Day 76 - Lunedi 24 Giugno 2013

Day in Florence.

I mentioned I had a plan to look around Florence today. This was based on advice I was given by a man who is a professional guide and is staying at the hostel. My itinerary was to go to Galleria delli Accademia to see Michaelangelo's David and then to Palazzia Pitti where there is also an art gallery. He thought the Museo Uffizi may be too much for me! He must have seen that I am an uncultured ignoramus. I know that my brother David will be disappointed that I didn't see Michelangelo's version of him! There is a copy of he statue in the Piazza deli Signora so that will have to do!

I got a nice early start thinking I would avoid the queues and found the Accademia and the Pitti were both closed on a Monday! The Uffizi was open and it was only 6 euros to enter. Even to a thicky like me I actually enjoyed it and recognised many of the masters. There were paintings by Gioto, Daddi, Leonardo Di Vinci, Michelangelo, Rubens, Van Dyck, Raphael and (wait for it, my favourite University Challenge answer) Carravagio. My University Challenge scores should go up considerably. There were fantastic sculptures and the building was beautiful as well. Sorry there are no photos as non were allowed.

I also went to the Duomo Museo and learned a bit about the building of the Cathedral. The man who built the Dome is called Brunelleschi and according to my guide friend it is still an engineering mystery how he did it with the methods and materials he had at the time. In this museum there is Michelangelo's Pietr. I thought it would make up for not seeing David so I would see his version of my other brother Peter but this turned out to be a statue of Jesus being taken down from the cross and 'pietr' is a word meaning sadness or sorrow.

I had a look in the Cathedral itself and found it a bit disappointing, in comparison to the ornate and grand exterior the interior was quite plain. It is certainly big but I don't think it will end up as the best church of the holiday! Inside the Cathedral was a queue to go down to the crypt and I thought I would join it. I waited in line and eventually got to an iron grille to look into the crypt. I didn't know what we were going to see and why so many people would queue for it. When I looked through it was a flat engraved tombstone for Brunelleschi. It amused me that most of the people in the queue didn't know what they were queuing for and the anticlimax they would feel when they eventually saw what it was. I felt like doing a 'Dom Jolly' buy getting out a large mobile phone and shouting 'Yeah, I've seen the crypt and its crap'!

I went to a couple of lovely churches, San Marco and San Firenze both were fantastically ornate and very quiet. I went to Santa Croce but it was closed and in the piazza there was an organised sports event set up for later in the evening. Temporary grandstands were in place and a sandy pitch in the middle. It was a 'free for all' match with no rules between two teams. A man described it as a mix between American Football, Rugby and Boxing! It sounds like the 'Uppies and Downies' matches at Workington. The event looked very organised with security guards, paramedics and police but sadly there were no tickets available to watch it and the whole area was cordoned off for people without a ticket.

I also crossed the River Arno on Ponte Vecchio which is full of expensive jewellery shops and I had a look at Palazzio Pitti and by chance found a house where Dostoyevsky lived.

I have just found out that Berlusconi has been sentenced to 7 years for having sex with an underage prostitute. How sad that such a fine upstanding politician has come to this!!

This evening it has thrown a heavy thunder storm and I have stayed at the hostel. It must be full to capacity with a couple of school groups from France and Spain. The place is buzzing because everyone is staying in rather than going down into the city. I think the 'no rules' game would have been a wash out. I'm glad I didn't get a ticket.

Tomorrow I am on the bike and go to Arezzo. I will be following the Eurovelo 7 route but I have no expectations that there will be any signs! I think we may have sun again in the morning.

Photo 1, Inside San Marco.
Photo 2, View of Ponte Vecchio over the Arno.
Photo 3, Michelangelo's Pietr.
Photo 4, Dostoyevsky plaque.
Photo 5, Inside the Duomo.
Photo 6, In the Duomo again!
Photo 7, San Firenze.
Photo 8, The 'no rules' pitch.
Photo 9, Procession for John the Baptist Day, I have been told!
Photo 10, Same again.