We all slept in - the rooms get very dark with the shutters closed. And, even though the living room, where the kids are sleeping, is right on the Arno, with the windows closed it's completely silent. The breakfast was as wonderful as expected. We enjoyed views over the Duomo as we sipped the best cappuccino we’ve had thus far in Italy.
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| Palazzo Davanzati |
After breakfast, we walked across to the Palazzo Davanzati for our tour. We were a few minutes late so we rushed by our car, still parked in the piazza, but now with a ticket on it. Josh left the ticket on the window and we joined the tour inside. It was interesting to listen to the guide talk (in Italian) about how the family lived in the dwelling in the 14th century. Many of the rooms were beautifully decorated, particularly the bedrooms. One can immediately understand why wallpaper was invented. Who wouldn’t want to replicate this level of artistry on their walls? The kitchen was located on the top floor – as all kitchens were in that period – in order to allow the smoke to escape through the open courtyard and to limit the damage to the palazzo in the event of fire (which was not infrequent).
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| Piazza Duomo |
Afterwards, we walked over to the Duomo – where we were immediately struck by the hordes of tourists. It was too crowded to be enjoyable. Florence, it seems, has become a Renaissance theme park. It made us so happy that we chose Rome over Florence as a place to live. We wanted to take the kids up to the Torre, but the line was so long, we passed. We couldn't go inside the Duomo either, because the line was so long – the equivalent of two city blocks. So, we decided to go to the outdoor market at San Lorenzo instead.
We made our way around the church of San Lorenzo to the Medici Chapels. This time we found a tolerable line, -- only ½ a city block – so we decided to wait. Plus there was a bench in the piazza where we could rest in shifts. The Medici Chapels are comprised of two structures that were added on to Brunelleschi’s original design of the Basilica di San Lorenzo. Each chapel is intended to celebrate the power of the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. The first one, the Sagrestia Nuova (New Sacristy) is designed by Michelangelo but was never completed. The second one is called Capella dei Principe (Chapel of Princes) and is from the 17th century.
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| Medici Chapel |
Once inside, we climbed the stairs to the entrance of the “over-the-top” opulent chapel of the “Mediocre Medicis.” This chapel is an octagon with an enormous dome – 59 meters high. The entire chapel is covered in colored marble and precious stones. It takes gaudy to a whole new level. The chapel was the idea of Cosimo I’s, but it was put in place by Ferdinand I de Medici. Only two of the eight niches have sculptures of Medici – Ferdinand I in one, and Cosimo II in another. The six enormous sarcophagi are empty. The Medici remains are interred in the crypt below.
From this grand and colorful chapel, we then entered the chapel designed by Michelangelo – more intimate, and just white. He designed the chapel between 1521 and 1524, and sculpted its monuments with the figures representing the four times of day. These reclining figures on the tombs would influence sculpture for generations to come. The fact that the Medicis were thrown out of Florence in 1527, and that Michelangelo himself left for Rome in 1534 meant the chapel was never finished. But, you can still see his notes in pencil on several of the walls.
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| Lunchtime |
Now, it was time for lunch. We had a quick meal at a bar where we could still order warm foods. Then, we rounded the corner to visit the Palazzo Medici- Riccardi. This was quite an upgrade from the Davanzati – larger and more refined, although its from a full century later. Michelozzo di Bartolomeo designed this Palazzo which was built between 1445 and 1460 for Cosimo de Medici. Inside, the Palazzo has its own chapel -- The Magi Chapel -- is beautifully frescoed by Benozzo Gozzoli. It was completed in 1461, is incredibly detailed, and includes members of the Medici family. The period rooms had frescoed ceilings. A was a wonderful peak into the lives of Florence’s royal family, the Medici’s and Lorenzo the Magnificent.
We walked back to the hotel so Avery could have a nap. As we approached our street, I immediately noticed that our car was gone. The worst of our fears had been realized – the car had been towed. We could have parked in a garage for 30euros a day, but we took a gamble and thought we had a legal space. Now it would cost us double to get the car out. The receptionist at the hotel confirmed that the pound would be open tomorrow, and that each additional day costs only 7euros. At this point, we figured we might as well wait and pick it up tomorrow. So we decided to leave the girls watching TV in the apartment while Avery slept. Meanwhile Josh and I took the opportunity to head out to the Bargello Museum.
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| Donatello's David |
The Bargello houses some unique sculptures in a very cool, fortress-like palazzo that dates back to the 13th century. It used to house the city council and was subsequently used as a police station and then a prison. It has an open courtyard with marble, plaque-like coats of arms all over the walls. Inside we saw the sculpture of David by Donatello and several Michelangelo sculptures including Bacchus and Madonna and Child.
Then we walked over to the Basilica di Santa Croce to see some of the tombs of famous Florentines. This church is the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini, just to name a few. It is also the largest Franciscan church in the World. It houses 16 chapels, many of them decorated with frescoes by Giotto and his school. Construction of the current church was started in 1294.
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| Pazzi Chapel |
Another line here, but not too long. We were warned before coming to Florence that all the churches charge admission, and we didn’t really think much about it. But now that we are here, it does feel wrong to pay to go inside a church. There are no churches in Rome that charge admission – not even St. Peters or the Pantheon! Once inside, we visited the tomb of Michelangelo, the cloister and the Pazzi chapel designed by Brunelleschi. Just as we’d concluded our tour, we got the call from Charlotte that Avery was up.
We walked back to our hotel and our kids. Once we were all dressed and ready for dinner, we first enjoyed the sunset view from the terrace of Antica Torre. Josh and I had a glass of wine and took some photos. So far, the best part of this visit to Florence is the hotel. It’s a refuge in the middle of the chaos; and the terraces offer magnificent views as well as much needed solitude. Tonight our dinner restaurant of choice, Trattoria Sostoiza was closer to the hotel. A simple, white room, again with communal tables -- but tonight we had our own. Another round of steak Fiorentino. It’s hard to say which was better, tonight or last night as both were excellent. This restaurant is also known for a butter chicken dish, which was excellent (what doesn’t taste good in butter?), as well as an artichoke pie.
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| The amazing Terrace |
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