Venice, Day 1: How to Travel From Florence to Venice - taking Italo

Italo is a disappointment. We heard it was built by Ferrari, so we expected it to be fancy. It turned out to be just an all right high-speed train showing signs of wear and tear. It would be nice they at least wash the exterior of the train, so tourists can have a better picture. See the photo below, doesn't the train look dirty? Spain's high-speed train Renfe is way better.

Florence, Day 5: Last Supper in Florence

We had our last supper in Florence. To top it off, we went for a gelato run. The chocolate fountain wall in the gelato shop made it so tempting. Don’t you just want to dip strawberries in that fountain wall? In Italy, we had gelato almost everyday. When I cam home from the trip, I was really depressed I couldn’t find any gelato as good as what we had in Italy, 

Florence, Day 4: Palazzo Pitti

In the late afternoon, we crossed the river to the Oltrano neighborhood to visit Palazzo Pitti as our final stop.

Palazzo Pitti looks like a stone fortress from outside. There were a lot of people chilling at the square in front of the palazzo.

Florence, Day 4: Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio, “old bridge” in Italian, is a stone bridge over Arno River. First built in 996, destroyed by a flood in 1117, reconstructed but destroyed again in 1333, it was rebuilt again in 1345. The bridge had always been housing shops. Until 1400s, there were butchers and fish mongers doing business on the bridge, they were evicted later in order to make the bridge cleaner and more refined. Gold merchants moved in.

Florence, Day 4: Bargello

Since the Florence Cards we bought allowed us to see pretty much all the culture sites in Florence, we decided to keep visiting different sites until we dropped. Our next stop was National Museum of Bargello, a former prison and place of execution. Inside the building, it is spacious and airy. It’s hard to picture it as a prison. Bargello is the oldest public building in Florence.

Bargello is an underrated museum that houses sculptures by many of the masters you come to Florence to see. Here you will find a room full of Michelangelo’s sculptures. The museum is not as crowded as Uffizi and Accademia. You can actually sit down and take your time to observe the sculptures. You can also find Italian school classes conducting their field trips here.

The whole museum experience was very relaxing and enjoyable for me because I didn’t have to beat the crowd to see the masterpieces. The only problem was the battery of my Micro 4/3 camera was still dead, meaning I had to use a backup point and shoot for the rest of the day. Bummer! Note to myself, always charge the battery fully the night before.

The staircase in the inner courtyard leads you to the second floor. There are coats of arms on the wall.

Florence, Day 4: Medici Chapels (Cappelle Medicee)

In early 1400s, there was the first Medici chapel called the Old Sacristy (Sagrestia Vecchia). It was designed by Brunelleschi.

In 1520, the Medici Pope Leo X commissioned Michelangelo to design a funeral chapel, the New Sacristy (Sagrestia Nuova) for some of his more esteemed family members. The New Sacristy is on the opposite side of the transept to balance the Old Sacristy. In the 17th century, Chapel of the Princes (Cappella dei Principi) was built by Matteo Nigetti. 

The octagonal dome of the Chapel of the Princes (Cappella dei Principi) features scenes from Old and New Testaments.

Florence, Day 4: Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence

Basilica of San Lorenzo is the Medici family’s private church. It is part of a large property which includes the church, the Old Sacristy designed by Brunelleschi, the New Sacristy by Michelangelo, Chapel of the Princes by Matteo Nigetti, and Laurentian Library by Michelangelo. It is one of the best examples of Renaissance architecture.

Florence, Day 4: Michelangelo's Library

Our next destination was Laurentian Library designed and built by Michelangelo. It is just one block away from Palazzo Medici Riccardi. JJ had been looking forward to see this after he saw the magnificent pictures of Michelangelo’s library online. Laurentian Library was commissioned by the Medici and holds the manuscripts and books owned by the Medici family. The library is an example of Mannerism in architecture, depicted by unexpected elements that broke the traditions of the Renaissance norms.

The library is adjacent to Basilica of San Lorenzo. Outside the library, it is Piazza San Lorenzo. In the middle of the piazza, you can find the statue named Monument to Giovanni della Bande Nere. The statue was commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici to pay tribute to his father, Lodovico de Medici also known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere.

Florence, Day 4: Palazzo Medici Riccardi PART 2

This painting, Procession of the Magi, is in the private chapel inside Palazzo Medici Riccardi. It depicts three wise men travel to Bethlehem to see the Christ child. The idealized version of Lorenzo the Magnificent is on the white horse close to the right.

