Living La Dolce Vita

Day 7

© A Product of Silence

Today we toured Florence taking in the Ponte Vecchio again and a square where a replica of the statue of David stands outside a government building. We then saw the original statue that is housed in the Galleria dell' Academia. It was an amazing sight. I keep having to pinch myself to believe I am actually seeing these pieces of history I have read so much about. Next we toured the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore situated in the Piazza San Giovanni and the neighbouring Baptistry dedicated to St. John the Baptist which houses the Gates of Paradise, incredible doors made of gold that depict scenes from the Old Testament. The Cathedral and Baptistry are the most beautiful Marble buildings. I never knew marble came in so many 
incredible colours. 

Piazza San Giovanni

© A Product of Silence

After being immersed in history all morning we then undertook some retail therapy in a market, full of leather goods. 

Pitti Palace Gardens

© A Product of Silence

On the way home we toured the Pitti Palace, originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker but was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. We also toured it’s lovely gardens before returning to our hotel which was situated across the road from part of the walled grounds. 

What I found most interesting was that we were told that in the 16th century, the Duke of Florence, Cosimo I de' Medici had a corridor built above street level, the Vascari Corridor , connecting the Uffizi with the Pitti Palace across the Arno River, over the Ponte Vecchio. It was constructed so that he didn't have to walk with his subjects across the always crowded bridge while commuting between his residences. This corridor is still visible about the city.

Florence is a lovely city, immersed in history and great shopping.