Day 14: Florence

The baptistery and cathedral of Florence

This morning we took a two-hour walking tour of Florence, first city of the Renaissance. I usually dread these walking tours in Florence. Many of the local guides seem to go through the motions. They don't seem to have any excitement left for their city, despite the fact that they must take a very rigorous exam in Florentine history.

Love the view!

I'm very happy to report that this tour was much different. Olivera, our local guide for the day was very enthusiastic about Florence, and knew a few secrets about touring the city. For example, on Mondays the museum that occupies the first two floors of the Orsanmichele are open. They are only open on Mondays, and on no other days. Orsanmichele is an open loggia that was closed up on all four sides and converted to a church that was dedicated to the guilds of Florence. The top two floors were added to allow the Florentines to continue using the space as a grain market. Those floors now house the statues of the patron saints of each of the guilds that once adorned the outside of the building. The very top floor gave us amazing views over the rooftops of Florence to all of the major landmarks.

Rubbing the pig's nose is supposed to bel lucky.

Our walking tour took us through the Piazza della Signoria and down to Piazza Santa Croce. This piazza is currently being used as a big theater to host a performance of Dante's Inferno by Roberto Benigni. Unfortunately, we did not come here for that. We came here to visit Misuri Leather. There was much money spent in this store, none of it by me. I have always wanted to buy a nice leather bag for work here. However, even the most modest bag in Florence is beyond my budgetary level of comfort.

Modeling jackets at Misuri Leather

The rest of day was ours to explore Florence. Some of us chose to go shopping again. Some of us chose to climb the steps up to the top of Brunelleschi's Dome. Some of us chose to haggle in one of the markets (this worked out very well). Some of us chose to drool over Ferragamo shoes.

Early 20th-century spa in Montecatini

The end of the day found us back in Montecatini. A free concert at the old spa down the street gave us the opportunity to stroll through the spa's gardens, a privilege that usually costs 7€. Tomorrow is a busy day. We drive to Rome, with a stop in Assisi.

 

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