Before we begin, let me explain that we fell into an easy routine on this trip of planes, trains, automobiles, boats, and gondolas. Breakfast was always at the hotel. Sightseeing, gelato, more sightseeing, dinner, and then back to our hotel to watch any Olympic highlights we could find on TV, in any language—usually Italian.
David and Brete’s ‘Summer Vacation/15th Wedding Anniversary’ officially began Saturday, August 9th at 11:30 AM
Stockholm:
We flew to Stockholm to visit long-time Martin family friend Vilhelm Sjolin and his lovely wife, Leena. Flying all evening and arriving the following day, we fought jet lag with a traditional Swedish meal prepared by Leena. After dinner we had a long look at Vilhelm's famous model railroad. He’s been collecting trains for decades, mostly from the US. The detail and organization is quite amazing.
On the 11th, Vilhelm and Leena took us to Gamla Stan, 'old Stockholm'; it dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and unique architecture.
We took a ferry to Vaxholm -- Vaxholm is a small archipelago city. Ever since the 1800s, the harbor has been a center for boat traffic and for archipelago life. It’s a summer resort town to be sure. We enjoyed lunch looking out at the boats coming in and out of the marina.
We also paid a visit to the Vasa-Museet. The Vasa is a 16th century war ship that sunk in the harbor on its maiden voyage. It was located in the 50's and raised in 1961. They spent 16 years spraying it with water and alcohol to get it to stabilize and 9 years letting it dry. It's now on display in a climate controlled building and it is an amazing and incredible museum. Go on the internet and check it out; you'll find it fascinating http://www.vasamuseet.se/
Our last day in Stockholm was spent visiting other must see places:Härkeberga Kyrka, a church built during the early phases of the Gothic period in Sweden 1280-1310. It is famous for fresco in the foyer of the kyrka titled, The Wheel of Life. Church services are held in the kyrka today.
Saltsjöbaden is a residential area of Nacka Municipality, south-east of Stockhom, located on the coast of the Baltic Sea. Saltsjöbaden (literally means "the Salt Sea baths") was developed as a resort. We had a delicious lunch of marinated (smoked salmon) salmon and potatoes with dill at one of the resort restaurants watching families prepare for a day of sailing.
Roma:
We left for Rome August 13th flying Czech Airlines-- let's just say we arrived safely and leave it at that. A driver met us at the airport (we found him, he didn't find us) and we spent the ride to our hotel gawking at all of the sights and sounds of Roma. Soon after we checked in to our hotel, the Artemide, we walked down toward the Colosseo, ‘Roman Colluseum’ and marveled at the immensity of the structure.
The next day, August 14th, we took 'the Classic Rome tour' but found that we went just about everywhere and enjoyed ourselves more when we were on our own. Sights visited on the tour were:
Fontana di Trevi ‘The Trevi Fountain’ is the largest — standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide — and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome.
Roma:
We left for Rome August 13th flying Czech Airlines-- let's just say we arrived safely and leave it at that. A driver met us at the airport (we found him, he didn't find us) and we spent the ride to our hotel gawking at all of the sights and sounds of Roma. Soon after we checked in to our hotel, the Artemide, we walked down toward the Colosseo, ‘Roman Colluseum’ and marveled at the immensity of the structure.
The next day, August 14th, we took 'the Classic Rome tour' but found that we went just about everywhere and enjoyed ourselves more when we were on our own. Sights visited on the tour were:
Fontana di Trevi ‘The Trevi Fountain’ is the largest — standing 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide — and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains of Rome.
The Pantheon, David’s personal favorite, is an astonishing architectural landmark. Its perfectly proportioned dome is supported without columns or buttresses. I was moved to tears upon entering the building. It is breathtaking.
Piazza Navona is a famous city square known for Baroque Roman art history—there are so many important fountains and sculptures in this piazza. Check it out if you're interested: http://www.aviewoncities.com/rome/piazzanavona.htm
Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano is known as St. Peter's Basilica, and is located within the Vatican City. It occupies a "unique position" as one of the holiest sites and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom". In Catholic tradition, it is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, who was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Michelangelo’s Pietà. (Italian for pity) is housed in the Basilica. The sculpture depicts the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus. Apparently, some nut in the 1970’s threw a hammer at the sculpture. Fortunately, the Romans are expert at art restoration. You’d never know the Pietà had been vandalized. It is now housed behind bullet-proof acrylic glass panel. Unfortunately, the Sistine Chapel was closed due to a religious holiday—bad timing for us.
