Day 2: Florence & Pisa

Day 2: Florence & Pisa Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy

After a night of very little sleep, we started the day with ‘Nice Morning’ cereal and made some tea and coffee in our apartment. A few things that are different here than at home: – Hair Dryer (see photo) – The sweet locking system and key for our 16th century apartment (see photo) – The bathrooms of course come standard with bidet (see photo) – ‘Pizza to go’ exists, but ‘Coffee to go’ does not! However, it’s amazing everywhere we’ve tried it. So sit down, take the time to enjoy your coffee and then go about your day (love this laid back European pace)! Our private tour guide, Simona, arrived promptly at our door at 9am to start our walking tour of the city (Florence). We headed to the Galleria Academia to view the incredible sculptures of Michelangelo. We were pleasantly shocked to see our apartment was only a block away from this famous site. Simona took us inside and was very quickly recognized by the employees, and greeted as a ‘regular.’ She shared she’s here about three times per week. It was great to have tickets reserved and our own private guide! No wait (vs the 100 people already lined up outside), and Simona directed us to so many unique pieces of Florentine history within the Galleria that we likely would have overlooked on our own. Since the Galleria Academia is first known for the many famous sculptures of Michelangelo, it surprised us to learn so much about it’s musical history. We saw original Stradivarius violins, and various styles of pianos (never knew the piano was invented in Florence), including a vertical piano (apparently this version does not sound good though). In order to maintain their sound, the Stradivirus violins must be played every 5-6 months. The instructors from the music contemporary have the honor of playing these on occasion. Other rare pieces of art included the first Renaissance painting that touched on true dimension, religious paintings clearly made for residences (circular in shape) vs religious buildings, a few varieties of the Madonna, and several gold paintings done directly on wood vs canvas. We then proceeded to the room dedicated to Michelangelo’s work. Wow! From a far you immediately spot the statue of David towering over the room, but you quickly notice you’re surrounded by other various masses of marble leading up to David. These are unfinished pieces of work Michelangelo was working on near the age of 81! Let me tell you, although they are not finished they are certainly still magnificent pieces of art. I can’t even begin to fathom how 1) marble was transported at this time in history, 2) how these pieces of art stayed so proportionate while chiseling away piece by piece and 3) really how “quickly” these could be made…to give you perspective, David was created when Michelangelo was 26 years old in only 3 years. The statue of David stands 13ft tall and weighs 7 TONS! That’s my car x23!! At this time, this statue is 510 years old (was just restored in the last year to remove the dust and debris that had build up over time). They have recently changed the rules here (June 5th), so as long as you don’t use a flash you can now take photos of this massive sculpture! Also in the Galleria are many plaster sculptures that are replicas made before the ones in marble are produced (answers my questions of how things stay proportionate) – they serve as a guide for the sculpture. I seriously wonder how many people don’t know this as they look through the Galleria snapping photos! This type of plaster replica of David sits outside in the Piazza Signoria. Simona also shared with us more history about the Medici family. They had a passion for art and learning which is why so much of what we see in Florence is here today. Before the country was unified, this family ruled the region and their coat of arms is spotted in several places throughout the city and even on the Stradivarius violins! One of the coat of arms hangs above the staircase of our apartment. The rest of the morning included us navigating the Florence streets to see the Duomo (4th largest church in the world), Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery with its’ famous bronze doors, and Ponte Vecchio. During this time, Simona shared great stories about the culture and traditions of Florence. We also asked her favorite type of local olive oil and she told us she buys olive oil annually for her family of three immediately following the harvest in November (she buys ~15 liters for the year!). We passed the famous bronze statue/fountain of the wild boar and rubbed its snout for good luck. We also had to place a coin in its mouth and let it fall with hopes of it falling through the grate on the ground below (symbolizes you will return to Florence). Glad to report mine made it through, as I’ll gladly return here! One other fun fact – the story of Pinocchio originated in Florence. It’s the first story their children learn to teach them the importance of not lying. We spotted several Pinocchio’s around town! Following our tour, we grabbed a casual lunch of thin crust pizza and salad before meeting a new driver for a quick trip to Pisa! The drive to Pisa was beautiful. We passed many rolling hills of Tuscany which got us all so excited for our day tomorrow when we spend time in San Gimignano and Chianti. We also passed the city where Vespas are made on our way to Pisa! Many friends that have visited Italy prepared us that you should simply stop by Pisa to see the Leaning Tower – so we did just that. What a fun time! It was so entertaining to watch people from all around the world to help each other take their comical Pisa photos holding up or pushing over the tower. Another very photogenic city that we enjoyed exploring. We sat for a short afternoon cappuccino and decided to sample some local pastries – mini cream puffs, cannoli and macaroons! After returning ‘home’ to our apartment in Florence near 6pm we set out to explore some new areas within the city for some relaxing before dinner and to try another amazing dinner spot! We shared a bottle of Prosseco on a great little side street and the restaurant kindly invited us to various appetizers set up by the main bar. We wondered to the more Southern part of the city, across the famous bridge in town and tried to catch dinner at a very popular local Risotrente; but, discovered they only accept reservations. We hope to make it back there before the end of the week! Instead, we walked closer back to Piazza Signoria and enjoyed a fabulous meal at dei Frescobaldi. Here we shared a bottle of Montesodi , two starters, spaghetti with chard pork cheek and risotto with zucchini flowers and peas. Bryan and Jeff both had a steak dish as the main course (Bryan’s included crispy potatoes and Jeff’s had the most thinly sliced truffles I’ve ever seen – both were very nicely prepared), and mom and I shared a veal dish with swiss c******* a bed of spinach. Although too full, we decided we had to try one of the fresh fruit with homemade whip cream options for dessert after seeing it for two days now! The thin crispy layers of dough mixed with fresh cream and exceptional raspberries were the perfect ending to a long day 2! We’re all headed to bed now (made it to midnight!!), so we can get some rest before our early departure to San Gimignano in the morning.