Florence (Firenze)
Florence (Firenze)
Arrived by HS train in Florence mid morning and first impressions were great coming out of the station - not crowded, no litter, pretty and sunny! It just got better and better. 10 min walk to the hotel - describe themselves as unpretentious - so we expected plain, nothing fancy, but it was perfect - right in the centre, but quiet, smart, spacious and welcoming and our room overlooking a pretty courtyard.
Dropped off our bags and got straight out into the touristy hubbub. It's a small city centre so easy to get around and crammed with many little streets full of artisan, art, heritage, renaissance, impecable high end fashion in every direction. Found the famous Mercato Centrale fairly quickly with its amazing mezzanine floor just for.... eating!! and lots of it. The original building of iron and glass opened in 1874 with the mezzanine upgrade in 2014. Wow, wow - fabulous food selection, relaxed seating and plenty interesting people watching. It was a good late lunch stop requiring a little nap before we ventured out for the evening.
Italian Arias
Jeff spotted a leaflet advertising 'Romantic Italian Opera - a selection of arias, in the Saint Monica Church that was off the beaten track. It was a splendid evening as we watched the performance of a pianist, soprano and tenor perform Bellini, Puccini, Verdi in such a lovely atmospheric venue.
City tour by bus and walking
Next day jumped on an open top bus to get a good look at the city. Got off at the highest point the Piazza Michelangelo built in 1869 overlooking the city and the wide river Arno. Views beautiful and as it transpied there was a vintage car rally - fabulous vehicles on display.
Back down in the city we walked over the famous ancient and very cute Ponte Vecchio. It is unique as it is packed end to end with shops mostly tourist trinkets and jewellery but used to be normal shopping - butchers etc. We were told it was the only bridge in Florence untouched during the 1944 bombings.
Couldn't get tickets for the famous Uffizi Art Gallery and discovered the massive Duomo Cathedral is closed on Sundays! which was disappointing so wandered on..... and found a great second best in the Leonardo da Vinci Intercative Museum and exhibition. It was brillaint as we wore virtual reality (VR) glasses to tour inventions and inside machines. Fantastic and so interesting. Amazing 360 degree visual display as well. Mind blowing. Well he was a clever chap, no doubt!
Arrived by HS train in Florence mid morning and first impressions were great coming out of the station - not crowded, no litter, pretty and sunny! It just got better and better. 10 min walk to the hotel - describe themselves as unpretentious - so we expected plain, nothing fancy, but it was perfect - right in the centre, but quiet, smart, spacious and welcoming and our room overlooking a pretty courtyard.
Dropped off our bags and got straight out into the touristy hubbub. It's a small city centre so easy to get around and crammed with many little streets full of artisan, art, heritage, renaissance, impecable high end fashion in every direction. Found the famous Mercato Centrale fairly quickly with its amazing mezzanine floor just for.... eating!! and lots of it. The original building of iron and glass opened in 1874 with the mezzanine upgrade in 2014. Wow, wow - fabulous food selection, relaxed seating and plenty interesting people watching. It was a good late lunch stop requiring a little nap before we ventured out for the evening.
Italian Arias
Jeff spotted a leaflet advertising 'Romantic Italian Opera - a selection of arias, in the Saint Monica Church that was off the beaten track. It was a splendid evening as we watched the performance of a pianist, soprano and tenor perform Bellini, Puccini, Verdi in such a lovely atmospheric venue.
Followed by the best ice cream I have ever, ever tasted from the Gelateria La Carraia - 'Cream of Milk' and at midnight under a beautiful moonlit sky. Perfect.
City tour by bus and walking
Next day jumped on an open top bus to get a good look at the city. Got off at the highest point the Piazza Michelangelo built in 1869 overlooking the city and the wide river Arno. Views beautiful and as it transpied there was a vintage car rally - fabulous vehicles on display.
Back down in the city we walked over the famous ancient and very cute Ponte Vecchio. It is unique as it is packed end to end with shops mostly tourist trinkets and jewellery but used to be normal shopping - butchers etc. We were told it was the only bridge in Florence untouched during the 1944 bombings.
Couldn't get tickets for the famous Uffizi Art Gallery and discovered the massive Duomo Cathedral is closed on Sundays! which was disappointing so wandered on..... and found a great second best in the Leonardo da Vinci Intercative Museum and exhibition. It was brillaint as we wore virtual reality (VR) glasses to tour inventions and inside machines. Fantastic and so interesting. Amazing 360 degree visual display as well. Mind blowing. Well he was a clever chap, no doubt!
Florentine Chamber Orchestra - soloists
Went to a see I Solisti Dell'Orchestra da Camera Florentina (chamber music) programme JS Bach with soloists on violin and oboe. Again fabulous recycled church made perfect venue Santo Stefano auditorium. Love to find these random events....
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