Sights visited on our own were:
Piazza di Spagna, 'Spanish Steps' is one of the most famous images in the world, as well as being one of the most majestic urban monuments of Roman Baroque style. In the Renaissance period, the square was the most popular tourist attraction in the city: it attracted artists and writers alike. Today it is crowded beyond belief with people during the day, and partying college kids at night. Both of us have a ‘thing’ about crowds, so the steps visit wasn’t a highlight.
The Colosseo, or the Roman Coliseum. Construction of the Coliseum was started under the emperor Vespavian and was completed by his son Titus in 80 A.D. Originally named the amphitheatre of Flavio, it became known as the coliseum because of an enormous bronze statue of Nero which in the second century A.D. was placed near by the monument. The building was used for gladiator fights, mock naval battles, hunting simulations involving ferocious and exotic animals and similar entertainments. In fact, “arena” is Latin for “sand” because so much sand was spread to soak up the blood. Nice…The building eventually ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such varied purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine. Although in the 21st century it is in a ruined condition due to damage caused by earthquakes and stone-robbers (the structure is covered with Swiss cheese like holes left when ‘recyclers’ removed metal stone ties to use for other Roman structures), the Coliseum has long been seen as an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome.
The Aurelian Wall was built between 271 and 275 by the Romans to prevent attacks on the city of Rome during the reign of the Roman Emperors Aurelian and Probus. They enclosed all Seven Hills of Rome plus the Campus Martius and the Trastevere district on the left bank of the Tiber.
On the 15th, we had another full day of sightseeing. Poor feet! It was about at this point where David’s legs and feet began to protest. Somehow, Brete managed to get him up and moving to the Arch of Constantine, The Palatine, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Trajan’s Market, and other sights. Gelato bribes are quite effective!
The Arch of Constantine was erected to celebrate Emperor Constantine’s victory over rival Maxentius. The arch is controversial, as Constantine was Christian and didn’t want to offend the pagan senators (I think most senators today are still pagan, but hey, that’s just me). The inscription, “Instinctus Divinatus” signaled his belief in Christianity, but didn’t use Christ’s name directly. How politically correct!
Rome has its origins on the Palatine. Recent excavations show that people have lived there since approximately 1000 BC. Many affluent Romans of the Republican period lived there. The ruins of the palaces of Augustus, Tiberius, and Domitian can still be seen. Augustus also built a temple to Apollo here, beside his house. Our photos don’t do justice to the acres and acres of ruins. It’s amazing! From one of the hills, we looked down on the Circus Maximus, once Rome’s favorite racetrack, where 250,000+ Romans, cheered on their favorite charioteers—think “Ben Hur” chariot races with Charlton Heston.
On the 15th, we had another full day of sightseeing. Poor feet! It was about at this point where David’s legs and feet began to protest. Somehow, Brete managed to get him up and moving to the Arch of Constantine, The Palatine, Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Trajan’s Market, and other sights. Gelato bribes are quite effective!
The Arch of Constantine was erected to celebrate Emperor Constantine’s victory over rival Maxentius. The arch is controversial, as Constantine was Christian and didn’t want to offend the pagan senators (I think most senators today are still pagan, but hey, that’s just me). The inscription, “Instinctus Divinatus” signaled his belief in Christianity, but didn’t use Christ’s name directly. How politically correct!
Rome has its origins on the Palatine. Recent excavations show that people have lived there since approximately 1000 BC. Many affluent Romans of the Republican period lived there. The ruins of the palaces of Augustus, Tiberius, and Domitian can still be seen. Augustus also built a temple to Apollo here, beside his house. Our photos don’t do justice to the acres and acres of ruins. It’s amazing! From one of the hills, we looked down on the Circus Maximus, once Rome’s favorite racetrack, where 250,000+ Romans, cheered on their favorite charioteers—think “Ben Hur” chariot races with Charlton Heston.
