Florence, Italy

So I have previously posted about Florence last year while on the Eclipse, but you really can’t get enough of Florence and Tuscany so read some more and like it.  Okay?

The Ponte Vecchio

I had my hopes and dreams set on going to the Ufitzi Museum, but making that visit when you have to be back to catch the ship is too much to do.  Traveling into Florence on our own is enough of a hassle in itself and the line for the Ufitzi in peak tourist season is ridiculous (up to several hours).  We dock our ship in Livorno which is one of the biggest Italian ports, and because of that we have to take a shuttle bus to the center of town.  Then catch a local bus to the train station, than it’s an hour and 20 min train ride to Florence.  We arrive at 7:00 am and crew must be back by usually 6:15 pm.  It is an exhausting and expensive day but well worth it.  So my friend Dan and I both wanted to venture in- he had his heart set on climbing to the top of the Duomo and we figured we’d do both.  We finally make it and head straight to the Ufitzi to get tickets early because we know you usually buy the ticket and return later in the day for your entry time.  Line is already outrageous and I don’t want to rush through the Ufitizi.  It has one of the worlds’ most famous fine art collections of Renaissance paintings and sculptures.  So we crush my hopes and dreams and head over to the Duomo.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the main church of Florence and is often called the Duomo.  The building of the cathedral started in 1296 and was completed in 1469 but it wasn’t until the 19^th century that they finished the green, white and pink marble facade.  The design was for the entire building to be shaped like a Latin cross and the dome that is on top was the largest in the world until the modern era.  The difficulty of building the dome is another story entirely.  Now I’m not one for churches but the view from the top of this thing is the best thing to see in Florence!!  It was 10E to get in and 463 steps to the top.  About half way up, when you reach the base of the dome itself there is a platform so you can get an up close look at the painting covering the inside of the dome. 

I highly recommend clicking on the next few to enlarge the photos you non-computer savvy people!

 After our mini work out we treated ourselves to lunch and plenty of wine to enjoy the hour and a half train ride back home.  I really loved the placemats!!