Firenzi
Hotel Loggiato dei Serviti, located on the beautiful Renaissance Piazza SS. Annunziata, had been a 16th century monastery and the staff offered us a “welcome drink” and snacks soon after our arrival. Our room on the second floor (our third) overlooked the nearby Accademia and a marble carving workshop below. Talk about being in the heart of it!
Setting out on an orientation walk, I was struck by the first sight of Brunelleschi’s revolutionary Dome for the Duomo just down the street. Alfio’s explanation of the famous doors on the Baptistery that set the Renaissance in motion kept us from noticing an ominous dark-sky that soon sent us scurrying for shelter – and most of us had headed out sans umbrellas or rain jackets thinking the weather was turning for the better. Not! The rain let up enough for us to view the statue of St. George at the Orsanmichele and the Palazzo Vecchio where the monk Savonarola’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” and protest against the corrupt Borgia pope earned his being burned at the stake for his efforts. Finally, the whole group enjoyed dinner at Giglio Rosso including primo and second piattos as well as a selection from the dessert table and a biscotti for dipping in vino santo. Delizioso!
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Group Photo
Photo courtesy of Jason Cage
Determined not to get caught unprepared again, we were armed with rain jackets and umbrella when we left the hotel the following morning. Local guide, Tanya, escorted us through a typical renaissance residence, the Palazzo Davanzati. A combination home, business and fortress, it provided a glimpse into the personalities and professions that made Florence great. Our walk through back streets brought us into contact with a colorful band of local residents dressed in traditional costume for some civic event . . . or were they there solely for the purpose of having their picture taken with us!
Crossing the Arno, we entered Oltrarno and made our way to Brunelleschi’s Santo Spirito Church after a short break at a local cafeteria. The church’s clean and clear Renaissance lines were compromised by the baroque “meteorite” altarpiece perpetrated by later generations. Family chapels ringed the sanctuary, many with a representation of the Virgin and Child in the company of that family’s favorite – and most reliable – saints.
Tanya left us at the In Tavola cooking school where, with the help of professional chefs, each small group created the four course lunch we later enjoyed in their basement dining room. Alfio kept himself busy recording the adventure using a collection of our cameras. I had no idea we’d be able to concoct such delicacies in so short a time! This turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire tour for me and, I suspect, for others.
Crossing the Arno, we entered Oltrarno and made our way to Brunelleschi’s Santo Spirito Church after a short break at a local cafeteria. The church’s clean and clear Renaissance lines were compromised by the baroque “meteorite” altarpiece perpetrated by later generations. Family chapels ringed the sanctuary, many with a representation of the Virgin and Child in the company of that family’s favorite – and most reliable – saints.
Tanya left us at the In Tavola cooking school where, with the help of professional chefs, each small group created the four course lunch we later enjoyed in their basement dining room. Alfio kept himself busy recording the adventure using a collection of our cameras. I had no idea we’d be able to concoct such delicacies in so short a time! This turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire tour for me and, I suspect, for others.
During the afternoon free time, we climbed to the top of the dome of the Duomo for views that were breath-taking (in more ways than one) and then visited Santa Croce Church using rented audio-guides. In addition to the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo, I wanted to see Giotto’s fresco of the Death of St. Francis and Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel, and we would have seen more but we ran out of time before closing.
Still on our own, we ate a simple but substantial meal at the recommended “self-service” Ristorante Leonardo not far from the Baptistery. The wind was raw and biting as we made our way back to the hotel along mostly deserted streets, grateful for our pull-overs and rain jackets.
Still on our own, we ate a simple but substantial meal at the recommended “self-service” Ristorante Leonardo not far from the Baptistery. The wind was raw and biting as we made our way back to the hotel along mostly deserted streets, grateful for our pull-overs and rain jackets.
The group was up and out by 8:00 a.m. the next morning in order to make our rendezvous with Antonia who would guide us through a small fraction of the world-renowned Uffizi gallery. Antonia knew her stuff and reminded me of a stereotypical English school marm, “shushing” whole galleries and interrupting would-be photo-takers while dispensing crisp analysis of the artwork. It would be difficult to name a favorite room in the museum, though I was most taken by the one with the Madonna Enthroned by each of the trio Cimabue, Duccio and Giotto as well as the Botticelli gallery. The only photograph we were allowed to take was through a window - the famous view of the Ponte Vecchio.
After a quick lunch – yes, pizza again – we visited the Galileo Science Museum next door to the Uffizi, where I was struck as much by the elegance and beauty of the machines as by their originality and ingenuity. A stop at Alfio’s suggested gelateria capped the afternoon before I put up my aching feet for a brief rest.
Our visit to the Accademia was postponed from the afternoon we arrived (it was closed on Mondays after all) to our final afternoon in Florence. Alfio directed us to walk backwards through the main gallery so we could fully appreciate several of Michelangelo’s partially finished statues before turning to see “The David” in all its monumental, ground-breaking splendor. I also had time to view the collection of historic musical instruments, including a 1690 Stradivarius cello.
Dining on our own once again, Chris and I ate at Osteria Vineria i’Brincello, one of Rick Steves’ recommended eateries in the vicinity of the Mercato Centrale. A full moon lit the sky as we returned to the hotel for our final night in Firenze.
Our visit to the Accademia was postponed from the afternoon we arrived (it was closed on Mondays after all) to our final afternoon in Florence. Alfio directed us to walk backwards through the main gallery so we could fully appreciate several of Michelangelo’s partially finished statues before turning to see “The David” in all its monumental, ground-breaking splendor. I also had time to view the collection of historic musical instruments, including a 1690 Stradivarius cello.
Dining on our own once again, Chris and I ate at Osteria Vineria i’Brincello, one of Rick Steves’ recommended eateries in the vicinity of the Mercato Centrale. A full moon lit the sky as we returned to the hotel for our final night in Firenze.