The Roman Forum is just below the Palatine. When togas were in vogue, the Forum was once the heart of all commercial, judicial, and political life in Rome. It started in 750 BC as a patch of wet, swampy land. There are so many temples and basilicas we had to visit the website provided below to study up on all things “Forum” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Forum
The Forum of Trajan, Trajan’s Column, and Trajan’s Market were completed in 113 AD. The covered hall of Trajan's market was designed by the emperor's ingenious architect Apollodorus of Damascus. It represents the ancient equivalent of an indoor shopping mall, housing no less than 150 shops and offices.
The next day, August 16th, we boarded a train bound for Firenza, ‘Florence’. We sat across from an Italian girl that was speaking so lovingly to her boyfriend, but in her best sultry-Italian voice, it sounded to us heathens from the US, like, “meow, meow, meow, meow” – at first amusing, it proved annoying after awhile.
Firenza:
The next day, August 16th, we boarded a train bound for Firenza, ‘Florence’. We sat across from an Italian girl that was speaking so lovingly to her boyfriend, but in her best sultry-Italian voice, it sounded to us heathens from the US, like, “meow, meow, meow, meow” – at first amusing, it proved annoying after awhile.
Firenza:
Florence was one of our favorite cities. Our hotel was just around the corner from the Uffizi. We were so happy with the central location; everything was within easy walking distance. By the way, David’s feet and legs had rallied and/or become used to our long walks. Fortified with another round of gelato we began walking around to get our bearings for the following day’s activities.
We took a quick walk to see the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Duomo is an Italian term for a church with a cathedral. We had never seen anything quite this amazing. For those of you that travel often to Italy, I’m sure this is ‘ho hum’, but we were in awe of the Gothic architecture. The Duomo, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is awash in color with the exterior marble panels in various shades of green, pink, and white. Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436. The Duomo weighs 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks. It is a dome within a dome which allowed construction without scaffolding. He made several models and drawings of details during the construction. Brunelleschi had to invent special hoisting machines and lewissons for hoisting large stones. These specially designed machines and brilliant masonry techniques were Brunelleschi's spectacular contribution to architecture. The ability to transcribe a circle on a cone face within the innermost double-shelled wall makes the self-sustaining "horizontal" arch construction possible, since geometrically, a circular plan is needed for such an erection. And no, I didn’t write the last bit, I ‘cribbed’ it from Wikipedia. It’s so impressive, I wanted to leave nothing to chance. You can stop reading if you’re bored; this is so we can remember every exquisite detail
That evening, we went for a walk in search of dinner and decided to walk across the Ponte Vecchio, ‘Old Bridge’. Ponte Vecchio is the most famous bridge in Florence and also the oldest, this structure with three stone arches, replaced a wooden bridge which had crossed the Arno River at this spot since Roman times. The upper side of the bridge, known as the Vasariano corridor, was designed by Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace; today it is an art gallery opened for private tours. Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge to survive the bombing by the Germans in 1944.
We stopped for dinner at Borgo Antico somewhere near Santo Spirito. We were the only tourists and enjoyed a quiet dinner out doors and watched a film that a film student screened outdoors. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
The 17th of August found us doing the ‘tour thing’ taking the Florence Morning City Tour. We walked from the hotel to the Piazza Statione (train station) which was just behind Basilica Santa Maria Novella (meaning New Church). Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence. The church is especially famous for its frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance. A young Michelangelo apprenticed at this church painting a series of frescoes with his master (1485-1490). Everybody’s gotta start somewhere!
We got in a bus with a bunch of tourists and drove along the Viale dei Colli up to Piazzale Michelangelo and stopped to admire the wonderful panorama of the city-- truly one of the most beautiful in the world. We piled back into the bus and had an outdoor guided tour of the Duomo complex: Giotto's Campanile, or Bell Tower, the Baptistery with its bronze doors including the famous Porta del Paradiso and the visit to the interior of the Cathedral with its magnificent Cupola by Brunelleschi. We took a short walk through the historical city centre brings to renowned Galleria dell'Accademia, where we viewed the famous, David by Michelangelo. Since we were with a tour group, we didn’t have to stand in line! Michelangelo's David, sculpted from 1501 to 1504, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. It is the statue of the young Israelite king David alone that almost certainly is one of the most recognizable stone sculptures in the history of art. It has become regarded as a symbol both of strength and youthful human beauty. According to our tour guide, he made the statue out of an ‘unusable and discarded single 18-foot block of marble. He was 27 years old! Every detail is a marvel. Muscles, tendons, veins—and all sculpted out of marble—truly a wonder.
