Italy Day 5: Florence

We started out the day at the Accademia, a museum most famous for housing Michelangelo's David. The statue is 17 feet high, gleaming white, standing in his own dome at the museum--and was really quite spectacular.  No photos were allowed in the museum.  Also in the Accademia are a series of unfinished statues by Michelangelo called The Prisoners, another Pieta, and a musical instrument museum with some old Christofori instruments.

In between museums, we wandered through a market and sampled some of the items.

 Look at the size of that focaccia.

 They were making these chips right on the spot.  They were sweet and tasted like fortune cookies.

I loved how close everything was in Florence.  We were never more than a 10-15 minute walk from our hotel, or the Duomo.  The Duomo is so massive, that you think you would always see it, but with all those tall buildings and narrow streets, it isn't always in view.  I loved catching a glimpse of it between buildings.

Next we went to the Bargello Museum which had lots of Donatello sculptures and some more Michelangelo pieces.  No photos were allowed of the famous things, but the building itself was pretty cool.

 Lots of statues.

 The courtyard at the Bargello.

After a morning of museums, we got a quick pizza lunch and then headed to Santa Croce church. It is one of Florence's biggest and oldest churches.

 A statue of Dante has a place of prominence out front.

 The nave is huge and amazing.

Galileo and Michelangelo are buried inside Santa Croce.

Galileo's Tomb

Michelangelo's Tomb

The alter in Santa Croce

The Cloister

As we walked to our next destination, we stumbled upon a parade.  

 I have no idea what it was for, but I loved all their costumes.

Next, we visited the Medici-Riccardi Palace.  Similar to the Palazzo Vecchio, this is where the ruling Medici family (and then later the Riccardi family) lived.  Michelangelo lived here as a teenager with the Medici family.
 This sculpture garden is where Michelangelo first learned to sculpt.

Some of the family apartments.

Our day wouldn't be complete without another long climb with tired legs up lots and lots of stairs.  This time we climbed the campanile, or bell tower.  We had great views at several spots on the way up.

And even more amazing views from the top.

 Once again we lingered at the top, taking time to enjoy the beautiful views all around.

 The Tuscan Hills in the distance.

 Then I took more fun photos on the way down.

For dinner we tried a restaurant recommended in our guidebook.  It was great--some of our best food in Florence.  I had lasagna and David had fettuccine with fresh artichokes for the antipasti.  Then we split a Tuscan steak and potatoes.

We passed all sorts of high end stores as we walked to and from our hotel each day.  I was reminded how very out of fashion I am.  And reminded that I don't really care about fashion at all, especially with these kinds of price tags.  Check out those purple shoes!