Arrivederci Firenze

Published on: May 15, 2006

My last two days in Florence were filled with many strong images. On Sunday, after visiting the Duomo, I headed out to the Uffizi Gallery, where I had a reservation for 9:30 am. One of the most prestigious art galleries in the world, I'd made reservations online before coming to Italy to ensure the time and day I wanted to get in. Without it, the wait can be for many hours, especially on the weekends. Here's the view outside the entrance.

Some of the greatest works of art from the Renaissance can be seen here, including works by Botticelli, Da Vinci, Rafael, Giotto and Michaelangelo. A great majority of the pieces have religious themes, focusing on the Madonna and Child or The Annunication, for instance. They also had a special exhibit on Da Vinci, with some of his original writings. My favorite pieces in the museum were Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, expressing another favorite theme of Renaissance painters, Classical Mythology.

I saw more of this mythology theme on Monday at il Museo degli Argenti at the Palazzo Pitti. Before that, I spent three hours perusing the vast expanse of the Giardini di Boboli, another Florence gem that was laid out in 1550 for the Medici family, and opened to the public in 1766. I arrived at the gardens early enough to have the place to myself for nearly an hour, until busloads of Italian children arrived for fieldtrips. I walked many paths like the one below, with trees arching over the walkway.

Here's a view of the rose gardens, with thousands of peonies in bloom. The air was perfumed with their sweet scent.

The gardens lie behind the Palazzo Pitti, which the Medici acquired in 1550 as their family residence. Here's a view of the back of the palace, from the gardens.

A young Italian man took this photo of me sitting in one of the many grottos in the gardens.

I spent the rest of my last day in Florence revisiting the many spots that were now familiar to me, from Ponte Vecchio to the Duomo; from the San Lorenzo markets to the Piazza della Signoria. Ponte Vecchio, or old bridge, was built in 1345 and was the only bridge to escape destruction during WWII.

One of the favorite pastimes of Florentines is the evening stroll, or "passeggiata," and I became very fond of spending my evening hours along with everyone else, strolling the streets of Florence or hanging out in the piazzas. On my last night in Florence, I hung out for several hours at la Piazza di San Giovanni, near the Duomo. There was a group of young adult Italians sitting to the right of me, and groups of young adults from a variety of countries sitting to my left. And it's true that they stroll...people of all ages, arm in arm, walking along together. It's somehow more elegant and old-fashioned than holding hands, as we tend to do in the States. Below is a photo of the scene in the piazza that evening.

Another thing that I grew fond of in Italy was the pealing of the bells: in every town, at various times, you'd hear bells pealing from tall towers. Sometimes it was to mark the hour; other times it would ring just before the hour...I never understood the system that seemed to change from town to town, but I figured there was some sense to it, if I really cared to find out.