We of course were exhausted and had to stop for gelato. Once adequately fortified with sugar, we walked to the Mercato Nuovo -- once a bustling marketplace selling silk and gold, now a tourist trap -- to visit the 16 12 fountain Il Porcellino, where you can ensure your chances of a return trip to Florence by rubbing the little piggy’s snout.
Walking back toward our hotel, we decided to take a short cut through the Galleria Degli Uffizi (Birth of Venus by Botticelli) and the Loggia Dei Lanzi (open air sculpture gallery featuring Celini’s Perseus, the Rape of the Sabines, and Hercules and the Centaur.
Big mistake! There was a mime holding court, teasing the tourists to make a couple of Euros, rubbing his white greasepaint on some bald guy’s head, pretending to look up some woman’s dress—you know crude second grade humor. Against David’s better judgment, I tried to cut through the crowd while the mime was busily rubbing greasepaint on someone. All of a sudden, the mime and I were face to face. I smiled going along with the joke thinking he’d move on, but he’s delighted that he has a ‘partner in mime/crime’ and begins waltzing with me. All of a sudden, he leans and says, “Close your mouth” a couple of times in broken English. I very wisely choose to close my mouth, and he pretends to kiss me. Of course, I was holding the camera, so there are no photos to document my face covered with white greasepaint. Meanwhile, David is slowly backing away from the mime, his white faced wife, and gaze of the crowd—he hates to be the center of attention! David was grateful he could get in a few “I told you so’s.” Me, I just wanted to cross between the two structures and take a few photos. He did try to warn me!
After thoroughly washing my face, we returned near the scene of the crime to visit Museo di Storia della Scienza, ‘The Museum of the History of Science’. The museum is just east of the Uffizi Gallery by the Arno River. It contains Galileo's early telescopes and some of his experiments into gravity etc. It has a great collection of old clocks, bikes, maps and even Galileo's middle finger! We were both amazed at what forward thinking people these early scientists and astronomers were; working with crude equipment and trying to keep from being thrown in jail for heresy.
Our last full day spent in Florence on the 18th of August was busy. We covered quite a bit of territory. First we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, ‘Pitti Palace’. It dates from 1458 and was originally the residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. It was bought by the Medici fam
ily in 1539. In the late 18th century the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon. Once inside the Palazzo, we visited several museums including the Galleria Palatina (16th and 17th century art), the Galleria del Costume (women’s fashion from the 18th and 19th centuries and Medici family clothing), and Museo delgi Argenti and Museo delle Porcellane (gold, glassware, porcelain, etc.).
We also walked, and walked, and walked through the vast Giardino di Boboli, ‘Boboli Gardens’. This is the garden of gardens! We almost got lost wandering around. We snapped dozens of photos. We couldn’t figure out what this one sculpture was—after we returned home and I did a bit of research we realized that we had visited Buontalenti’s Grotto which is a secretive hideaway decorated with spongy material to give the effect of stalactites.
After a brief break for ‘sustenance’ (more gelato), we continued our trek (David likens traveling with me to the Bataan Death March) back toward the center of Firenze to climb to the top of the Duomo, all 463 step
s! David’s legs and feet were up to the challenge and Brete’s claustrophobia and fear of heights were put on the backburner. We were so committed, we decided to ignore the warning signs for people with health issues, etc. and walked up to the to see the spectacular view of the city and take a few photos. It was behavioral therapy in practice!
Venezia:
The morning of the 19th, we took another train ride to Venezia, ‘Venice’. We took a vaporetto ‘public water bus transportation’ to get to near our hotel, which was again located in the heart of things, which made walking to local sites and attractions quite nice.
After check-in, we decided to walk around to become familiar with our surroundings. Venice is a proverbial maze. Uh oh… we got a bit lost until we figured out that there were large signs on buildings with arrows pointing to local landmarks, such as Per San Marco, or Per Rialto. Without those arrows, we could have walked around and around, never finding our way back to the hotel.
We had dinner at the Antico Pignolo, the ‘Old Pine Nut’ – the restaurant occupies a former spice shop dating from the 1200’s, where diners can arrive by boat, as it has its own private landing. They gave us a table in the garden, where white flowers match the table settings. This was our romantic anniversary dinner. I have to say, although it the atmosphere was romantic, the food excellent, service impeccable—we enjoyed ourselves more at ‘hole in the wall’ places.
