FIRENZE
First of all, know it’s called Firenze
in Italian and that’s the name you should use when booking tickets etc.
MAP OF ATTRACTIONS
As usual get a map: here’s a good one
Here's the google map prepared by me, pinning all the attractions we planned to visit; you can zoom in and out and see the details:
MUSEUM PASS
Yes, you need a proper museum pass
Firenze card
One of your options is the Firenze
card,
Priority access to museums with no need to make
reservations, 72 hours/€ 72
Amici degli Uffizi
Become a member of The Association Amici degli Uffizi till
Dec 31
Individual: € 60,00 (one adult)
Family: € 100,00 (two adults and two or more children under
18)
You can buy it online and have it on you when you land in Firenze
or buy it at the Uffizi office till 5pm ,
Mon-Sat. You need your passports for ID.
We had planned to buy the Firenze
card at 72 euros from the tourist office opposite to SMN station Firenze ,
store our bags in the station itself and start our 72 hours right then. In the
evening we wanted to collect the bags and go to our apartment—Villa Lucrezia
2km from the station.
However, when I thought in depth, cramming all sights in
to 3 days starting Sunday looked difficult. Monday being holiday at several
sites made it more complicated.
The option of using Amici degli uffizi card at 50 euros pp
became more attractive—it was valid upto December, though it did not cover the
Duomo, it did give us the privilege to jump the lines at the Academy, Uffizi
and Pitti Palace and gained us entry to Bargello, Cappelle Medici as well.
Since we made the decision late, online option would not
work out (no time to receive the mailed card) and we had to buy it in person
WHERE TO STAY:
Of course it’s best to stay in the city centro but there are
the usual hassles of high prices, small rooms etc.
We decided to stay in
an apartment, Villa Lucrezia, 2 km from the train station. It’s a former Count’s residence, with antique
furniture and colorful modern amenities and it suited us fine
has the video of Pitti Palace
has the video of Pitti Palace Gardens
has the video of our visit to Pisa
OUR VIDEOS
has the video of our day 1: Palazzo
Medici Ricardi and Bargello museum
has the video of Duomo and Campanile,
has the video of Palazzo Vecchio
has the video of Santa Maria Novella Basilica
TRANSPORT
You can walk everywhere but buses are available if needed
is the ATAF site and it’s pretty easy to figure out bus
options in and around Florence .
Now, I'm continuing with the report of our first day in Florence...
Now, I'm continuing with the report of our first day in Florence...
May 24, Saturday, 3 PM :
Firenze :
We got down from the train. Entered the station building and
went straight to one of the counters and bought our transport ticket. I had
read from the official ATAF site awhile ago, the carte agile ticket can be
loaded with money and used by 4 people on local buses—also a journey costing
1,20 euro separately would cost just one euro by the card. So we loaded the card with 20euros for our 5
day Florence
(actually there had been an amendment and from Sep 2013,
the card can be used only by one person—we did not know that)
We went to the station exit. A taxi was pulling up
depositing some passengers at the station. We showed the driver our address but
he gestured that we should join the line a little ahead.
There was a straight bus no 17 to the door of our
apartment but we did not want to look for it with our bags. We joined the
taxi queue, in a few minutes were on our way. Short ride and he put us at the
gate of our apartment.
After checking in, we took the bus to centro. Yes, our the
carte agile ticket was swiping only once and even the locals could not help
us. We did not realize there has been a change in rules and one of us rode
ticketless unwittingly!
Saw the Santa Maria
Rushed to the Uffizi office, showed them our passports and
paid up €100 and got the Amici degli Uffizi cards for the both of us.
Walked on and Reached Piazza della Signoria (Signoria
square), in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.
This is the Fountain of Neptune
in the Piazza della Signoria (Signoria square
The fountain was commissioned in 1565
This statue of
The Neptune figure, whose face
resembles that of Cosimo I de' Medici, was meant to be an allusion to the
dominion of the Florentines over the sea.
The figure stands on a high pedestal in the middle of an octagonal fountain.
The figure stands on a high pedestal in the middle of an octagonal fountain.
Around the perimeter of the basin, are reclining bronze
river gods, laughing satyrs and marble sea-horses emerging from the water.
The fountain served as a model for future fountain-makers.
The fountain served as a model for future fountain-makers.
Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front
of the Palazzo Vecchio.
It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio.
It is the focal point of the origin of theFlorentine
Republic
It is located near Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery
It was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio.
It is the focal point of the origin of the
It is located near Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo and gateway to Uffizi Gallery
We admired the various statues in Piazza della Signoria,
The bronze sculpture Judith and Holofernes (1460), created by Donatello at the end of his career, can be seen in the Hall of Lilies (Sala dei Gigli), in the Palazzo Vecchio.
This is the copy in the Piazza della Signoria,.
It depicts the assassination of the Assyrian general Holofernes by Judith
Of course the huge attraction is copy of David at the
entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio,
The original by Michelangelo is at the Gallery of theAcademy
of Fine Arts
The original by Michelangelo is at the Gallery of the
The whole place was milling with crowds.
We admired the façade of the famous Duomo, the baptistery and
the bell tower.
The market place has excellent wood craft shops...
The wood puppet Pinocchio (1883), created by the Florentine writer Carlo Collodi is ever present…
we enjoyed the various pieces on offer.
Then we returned to our apartment.
