Just another day at the office... scuzi.. "Uffizi"
Trip Start
Sep 17, 2011
1
6
20
Trip End
Oct 09, 2011
Florence, Tuscany, Italy
Saturday, September 24, 2011
A good night sleep and off to the Uffizi this morning (Like the Accademia yesterday, no photos allowed sorry). Unbeknownst to us (and many other tourists) the Uffizi was free today and tomorrow. That meant huge line ups but with our reservations we skipped all that!! That was worth the €4 each for sure. The couple ahead of us had bought their reservations AND tickets online from home -- no refunds.
I wondered after all the art we had already seen if the Uffizi might be a blur but no, it was simply unbelievable! It's supposed to be the largest collection of Renaissance paintings in the world and holy wow, truly amazing! There were pieces, like the Birth of Venus, that really deserved their own rooms but instead they're crammed in amongst other works that also deserve their own rooms! All these rooms were the working offices (hence the name Uffizi) of Florentine rulers (the Medici in large part) who commuted from their home (the massive Pitti Palace across the Arno river) via an enclosed, raised walkway, which can be seen along the top of the Ponte Vecchio. Don't want to mix with the riff raff, especially during times of plague.
Anyway, back to the Uffizi... the rooms are connected by two large hallways which have spectacular painted panelled ceilings with a shelf along the top holding portrait after portrait after portrait of important folks. And the hallways are dotted with impressive sculptures. The place is like an art assault! Even when you think you're done, the exit is a long corridor and mini rooms of Uffizi history. One could easily spend two days there if you had an interest in art and the stamina. We have neither of those but still managed a solid 2.5 hours (really glad we did our homework ahead of time!)
Time for a siesta... maybe we'll walk in the Oltrarno later...
Sept 24 -- 7:30 pm
Guess I needed a nap -- I slept 2 hours! I think I could have slept right through until tomorrow!
We did indeed go for a walk around Oltrarno (that just means the other side of the Arno, but that's the name of the neighbourhood) We ended up sitting in a park with a fenced area for soccer players and where children & old folks come to pass the time. One fellow was quite friendly, telling us how that lady's dog is only 4 years old and how big Firenze is. Fun!
We had some home-made gelato as well -- very much better than what we'd had in Venice. Very, very smooth (And it went down ok!) Tonight Rod is making risotto with mushrooms, with sides of sausages and spinach (which you can buy prepared in the grocery store.) Did I tell you we found another grocery store? This one is huge -- although that's relative of course :-) And as we left our place heading in a different direction, we came across a local deli place. I think we'll have to visit there a couple times!
Tonight is also laundry night -- boring but necessary, lol.
BTW, keep those comments coming... it's nice to feel connected!
A domani...
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Comments
You guys looks like you're having a great time. I'm hoping you're enjoying Italia as much as we are through you. The paintings and the sculpture look absolutley
? amazing!!! Linda I was supposed to be living vicariously through you not the other way around. That's enough of the belly and the butt, you're going to feel fantastic from now on!!! Keep the comentary coming and the pics are great too.
Chris
Hi Linda and Rod, thank you so much for sharing your vacation with al of us. Feel like I'm there seeing everything with you. Amazing!!! Miss you here at the offfice a whole lot. Keep having fun.