The 20th of August found us taking a private water taxi provided by the hotel to the island of Murano. In 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fires. In the following century, exports began, and the island became famous, initially for glass beads and mirrors. Aventurine glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was the main producer of glass in Europe. Glassmaking is still the island’s main industry. Hovering sales people seem to be the second industry.
We saw the ubiquitous glass blowing demonstrations at several shops and managed to steer clear of the high pressured sales people that wanted us to buy expensive pieces. We spent more time on Murano walking around taking photos near Santi Maria e Donato, a church that is reputed to be the oldest church in Venice with its foundations going back to the 7th century.
Since we didn’t purchase the expensive glass, the hotel’s private water taxi was unavailable for the trip back, so we hopped on a vaporetto and got off at San Marco and walked around the Basilica Di San Marco and Piazza San Marco ‘Saint Mark’s Square’. Tired for the moment of gelato, we decided to have lunch at the famous Caffè Florian -- Italy’s oldest café opened in 1720. We sat outside listening to the orchestra in the Piazza. It was very romantic, but expensive due to that darned exchange rate!
We enjoyed an early evening gondola ride, which is of course, strictly for tourists, but definitely worth doing once. It was very peaceful; no motor… only the gentle lapping of the water hitting the sides of the boat. Our gondolier was very gracious and showed us the former residences of Casanova, Marco Polo, and other historical buildings. David snapped some great photos during the 45 minute ride.
We walked over the Ponte di Rialto, ‘Rialto Bridge’ in search of dinner. The bridge constructed 1588-1591 links the left and right sides of the Canal Grande, ‘Grand Canal’. Once a hub of business for merchants, it now houses many shops owned by Asians hawking tourist items. We ran the tourist gauntlet and walked past Campo San Polo to find a charming restaurant with nary an American tourist in sight!
The following morning was August 21st, our last full day in Venezia, sigh… we went early to see the sights and sounds of the Ruga Degli Orefici or Erberia, ‘vegetable market’ and the Campo della Pescaria, ‘fish market’. Venetians have depended on the markets since 1097 for their daily supplies of fish, vegetables, fruit, and other foodstuffs. We saw women purchasing food for the evening meal, chefs purchasing food for restaurants, stevedores unloading crates of produce from barges and delivery men pushing handcarts laden with fruit and vegetables—a visual feast. The food intended for restaurants and families are literally ‘carted’ off from these markets via small boats and handcarts—a moveable feast…
After our market foray, we went to visit Palazzo Ducale di Venezia, ‘Doge’s Palace -- Doge means ‘president’ of the Venetian Republic. The Doge’s Palace is the very symbol of Venice. For centuries the Doge's Palace had three fundamental roles: as the residence of the Doge, the seat of government, and as the palace of justice. Along the facades of the Palace run loggias that overlook Piazza San Marco and the lagoon.
The first Doge was elected in the 7th century, but not until the 14th and 16th centuries does the Palazzo take on its present form. It is a great example of Gothic architecture, but the building and its sculptures date from various periods. The The interior features works by artists such as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Vittoria, and Tiepolo – and comprises council chambers like the Sala del consiglio dei Dieci ,‘Council of Ten’ room was the state’s watchdog against political conspiracy; ruling on matters of public morality forbidding Venetians from flaunting their wealth by restricting the size and number of links in a gold chain, the amount of jewelry that women could wear, the length of their dresses, and that all gondolas must be painted black, etc.
It also is a site of the dark side of Venetian history. You can see from the Piazza side, two columns that were stained red by the blood of the criminals who were executed. There is also the torture room (thankfully closed the day we visited) and bleak looking prison cells, where Casanova was reportedly detained and made his escape October 31, 1756. We also visited the Ponte Dei Sospiri, ‘the Bridge of Sighs’ that connects the Doge’s Palace to the prisons. The Council of the Ten referred to the prisons as “burial places for men”.
Regretfully, we had our last gelato break of our vacation, on the way to the Ponte dell’’ Accademia. We made our way over to see the Collezione Peggy Guggenheim. Alas, it too was closed! While I read to David from one of our Italian trip books of what we might have seen inside, he took photos of the outside.
