From Rome, Grandma flew home and the boys and I took the train to Florence.
It has been a special time to have Grandma with us for the first six weeks of our travels.
The next few days were filled with comments like, "Oh Grandma would have loved this!"
I was also thinking fondly of my amazing mom who gave me a very memorable
gift many years ago. I was on a study abroad program with my university.
On my 20th birthday, I woke up in Rome, took the train to Pisa, and then on to
Florence. When I arrived in Florence, there was a FedEx package waiting for me at the
hotel. It was a "Happy Birthday" from my mom. Inside was her credit card and a note
telling me to go and buy a leather jacket for my birthday. I still have that jacket.
Speaking of leather purchases, our first morning, we wandered through the San Lorenzo market on our way to the Mercato Centrale. The Optimist had somehow misplaced his leather belt in Rome.
We were certain that Florence - with all its leather markets - would be the
ideal place to find a replacement. He looked carefully, found a few contenders,
bartered heavily, but opted to wait and look around a bit more.
So we headed to Mercate Centrale to have a look around at all the
fresh meat, fish, produce, vinegar, etc. and to grab a cheap but delicious
bite to eat.
Fresh made tortellini with a ham and leek cream sauce and
cheese ravioli with Bolognese. Yummy!
With happy tummies, we headed off to see some of the sites.
Just around the corner was the Basilica of San Lorenzo.
San Lorenzo was part of the famous Medici family - powerful and wealthy patrons of Italy, particularly the city of Florence. They contributed significantly to the rise of the Renaissance era.
The story begins with Giovanni Medici who came to Florence in the late 14th century.
He was the banker for the Papal court and came to set up headquarters in Florence.
He held public office and amassed an immense fortune. He was the de facto ruler of Florence.
After his death, his son Cosimo began his life's work of supporting the arts by commissioning great artists, funding the construction of churches for these artists to do their work in, and
sending teams of people far and wide to build a library of enormous volume.
However, it was his grandson, Lorenzo who is remembered most kindly by the people
of Florence. He was called, Il Magnifico. He continued his grandfather's works as well
as spending mass amounts of money improving the circumstances of the poor.
Unfortunately, he did not manage his own money very well.
By the time of his death at the end of the 15th century, the Medici family fortune was all but gone,
but the city of Florence was changed forever and the Renaissance had blossomed.
The Basilica of San Lorenzo
We did a wonderful walking tour with a tablet and headphones that
explained the history, art, and architecture of the basilica and surrounding areas.
The famous sculptor, Donatello is buried here.
Many of these rooms are filled the enormous book collection of the Medici family.
Michelangelo designed the library, the Bibliotecha Laurenziana, and sculpted
the crypts of Lorenzo and Giuliano Medici.
We saw two replicas of Michelangelo's David during our time in Florence.
The first was in the Piazza della Signoria. This is where the original was displayed until
it was removed for safekeeping to the Accademia Gallery in 1873.
The other was a bronze in the Piazalle Michelangelo, the best place to hike for a beautiful
view of the city....but more on that later.
We agreed that this could be NoFear's first car.
Charming sights everywhere in the streets of Florence.
Continuing our intensive research from Rome, we had consistently inquired and sought out
samples of gelato throughout the city. On this day, based on a recommendation we
found online, we hit serious pay dirt. Florence is the home of gelato, and this is the best gelato
we found in all of Florence. We therefore dub
Vivoli's - The Best Gelato in the WORLD!...at least according to this crew.
The neon sign is hard to see but don't miss this one. Delicious!
Just around the corner, we headed for the Basilica di Santa Croce.
This Franciscan church was built toward the end of the 13th century.
It houses many tombs of some of the most famous figures...
...Michelangelo
...Galileo - born in Pisa, but buried here.
... and this memorial to Dante - although his sarcophogus is empty.
From the main church there is a courtyard that leads to many smaller chapels.
Our favorite was the Santa Croce Refectory.
One entire wall is filled with the works of Taddeo Gaddi.
We sat for a long time and admired, Last Supper, the Tree of Life, and Four Miracles.
The Ponte Vecchio
This famous bridge used to house all the butchers in Florence - who no doubt found the river
a handy repository for any leftovers. Ew! The area developed a certain aroma that was
displeasing to the wealthy people on the hill above.
They passed a law that continues to this day.
Only jewelers can operate a business on the Ponte Vecchio.
After walking along the river and seeing the sights of Ponte Vecchio we headed back
toward the apartment to rest and get some school work done.
Suddenly, The Optimist spied a leather belt stand glowing in the distance!
The perfect church belt, custom sized to just the right fit.
Happiness!
Later that night, the boys had one thing left on their agenda that they insisted on seeing,
The Leonard DaVinci museum. It was just around the corner, so off we went.
Many of the exhibits were hands-on, so this small museum was perfect
for the boys to spend some time twiddling with all the inventions.
DaVinci created a working robot!
Flying machines and tanks along with an enormous number
of gears, scales, pulleys, etc., tasked with all kinds of jobs.
Also on display, some of his notebooks filled with his notes, drawings, and ideas.
Fortunately, these were displayed near a bench so an exhausted MamaG could quietly sit and
enjoy them while the boys played until the museum closed and they sent us home.
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