Florence Day Two

Our first morning in Florence, we all got to experience the delicious breakfast at our hotel, the Stella Mary, consisting of what Lisa calls “anti-coffee,” croissants, cornflakes, and various packaged products, including some cookies, although the boys managed to take all those of before we could eat them. After that we went to the church of Santa Croce, where we heard the story of the conflicts between the Pazzi and the Medici families, and saw the tombs of Dante, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. We also saw the chapels where frescoes by Giotto had been uncovered, dating from the 1300s. After visiting the Pazzi chapel, we relaxed in the cloister for a little while to hear more of the Medici saga, before moving on to our appointment at the Uffizi.

After waiting for what seemed like an unnecessarily long time in the “group line” and making sure we didn’t have any liquids in our backpacks, we made it into the Gallery itself. Lisa told us that we were free to wander, but that she would point out a few important things, so we all followed her for a while, then split up. The Uffizi were amazing: every room was full of beautiful paintings and sculptures. Despite having been there for over two hours, Sam and I managed to miss two of the most famous paintings: The Birth of Venus and Primavera, both by Botticelli. When we met up with more of the group at the entrance to the special Leonardo exhibit at the end, we were immediately sent back up to see the paintings, which were beautiful. After going through the exhibit of some of Leonardo da Vinci’s designs and models which was set up before the exit, we found ourselves in a series of gift shops, containing everything from posters to playing cards.

Having finally navigated through all the gift shops and reached the exit, Sam and I found ourselves again separated from the rest of the group. After no one showed up on time for the meeting we set (which admittedly we didn’t tell them about), we headed out on our own. Despite getting slightly lost, we used our amazing navigational skills to find first the coffee shop from the day before, then our hotel, using Dolce and Gabbana stores as landmarks. We arrived at the hotel to find that no one else from the group was there, but that Lisa had a sign on her door promising a meeting for a shopping trip at 3:30. We found Shannon and George in the hotel, but when we all went down at 3:30, Lisa was no where to be found, so we decided to set out and shop on our own before our appointment at Palazzo Vecchio at 5:00.

After a successful shopping trip, we met up with the rest of the group who was going on the tour at 5:00, including Lisa, and then ran into the group who had gone at 3:30. Everyone agreed that the tour was really neat, but Aston got a few warnings to watch his head, which got us intrigued about where exactly we would be going. The Palazzo Vecchio was amazing, especially a room shaped like a treasure chest which was covered in paintings, behind each of which was a cabinet which would have contained Medici possessions such as medicines or jewels. We also got to go up and look at the ceiling of the Sala dei Cinquecento, where we saw the wood beams (80% original!) and the system which kept the enormous paintings in place.

After the Palazzo Vecchio visit, we went to a perfume store which Lisa had recommended, where you could mix your own scents and create a personalized perfume. We didn’t stay there for long, because it was just about dinnertime and some of the boys were getting a little cranky… We set out to find a restaurant that Lisa had recommended, and then split up. Erin, Rebecca, Jen, Carissa, Julie and I stayed to eat there, where we saw Lisa eating with Reshat and Kathie. Everyone agreed that the food was really great- thanks for the recommendation Lisa!

After that, we headed back across the river to our hotel, stopping for gelato on the way. After being followed by a frightening man who wouldn’t leave us alone, we ducked into a bookstore for safety, then went out the back entrance. We made it back safely to the hotel, but it was certainly a different experience of Italy than we’d had so far. The night ended with everyone finishing up their readings and getting ready for our next day of adventures in Florence.

-Risa