As the Guggenheim residence was on our way to the Pensione La Calcina in the Dorsoduro area to have a romantic dinner at the restaurant, La Piscina, it wasn’t too disappointing. We watched the sun go down over dinner, an idyllic end of vacation experience. However, it must be said, I had no idea that we were eating on a floating dock. It must have been the amaretto flavored gelato!
We took a long vaporetto ride from the Canale della Giudecca around behind the Stazione, through the Canal Grande to Rialto. We spent the rest of the evening walking through some of our favorite areas, retiring sadly to our hotel room to ponder how quickly two weeks pass when you are on holiday in Europe.
We took a quick walk to see the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Duomo is an Italian term for a church with a cathedral. We had never seen anything quite this amazing. For those of you that travel often to Italy, I’m sure this is ‘ho hum’, but we were in awe of the Gothic architecture. The Duomo, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, is awash in color with the exterior marble panels in various shades of green, pink, and white. Work started on the dome in 1420 and was completed in 1436. The Duomo weighs 37,000 tons and contains over 4 million bricks. It is a dome within a dome which allowed construction without scaffolding. He made several models and drawings of details during the construction. Brunelleschi had to invent special hoisting machines and lewissons for hoisting large stones. These specially designed machines and brilliant masonry techniques were Brunelleschi's spectacular contribution to architecture. The ability to transcribe a circle on a cone face within the innermost double-shelled wall makes the self-sustaining "horizontal" arch construction possible, since geometrically, a circular plan is needed for such an erection. And no, I didn’t write the last bit, I ‘cribbed’ it from Wikipedia. It’s so impressive, I wanted to leave nothing to chance. You can stop reading if you’re bored; this is so we can remember every exquisite detail
That evening, we went for a walk in search of dinner and decided to walk across the Ponte Vecchio, ‘Old Bridge’. Ponte Vecchio is the most famous bridge in Florence and also the oldest, this structure with three stone arches, replaced a wooden bridge which had crossed the Arno River at this spot since Roman times. The upper side of the bridge, known as the Vasariano corridor, was designed by Vasari to link the Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi Gallery to the Pitti Palace; today it is an art gallery opened for private tours. Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge to survive the bombing by the Germans in 1944.
We stopped for dinner at Borgo Antico somewhere near Santo Spirito. We were the only tourists and enjoyed a quiet dinner out doors and watched a film that a film student screened outdoors. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
The 17th of August found us doing the ‘tour thing’ taking the Florence Morning City Tour. We walked from the hotel to the Piazza Statione (train station) which was just behind Basilica Santa Maria Novella (meaning New Church). Chronologically, it is the first great basilica in Florence. The church is especially famous for its frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance. A young Michelangelo apprenticed at this church painting a series of frescoes with his master (1485-1490). Everybody’s gotta start somewhere!
We got in a bus with a bunch of tourists and drove along the Viale dei Colli up to Piazzale Michelangelo and stopped to admire the wonderful panorama of the city-- truly one of the most beautiful in the world. We piled back into the bus and had an outdoor guided tour of the Duomo complex: Giotto's Campanile, or Bell Tower, the Baptistery with its bronze doors including the famous Porta del Paradiso and the visit to the interior of the Cathedral with its magnificent Cupola by Brunelleschi. We took a short walk through the historical city centre brings to renowned Galleria dell'Accademia, where we viewed the famous, David by Michelangelo. Since we were with a tour group, we didn’t have to stand in line! Michelangelo's David, sculpted from 1501 to 1504, is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture. It is the statue of the young Israelite king David alone that almost certainly is one of the most recognizable stone sculptures in the history of art. It has become regarded as a symbol both of strength and youthful human beauty. According to our tour guide, he made the statue out of an ‘unusable and discarded single 18-foot block of marble. He was 27 years old! Every detail is a marvel. Muscles, tendons, veins—and all sculpted out of marble—truly a wonder.
We of course were exhausted and had to stop for gelato. Once adequately fortified with sugar, we walked to the Mercato Nuovo -- once a bustling marketplace selling silk and gold, now a tourist trap -- to visit the 16 12 fountain Il Porcellino, where you can ensure your chances of a return trip to Florence by rubbing the little piggy’s snout.
Walking back toward our hotel, we decided to take a short cut through the Galleria Degli Uffizi (Birth of Venus by Botticelli) and the Loggia Dei Lanzi (open air sculpture gallery featuring Celini’s Perseus, the Rape of the Sabines, and Hercules and the Centaur.
