Firenze (Florence)
Since that first hiccup on Sicily, the public transit has been incomparable. Buses and trains have been on time, efficient, fast … and go EVERYWHERE … even tiny mountain villages of half a dozen houses. Canada please note!!!
This was a brand new bus … still had that new smell … and went straight through to Firenze with no stops… not bad in an hour. Then a quick tram ride right to the centre of town. Certainly a lot more people funneling down towards to Baptistry and the Duomo now, but not unreasonable. Several groups of children, obviously on school outings – gleeful to be out of the classroom … supervising adults probably found it less so. No question, the buildings are massive, colourful and spectacular … the striking combination of white, green and pink tinged marble is stunning … and together with the dome and tower right in the heart of downtown, truly is a ‘wow’ moment. Entry into cathedral itself is free (you have to book an appointment for the dome, and these were long sold out), however the general lineup went around the corner and far down the road. No doubt it was sacrilegious to visit Florence and NOT see the inside of this famous cathedral, but on a hot sunny day … sometimes you just have to pick your battles. And besides, there were 463 steps … and we’d climbed the tallest tower in Lucca only the day before! Here’s a short video of the climb to Brunelleschi’s Dome and the view: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dOHKL-1cGk
We strolled happily around the city … stopping for pizza in one square, a coffee at a shady sidewalk cafe overlooking the river. Past the Palazzo Vecchio with its tower and statues … along the river to Florence’s iconic Ponte Vecchio. To be truthful, it looks more impressive in pictures than it does in real life. Again, prima donnas were out in force, draped over balustrades for that fourteenth perfect shot (Glen did ask if I had any Gravol handy! grin). And then when you cross it … the entire bridge is lined — wall-to-wall, 100% — with high-end jewelry stores! Probably the only businesses able to afford the rent. Nothing approaching its original use. Sad really. Of course the city probably wouldn’t want the meat merchants of today heaving offal, guts and other unmentionables into the Arno River … not particularly good for health or tourism, I ‘spose. The city has just announced a 2 billion euro facelift for the bridge … turns out it’s mainly to remove accumulated moss/algae from the structure … but surely, that’s the only thing giving it some character!
Rounding one corner … a jazz band of ‘old guys’. They’d haul in a willing spectator to play an ‘air’ version of a wooden block … or sing to young kids in strollers … really playing up to the crowd. Tips were good, and rightly so. They stood out from the dozens of violin virtuosos on every corner and alleyway, who although good – sounded much the same. And then we did what all visitors to Florence do … we went to the Miniature Railway Museum! It was glorious! Started decades ago as someone’s private collection which became popular with friends, it grew and was rehoused to its present location. Not quite as extensive as the one in Hamburg … but it’s still one of the largest in Europe. You could spend hours admiring the different ‘regions’ with their meticulous details and tiny inhabitants going about their daily life … villages, towns, vineyards, harbours … bicycle racers pedaling up hill … firefighters to a burning house … extraordinarily lifelike cliff sides. Apparently they took plaster casts of real rockfaces, and at one point had to explain to local Carabinieri that they weren’t terrorists attempting to blow up the hillside, but mad model train enthusiasts. And then there were the trains … sleek, high speed ones … ponderous goods trains … two-layered commuters … old fashioned steam … all with appropriate sound and sparking brakes … zooming in and out of tunnels or pulling into stations. The surrounding wall murals changed with the seasons and between day and night. There were models to try, a film on the collection, the underside workings. This is FAR too good for just children, and not simply something you’d do on a wet afternoon.
Back out into the hot afternoon sunshine, there were endless rows of weary tourists and backpackers sagging on every shaded marble step and fountain rim, mopping their brows and swigging from water bottles. We, on the other hand, had had a lovely, cool and relaxing sojourn to the famous city … perhaps not your typical visit, but we thoroughly enjoyed it.
On the way back the bus passed through one of the biggest plant nurseries – probably in the world. Begun 80 years ago by a horticulturist selling trees and shrubs at local markets, it’s now run by his son and covers 560 hectares with 3000 varieties. It goes on for mile after mile after mile — neat rows of every size, colour and description. They have customers and projects in 60 countries around the world, supplying the likes of Buckingham Palace, national gardens and special events like Olympic Games and World Expositions. http://www.vannuccipiante.it/en/about/#storia
