Thank you for your patience as pictures are loading.
On to Orbetello, Pisa and Firenze (Florence), Italy - October 29-30, 2005
Orbetello
After a quick breakfast, it was onto the tour bus for our journey from Roma (Rome) to Firenze (Florence), with a brief stop in Pisa. The tour company is sure to stop every two-or-so hours for a rest and facilities break. Most Italian tour buses are equipped with a toilet, but it is designated for emergency use only as Italy does not have many stations in which the buses can empty the dump tanks.
Our first stop was to, as GiamPaolo would say, 'Drink-a the coffee and make-a the pee-pee' in the coastal town of Orbetello. While there, Bob and Al, who are members of the Ukiah Host Lions Club, noticed that the cafe was the regular meeting place of the Orbetello chapter of Lions and posed for a picture beside their club plaques. Then it was back on the bus and off to Pisa.
Pisa
The drive along the Tyrrhenian coast was beautiful and we arrived mid-day in Pisa. There is really only one attraction in Pisa and that, of course, is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If you look closely, you'll see how the flagpole atop the Tower is perpendicular to the ground, accentuating the 85-degree angle. To attempt to stop further leaning, the Italians inject the ground with a freezing agent to simulate a rock-solid base.
Heading away from the Tower, you first encounter the Duomo (Cathedral), followed by the Baptistery that help to make up the Field of Miracles, or Piazza dei Miracoli, complex.
Firenze (Florence)
Our first evening in Florence, we embarked on the optional excursion that included a 'tradional Florentine meal' in the Tuscan Hills. On the way, we pulled into a scenic overlook to take in Florence at night.
From there, it was on to dinner where we were greeted with what I can only describe as a blue champagne cocktail. Though the dinner came highly recommended, I found it rather disappointing. Other than the spelt (a nutty-flavored grain) soup, the menu and the atmosphere seemed very Americanized. I mean, prime rib and lounge singers belting out Broadway tunes. Not at all what I envisioned!
The saving grace was the fabulous Chianti. Now, I'm not a big wine drinker (even after growing up and living all my life in the California wine country), but the Chianti was wonderful - as is evident by our table. Bob, Dan, Eileen, Al and I made sure we didn't leave any behind!
A walking tour of Florence
The next morning began our day to tour Firenze, or Florence, the capital of Tuscany. As we walked through the narrow alleys and side-streets of Florence, we were amused to pass the Hotel California. Vehicular traffic seemed nearly non-existent while we were there, as it was Sunday so most businesses were closed and folks stayed close to home.
Our first stop was in the Piazza del Duomo, or Cathedral Square, housing the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and Giotto's bell tower, or campanile. The bell tower simply dwarfs the Cathedral and is stunning in its white, red and green marble and geometric designs.
Mvsei Firenze - Galleria dell'Accademia (Florence Museum - Accademia Gallery)
Next, it was a visit the the Mvsei Firenze - Galleria dell'Accademia, or Florence Museum - Accademia Gallery, to see the original David, sculpted by Michelangelo. Words and pictures cannot convey how awe-inspiring this piece of work is. Michelangelo draped himself inside a curtain with a rough, multi-tonned, piece of marble for four years and it yielded The David. Originally sculpted between 1501 and 1504, it was restored and cleaned in 2004, five-hundred years later.
The detail in David is incredible, and so life-like - notice the eyes and the veining in his right hand. The polished marble lends the visual sensation that David's skin is as soft and supple as a newborn's. That Michelangelo was able to achieve this from stone and to gauge the correct balance and posture in such a large piece (17 ft. tall), it boggles the imagination. David now is surrounded by a glass enclosure thanks to a fanatic with a hammer who broke off one of his toes in the 1990's (it has since been repaired).
Another of Michelangelo's works, The Awakening Slave, was another of his works on display. It's impressive to see as it appears as a work in progress. It makes you even more aware of what Michelangelo could 'see' within a solid block of marble.
Signoria Square, Florence
Florence is full of the many replicas of The David, one of which is seen in the Piazza della Signoria, or Signoria Square. We also saw a bronzed version at a scenic lookout point.
One thing about Italy, they live with their art. Many famous original works, or their replicas, are housed in cathedrals or in city squares.
Just in the Signoria Square alone, we saw the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575) (Neptune's right hand had been broken off just a few week's earlier by a young, drunk man who thought it might be fun to climb), the The Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna (1574-82) and Perseus and Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini (1545-54) in bronze.
Ponte Vecchio
Our walk back to the hotel took us past the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge crossing the Arno River that doubles as a shopping mall. We also ventured though streets lined with stores of all types. Most were closed, but it did not stop people from gathering and window-shopping.