Big mistake! There was a mime holding court, teasing the tourists to make a couple of Euros, rubbing his white greasepaint on some bald guy’s head, pretending to look up some woman’s dress—you know crude second grade humor. Against David’s better judgment, I tried to cut through the crowd while the mime was busily rubbing greasepaint on someone. All of a sudden, the mime and I were face to face. I smiled going along with the joke thinking he’d move on, but he’s delighted that he has a ‘partner in mime/crime’ and begins waltzing with me. All of a sudden, he leans and says, “Close your mouth” a couple of times in broken English. I very wisely choose to close my mouth, and he pretends to kiss me. Of course, I was holding the camera, so there are no photos to document my face covered with white greasepaint. Meanwhile, David is slowly backing away from the mime, his white faced wife, and gaze of the crowd—he hates to be the center of attention! David was grateful he could get in a few “I told you so’s.” Me, I just wanted to cross between the two structures and take a few photos. He did try to warn me!
After thoroughly washing my face, we returned near the scene of the crime to visit Museo di Storia della Scienza, ‘The Museum of the History of Science’. The museum is just east of the Uffizi Gallery by the Arno River. It contains Galileo's early telescopes and some of his experiments into gravity etc. It has a great collection of old clocks, bikes, maps and even Galileo's middle finger! We were both amazed at what forward thinking people these early scientists and astronomers were; working with crude equipment and trying to keep from being thrown in jail for heresy.
Our last full day spent in Florence on the 18th of August was busy. We covered quite a bit of territory. First we walked across the Ponte Vecchio to the Palazzo Pitti, ‘Pitti Palace’. It dates from 1458 and was originally the residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. It was bought by the Medici fam
ily in 1539. In the late 18th century the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon. Once inside the Palazzo, we visited several museums including the Galleria Palatina (16th and 17th century art), the Galleria del Costume (women’s fashion from the 18th and 19th centuries and Medici family clothing), and Museo delgi Argenti and Museo delle Porcellane (gold, glassware, porcelain, etc.).We also walked, and walked, and walked through the vast Giardino di Boboli, ‘Boboli Gardens’. This is the garden of gardens! We almost got lost wandering around. We snapped dozens of photos. We couldn’t figure out what this one sculpture was—after we returned home and I did a bit of research we realized that we had visited Buontalenti’s Grotto which is a secretive hideaway decorated with spongy material to give the effect of stalactites.
After a brief break for ‘sustenance’ (more gelato), we continued our trek (David likens traveling with me to the Bataan Death March) back toward the center of Firenze to climb to the top of the Duomo, all 463 step
s! David’s legs and feet were up to the challenge and Brete’s claustrophobia and fear of heights were put on the backburner. We were so committed, we decided to ignore the warning signs for people with health issues, etc. and walked up to the to see the spectacular view of the city and take a few photos. It was behavioral therapy in practice!Venezia:
The morning of the 19th, we took another train ride to Venezia, ‘Venice’. We took a vaporetto ‘public water bus transportation’ to get to near our hotel, which was again located in the heart of things, which made walking to local sites and attractions quite nice.
After check-in, we decided to walk around to become familiar with our surroundings. Venice is a proverbial maze. Uh oh… we got a bit lost until we figured out that there were large signs on buildings with arrows pointing to local landmarks, such as Per San Marco, or Per Rialto. Without those arrows, we could have walked around and around, never finding our way back to the hotel.
We had dinner at the Antico Pignolo, the ‘Old Pine Nut’ – the restaurant occupies a former spice shop dating from the 1200’s, where diners can arrive by boat, as it has its own private landing. They gave us a table in the garden, where white flowers match the table settings. This was our romantic anniversary dinner. I have to say, although it the atmosphere was romantic, the food excellent, service impeccable—we enjoyed ourselves more at ‘hole in the wall’ places.
The 20th of August found us taking a private water taxi provided by the hotel to the island of Murano. In 1291, all the glassmakers in Venice were forced to move to Murano due to the risk of fires. In the following century, exports began, and the island became famous, initially for glass beads and mirrors. Aventurine glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was the main producer of glass in Europe. Glassmaking is still the island’s main industry. Hovering sales people seem to be the second industry.
