We left Rome early in the morning for Florence. Firenze is known for its museums and for the central city area that encompasses the Palazzo Vecchio, Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio. It is full of quaint, narrow streets which create the feeling of a maze.
We intended to only stay a day or two in Florence. But when we arrived in Florence, it was already late morning and we decided to change our plans around. We first tried to find a place to stay. We had finally purchased an Italian prepaid calling card (available from tobacco shops) and were using it to call various pensiones that Suhad had found in our Lonely Planet. Unfortunately, all were full.
Sidenote: If you are going to call the U.S., local prepaid calling cards that are available in each country are much better than U.S. calling cards and they also work for local calls. They are usually available at tobacco shops and newstands.
But as fate would have it, we bumped into Signor Burchi, who happened to be in our Lonely Planet. We talked to him, he quoted a price that was slightly higher than in the book, but we followed him anyway.
As we entered his home, we noted another tourist couple he was cajoling to rent a room. As he was busy, he had his wife take us around. Apparently the other couple didn't want the larger, more expensive room, and when we saw it, his wife offered us a cheaper price. So we got the room, which was more like a flat with its 1/2 kitchen, skylight, bathroom, and sitting area.
From there we walked to the Duomo, the most beautiful building in Firenze. Its distinctive white and green marble, as well as its height, locate the Duomo throughout the older city. As we were leaving, I noticed a handout in Italian describing a free Mozart choral concert. So, we waited around and ran to the front of the line to get front-row seats for the concert.
As fate would have it, we did not know that the museums were open much later during the special "summer hours". We had been told that they had closed at the usual time. So, we toured around the city, visiting the most famous bridge in Firenze, the Ponte Vecchio. Just down the street from the Uffizi Museum and the Palazzo Vecchio, the bridge was the only bridge to survive World War II, as it was the only bridge not blown up by the Nazis in their retreat across the Arno River. I wonder if there was a German officer who purposely disobeyed his orders in order to preserve the history of the bridge.
The bridge is lined with gold and silversmith stores on both sides. If you are thinking about shopping there, the stores are very expensive. There is also a passageway on the bridge lined with paintings linking the Uffizi Museum and another museum, the Pitti Palace. Supposedly, this passage can be viewed by appointment. I'd like to hear from anyone whose actually done this.
We finally headed home after walking to the Pitti Palace, which was still open for another hour. Rather than pay to see a museum for only one hour, and because we were both getting sick, we called it a day and headed back to our pension.
The next day we rested mostly, as the museums in Florence are all closed on Monday. We didn't know this when planning our trip to Firenze. Since we were both sick at this time, it didn't matter too much. However, we did walk to the Chiesa di Santa Croce, where many famous Florentines are buried, including Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo.
Most of the graves line the walls and are very impressive. Poor Galileo was originally buried outside in the paupers' cemetary, as he was a 'discredited' scientist in disfavor with the Church when he died. Of course, many years later they moved his body inside to glorify the 'brilliant' scientist.
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