May 25, Sunday:
Galleria dell'Accademia, Palazzo Medici Ricardi and Museo Nazionale del Bargello
video covers Palazzo Medici Ricardi and Bargello museum
Galleria dell'Accademia
Knowing that the academy gets terribly crowded, we started our day there, landing there before it opened. There were 2 lines, we joined the longer one as the other one had priority written. As soon as an official came, we enquired and found that we qualify for the priority line as we have the Amici degli Uffizi card. As soon as the academy opened, we entered as part of the priority line!
No pics are allowed. The collection was great, the focus of course being David
Michelangelo’s David
The "David" in the Accademia is the original, brought here in 1873.
Michelangelo’s David is one of the most recognized works of Renaissance sculpture, a symbol of strength and youthful beauty.
It’s size is colossal-- 5.17-metre (17 ft). Work on David started in 1464 but after some initial work on a huge block of marble, it was abandoned. Michelangelo, only 26 years old, convinced the authorities that he deserved the commission to continue it. On 16 August 1501 , Michelangelo was given the official contract. He worked on the massive statue for more than two years. The statue weighed 6 tons and It took four days to move the statue the half mile from Michelangelo's workshop into the Piazza della Signoria.
David is depicted before his battle with Goliath. Instead of being shown victorious over a foe much larger than he, David looks tense and ready for combat. His brow is drawn, his neck tense and the veins bulge out of his lowered right hand. The twist of his body effectively conveys to the viewer the feeling that he is in motion, an impression heightened with contrapposto (figure standing with one leg holding its full weight)
With one leg holding its full weight and the other leg forward, this classic pose causes the figure’s hips and shoulders to rest at opposing angles, giving a slight s-curve to the entire torso. The contrapposto is emphasised by the turn of the head to the left, and by the contrasting positions of the arms.
The figure has an unusually large head and hands (particularly apparent in the right hand). due to the fact that the statue was originally intended to be placed on the cathedral roofline, where the important parts of the sculpture may have been accentuated in order to be visible from below. The statue is unusually slender (front to back) in comparison to its height, which may be a result of the work done on the block before Michelangelo began carving it.
All this is analysis… it’s definitely a WOW moment contemplating David… we were thrilled!
The gallery's small collection of Michelangelo's work includes his four unfinished Prisoners, intended for the tomb of Pope Julius II, and a statue of Saint Matthew, also unfinished. They are awesome, showing how figures emerge from stone…
When we came out of the Academy, there was a long line on both sides. As usual early birds are rewarded!
Palazzo Medici Ricardi
Our next visit was Palazzo Medici Ricardi.
Here's the famous stone masonry; the rings are horse hitches.
It was designed for Cosimo de' Medici, head of the Medici banking family, and was built between 1444 and 1484.
It’s well known for its stone masonry and the frescoe cycle of the Cavalcade of the Magi in the palace's small chapel by Benozzo Gozzoli
The loggia is made of monolithic columns with Composite Corinthian capitals. Above the loggia runs a frieze of tondi (circular plaques or medallions) in bas-relief alternating with Medici family heralds worked in different ways.
Sgraffito festoons are etched in the wall. (Sgraffito is a type of decoration executed by covering a surface, as of plaster or enamel, of one color, with a thin coat of a similar material of another color, and then scratching or scoring through the outer coat to show the color beneath.)
Sgraffito festoons are etched in the wall. (Sgraffito is a type of decoration executed by covering a surface, as of plaster or enamel, of one color, with a thin coat of a similar material of another color, and then scratching or scoring through the outer coat to show the color beneath.)
There was a contemporary exhibiton and the sculpture looked dynamic!
We marched into the palace and enjoyed the halls of tapestries.
The Galleria Riccardiana (Luca Giordano Hall of Mirrors) is indeed aweinspiring!
In the centre of the ceiling of the Galleria Riccardiana the Apotheosis of the Medici is depicted. On the sides Neptune's Wedding with Amphitrite (left) and the Rape of Proserpina (right) can be seen.
The Galleria Riccardiana (Luca Giordano Hall of Mirrors) is indeed aweinspiring!
In the centre of the ceiling of the Galleria Riccardiana the Apotheosis of the Medici is depicted. On the sides Neptune's Wedding with Amphitrite (left) and the Rape of Proserpina (right) can be seen.
Great experience. No pics allowed in the Magi chapel ... needless to say, it’s beautiful.
Then we went to Bargello museum
Museo Nazionale del Bargello
Bargello, also known as the 
The
Initially the headquarters of the Capitano del Popolo (Captain of the People) and later of the Podestà, the palace became, in the sixteenth century, the residence of the Bargello that is of the head of the police (from which the palace takes its name) and was used as prison during the whole 18th century.
Its walls witnessed important episodes of civic history. It was the meeting place of the Council of the Hundred in which Dante took part. It witnessed sieges, fires, executions, the most famous being that of Baroncelli, involved in the Pazzi plot against the Medici, which Leonardo also witnessed.
The building's use as National Museum
We loved the exhibits.
http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/florence-trip-report-day-3-duomo.html
covers Duomo and Campanile, Baptistry and Palazzo Vecchio
Uffizi
We visited Uffizi and enjoyed the lovely art especially the Botticellis. Our camera battery had died and the spare was in the bag checked in at the counter. We wound up with no pics. We optimistically planned another visit next day...http://adventuretrav.blogspot.com/2016/05/florence-trip-report-day-3-duomo.html
covers Duomo and Campanile, Baptistry and Palazzo Vecchio
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