the main entrance to the Uffizi, I discovered that contrary to popular opinion, queuing is the true national sport of Italy (perhaps even moreso than in Ireland!)....in an admirable attempt to allow visitors to view the artwork without feeling like they are "running with the bulls" in Pamplona, the gallery curators curb the number of people in the gallery at any one time. Solution? Go to the other door, pay a few euro, tell yer man when you want to come back and you walk straight in - no wait!!
So I wandered about the Piazza della Signoria, once the centre of the city's political life, but nowdays, a bustling piazza where tourists flock (along with the pigeons) to queue for the Uffizi and gawk at Ammannati's Fontana di Nettuno, the replica of Michelangelo's David and the sculptures in the Loggia della Signoria. Even with the pigeons, caricature-painting artists, umbrella-waving tour guides and their name-badge wearing followers, it's a pretty amazing Piazza, and not a bad place for people-watching whilst savouring a coconut gelato...or two...
And then into the Uffizi I went where I saw Botticelli's Birth of Venus, several Michelangelos, Titians and Caravaggios, and far too many Madonna con Bambinos!! From here I wandered up Via Proconsola past the Palazzao Nonfinito ("Unfinished palace", the Florentina Abbey and the Duomo, to arrive at the Palazzo Medici-Riccardi with its simple courtyards and wonderfully beautiful frescoes.
The next day I journeyed through the hills to the city of Siena, which was purported to have been founded by the son of the wolf-twin Remus. Following a Birkenstock clad army downhill, I came to the Piazza del Campo at the heart of the medieval city. This fan-shaped slanting piazza is famous for "Il Palio", a wild horse race in which riders tear bareback around the square to win the "palio" - the banner - and the glory that comes with the victory.
At the bottom of the piazza lies the 13th Century and its 100m high bell tower which was a glorious place from which to peer down upon the coral Sienese rooftops and the verdant green hills that lay beyond the city walls.
After feasting on a delicious Porcini (wild mushroom) pizza, I stopped by Siena's city cathedral to marvel at its tri-colour exterior and exquisite interior with a vaulted celing decorated by a delicate splattering of gold stars across an indigo sky.
Back in Florence the following day, I went camera shopping (Yep, finally gone digital!) before perusing the jewellery shops on the charming Ponte Vecchio (the bridge spanning the Arno River), and wandering about the Boboli gardens that lay behind the Palazzo Pitti.
On my third day in Florence, I headed to see Michelangelo's incredible sculpture of David at the Accademia. Michelangelo managed to carve this spectacular sculpture out of a single 5m block of marble and to actually see it in the "flesh" (well it's pretty damn lifelike) was truly awesome. From there I feasted on what was absolutely the most delectable ravioli in the world (with butter and sage - simple yet exquisite) and possibly the most expensive Caffe con Panna in the world - €5.50! Damn fine coffee though.....and I'd do it all over again in a second....
In the afternoon I visited the Basilica di Santa Croce (where Dante, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo, among others, are buried), rubbed the nose of Il Porcellino (the boar) for good luck, and finally ventured inside Il Duomo and the Baptistery opposite it.
The Duomo is amazingly dominant in Florence with its red-tiled dome, and grandiose pink, white and green facade. Almost everywhere you go in the historic centre of Florence, you are able to feast on its majestic beauty. The Duomo took 150 years to complete and is the 4th largest cathedral in the world (I think after the cathedrals in Rome, London and Seville) - and would have to have one of the most beautiful exteriors. Upon venturing inside, the vastness is quite overwhelming, as are the frescoes which adorn the dome's interior, depicting The Last Judgement.
From the Duomo I crossed through the Gates of Paradise (the bronze doors decorated with intricate bas-reliefs) into the 5th Century Baptistery with its glittering mosaic-work fresco, before scaling the 400 odd steps to the top of the Campanile (bell tower) to have one last look down over Florence....as the next day I was heading out to San Gimignano, a smalll village perched on a hilltop, with wonderful views out over Tuscany....in San Gimi I did a loop around the medieval walls, wandered from piazza to piazza looking up at the town's many towers and viewed some (more) remarkable frescoes at the city's Cathedral.
After hot-footing it to Rome from San Gimignano, I spent my last day scouting about the major sites I had seen on my last trip...The Colosseum, Roman Forum, St Peter's Basilica, Borghese Gardens, Trastevere, Piazza del Campodoglio, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.
And now it's back to work....til September...and then AFRICA!
Anyone wanna come along?
Ciao
Belinda xox
