Italy Day 6: Florence

We started out our last full day in Florence at the Museum of San Marco.  This was an old monastery with paintings by Fra Angelico in all of the cells.  The paintings were beautiful--I think Fra Angelico must have been a very spiritual man.  He painted many crucifixion scenes throughout the monastery and it was said that he could not paint a crucifixion without crying.  This museum had the cell of Savonarola, a priest who tried to bring religious orthodoxy back to Florence and even ruled Florence for a time before he was burned in the town square.  We also saw old music books used by the monks.  No photos were allowed inside the museum.  

We spent some time wandering through the Mercado Central and some nearby markets.  I loved these beautiful pastas.  We bought some to bring home.

 Yikes!  The head is still on!

 Next we went to the Uffizi museum.  We saw this guy on the way.

 The Uffizi was incredible!  The building itself was cool, but the art inside was amazing.

 We saw Botticelli's, The Birth of Venus

 The Annunciation, by Leonardo da Vinci

 and The Baptism of Christ by Leonardo da Vinci.

 This was a cool rotunda gallery, with a spectacular dome and a beautiful marble floor.

 The Uffizi overlooked the Arno river and the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

 We also saw The Holy Family by Michelangelo

 We listened to the Rick Steve's audio tour which directed us to all the highlights.

We left the museum and found another great market.  This boar statue reminded me of the pig at Pike's Place in Seattle.

Let's take a closer look.  

 A view of a typical street.

After a brief rest at our hotel--all the walking at the Uffizi wore us out--we ventured across the Arno to the Pitti Palace.  This huge building, with a facade more than two football fields long, was the palatial residence of the Medici family.  Quoting my guidebook, "For nearly two centuries (1549-1737) this palace was arguably Europe's cultural center, setting trends in the arts, sciences, and social mores."  We visited the Palentine Gallery, boasting art from Filippo Lippi, Rapheal and Titian and the Royal Apartments, with amazing Italian and French decor.  This is where Florence's aristocrats lived in the 18th and 19th centuries.  No pictures were allowed inside.  We wanted to tour the famous Boboli gardens, but they were still operating on winter hours, so the gardens closed early.

We also stopped for a short while at the Galileo Science Museum (I forgot to take pictures).  This museum, which we rushed through in about 45 minutes before it closed (we actually had to beg to be let in--they were sure we wouldn't have enough time to see it) had early telescopes, clocks, and experiments and even Galileo's finger in a jar.  Eek!

We crossed back over the river and took the long walk to Piazza Michelangelo for amazing views of the city.  We tried to find a cab to take us, but we had no luck, so we ended up walking the whole way.

 Stairs and arches along the way,

and the pathway up to Piazza Michelangelo.

 The view was worth the walk.

 The sky was so interesting.

 And of course, a view of the red roofed Duomo was the highlight.

 I loved all the bridges over the river.

 Look at that sky.

Once again, we found ourselves lingering atop a high point watching the sun go down over this beautiful city.

Going down the hill was a bit easier.  We stayed on the other side of the river in the Olterarno side of town and took a walking tour through the area where the craftsman and trade shops are located.  Since it was evening, most of the shops were closed, but it was still interesting to walk through the neighborhoods.  We ate dinner there near the Santa Spirito church, but didn't get to go into the church since it was closed for the evening.