Florence, Day 4: Palazzo Medici Riccardi PART 1

Palazzo Medici Riccardi, a Renaissance palace, was built between 1444 and 1484 for the Medici banking family. Cosimo de’ Medici, the first Medici to hold power in Florence, commissioned Michelozzo di Bartolommeo to build the palace. In 17th century, the Medici family moved to Palazzo Vecchio first and Palazzo Pitti later. Palazzo Medici Riccardi was acquired by the Riccardi family in 1659.

Palazzo Medici Riccardi was the residence of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Cosimo’s grandson. Michelangelo lived here when he was a teenager. Lorenzo de Medici sponsored young Michelangelo developing his talent.

The humble exterior features rusticated stone walls.

Florence, Day 4: Inside Florence Duomo

The architectural style of Florence Duomo is Italian Gothic Renaissance. The building was completed in 1436. The famous dome was engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi. The facade of the cathedral is composed of white, green and red marbles. The facade and campanile are usually credited to Giotto di Bondone. In fact, the facade was the work of several artists. I find it hard to attribute the facade to a particular artist.

Florence, Day 4: Climbing Florence Duomo

We accidentally walked to the entrance for climbing the dome of Florence Duomo. JJ is not a big fan of climbing any dome after he climbed the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. We walked inside and couldn’t turn back because it was one way system. We had no choice but followed the crowd to climb the dome. JJ was not happy.

While we were climbing, we could see the interior of the dome.

Florence, Day 4: Florence Baptistry

In the early morning, we wanted to visit Florence Duomo. It was not open yet as we were half an hour early. Therefore we crossed the street to check out Florence Baptistry first. The octagonal baptistery in Florentine Romanesque style was built between 1059 and 1128.

Florence, Day 3: Day Trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre Part 2 (花錢受罪）

After we had our photo op with the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we went straight to Cinque Terre, which was another dud. The travel was also not very smooth. It took us 1 and half hours to get there. Why did it take so long? It was mainly due to waiting for the train to come. 

Florence, Day 3: Day Trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre Part 1 (花錢受罪）

We planned a day trip to Pisa and Cinque Terre. Visiting Pisa is really just a photo op in front of the leaning tower. There’s not much to do there. The baptistry and the tower are not exactly the most magnificent ones. I really think one can just photoshop himself standing next to the leaning tower and call it a day. JJ would argue it’s not true and he thinks the leaning tower looks like an ivory tower.

Florence, Day 2: Climbing the tower of Palazzo Vecchio

We climbed the tower to see the view. There are some small chambers in the tower and they used to be temporary prison cells. Yes, prison cells with fine views. Palazzo Vecchio is built in rusticated stonework. The architecture has that medieval vibe to it. To think that I was in the tower dated from the Renaissance, it really tripped me out.

Climbing the tower was quite fun actually. It was not too grueling. In the evening, the tower inside was illuminated with soft lights. Love the atmosphere.

Doesn’t this scene look like something from a period drama? But this is all real.

Florence, Day 2: Palazzo Vecchio

We visited Palazzo Vecchio in the evening. Palazzo Vecchio is just right next to PIazza della Signoria and the open air gallery, Loggia del Lanzi. 

Palazzo Vecchio was the Medici’s residence until the family moved to Palazzo Pitti. It is now the town hall of Florence.

In the courtyard, you see beautiful motifs on the columns and frescos on the walls.

Florence, Day 2: Uffizi Part 2

We moved on to Sandro Botticelli’s paintings. I am sure they look quite familiar to you.

La Primavera (1482) by Botticelli portrays a group of mythological figures in a garden. The woman standing in her arch is Venus. Another woman wearing a flower crown and floral patterned dress is Flora, the goddess of flowers.

Florence, Day 2: Uffizi Part 1

In the afternoon, we visited the Uffizi Gallery. With the Florence Card, it just took us few minutes to get in, no hassles.

The name Uffizi means office in Italian. This was originally the Medici’s office. The Medici was this wealthy political and banking family ruling Florence for most of the 15th century. They were very powerful indeed.

The photo above shows the hallway of the gallery.

Florence, Day 2: Accademia

Accademia is just half block away from Piazza Santissima Annunziata. We used our Florence Cards to get in Accademia. Even though we still had to line up for security check (20 minute wait) but we skipped the ticket line which went around the block. By the way, I highly recommend Florence Card. Without the card, you have to make a reservation to visit Accademia and Uffizi if you don’t want to spend more than one hour lining up for tickets. Making a reservation means your itinerary is not flexible and you always worry if the schedule is going to be seamless or not. 

First thing we saw was Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna. This one is the original. The one in the open-air sculpture gallery in Piazza della Signoria is a copy. The original seems more rustic.