We saw the ubiquitous glass blowing demonstrations at several shops and managed to steer clear of the high pressured sales people that wanted us to buy expensive pieces. We spent more time on Murano walking around taking photos near Santi Maria e Donato, a church that is reputed to be the oldest church in Venice with its foundations going back to the 7th century.
Since we didn’t purchase the expensive glass, the hotel’s private water taxi was unavailable for the trip back, so we hopped on a vaporetto and got off at San Marco and walked around the Basilica Di San Marco and Piazza San Marco ‘Saint Mark’s Square’. Tired for the moment of gelato, we decided to have lunch at the famous Caffè Florian -- Italy’s oldest café opened in 1720. We sat outside listening to the orchestra in the Piazza. It was very romantic, but expensive due to that darned exchange rate!
We enjoyed an early evening gondola ride, which is of course, strictly for tourists, but definitely worth doing once. It was very peaceful; no motor… only the gentle lapping of the water hitting the sides of the boat. Our gondolier was very gracious and showed us the former residences of Casanova, Marco Polo, and other historical buildings. David snapped some great photos during the 45 minute ride.
We walked over the Ponte di Rialto, ‘Rialto Bridge’ in search of dinner. The bridge constructed 1588-1591 links the left and right sides of the Canal Grande, ‘Grand Canal’. Once a hub of business for merchants, it now houses many shops owned by Asians hawking tourist items. We ran the tourist gauntlet and walked past Campo San Polo to find a charming restaurant with nary an American tourist in sight!
The following morning was August 21st, our last full day in Venezia, sigh… we went early to see the sights and sounds of the Ruga Degli Orefici or Erberia, ‘vegetable market’ and the Campo della Pescaria, ‘fish market’. Venetians have depended on the markets since 1097 for their daily supplies of fish, vegetables, fruit, and other foodstuffs. We saw women purchasing food for the evening meal, chefs purchasing food for restaurants, stevedores unloading crates of produce from barges and delivery men pushing handcarts laden with fruit and vegetables—a visual feast. The food intended for restaurants and families are literally ‘carted’ off from these markets via small boats and handcarts—a moveable feast…After our market foray, we went to visit Palazzo Ducale di Venezia, ‘Doge’s Palace -- Doge means ‘president’ of the Venetian Republic. The Doge’s Palace is the very symbol of Venice. For centuries the Doge's Palace had three fundamental roles: as the residence of the Doge, the seat of government, and as the palace of justice. Along the facades of the Palace run loggias that overlook Piazza San Marco and the lagoon.
The first Doge was elected in the 7th century, but not until the 14th and 16th centuries does the Palazzo take on its present form. It is a great example of Gothic architecture, but the building and its sculptures date from various periods. The The interior features works by artists such as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Vittoria, and Tiepolo – and comprises council chambers like the Sala del consiglio dei Dieci ,‘Council of Ten’ room was the state’s watchdog against political conspiracy; ruling on matters of public morality forbidding Venetians from flaunting their wealth by restricting the size and number of links in a gold chain, the amount of jewelry that women could wear, the length of their dresses, and that all gondolas must be painted black, etc.
It also is a site of the dark side of Venetian history. You can see from the Piazza side, two columns that were stained red by the blood of the criminals who were executed. There is also the torture room (thankfully closed the day we visited) and bleak looking prison cells, where Casanova was reportedly detained and made his escape October 31, 1756. We also visited the Ponte Dei Sospiri, ‘the Bridge of Sighs’ that connects the Doge’s Palace to the prisons. The Council of the Ten referred to the prisons as “burial places for men”.
Regretfully, we had our last gelato break of our vacation, on the way to the Ponte dell’’ Accademia. We made our way over to see the Collezione Peggy Guggenheim. Alas, it too was closed! While I read to David from one of our Italian trip books of what we might have seen inside, he took photos of the outside.As the Guggenheim residence was on our way to the Pensione La Calcina in the Dorsoduro area to have a romantic dinner at the restaurant, La Piscina, it wasn’t too disappointing. We watched the sun go down over dinner, an idyllic end of vacation experience. However, it must be said, I had no idea that we were eating on a floating dock. It must have been the amaretto flavored gelato!
We took a long vaporetto ride from the Canale della Giudecca around behind the Stazione, through the Canal Grande to Rialto. We spent the rest of the evening walking through some of our favorite areas, retiring sadly to our hotel room to ponder how quickly two weeks pass when you are on holiday in Europe.
