Today dawned with rain; the streets of Florence were very wet and almost empty. Jim and I had decided yesterday that we would hike the Oltrano - the other side of the river. We looked out the window after breakfast at pouring rain wondering whether we should plan another activity. Jim finally piped up, "What's a bit of rain to two Canadians?" Off we went - raincoats and hiking shoes. The Oltrano is rustic, old Florence where many residents of Florence actually reside. Starting on the Ponte Vecchio we headed down narrow streets, passing many artisan shops. At one point, we could actually see the high-water mark from Florence's devasting 1966 flood. Walking some of the narrow lanes you could almost touch both sides of the street. One interesting note about the Ponte Vecchio - as the Germans, at the end of World War II, were retreating from Italy, the general (Wolf) was ordered to blow up Florence's bridges. Wolf destroyed all of the bridges except for the Ponte Vecchio. In contravention of his direct orders, he blew up buildings at either end of the bridge to hinder the allies crossing.
In the afternoon, we had reservations for the Uffizi Art Museum which houses the world's largest collection of Italian art. I did not actually complete yesterday's blog yesterday because my feelings for the Uffizi Gallery were so mixed. All of the art on display is overwhelming for anyone but the true art student or afficienado. We rented the audio tour which may have been our first mistake - too many paintings, to detailed the analyses. To many unrecognizable names for me. Ultimately, Jim and I decided to concentrate on the major renaissance painters - Botticelli, da Vinci, Raphael and Titian. It was fascinating to compare Botticelli's innocent Venus (Birth of Venus) with Titian's sexually charged Venus of Urbino (va-va-va-boom!) I have loved Raphael's work since seeing the Raphael Rooms in The Vatican Museum and his work displayed in the Uffizi did not disappoint. The absolute hitnof the day for both of us was Raphael's Leo X and the Cardinals in which he paints the Vatican's meaner side in Leo's eyes and expression. No love of God here - just naked power! The pairing is so real that you can almost feel the fur-lined cuffs of Leo's regal robes. All of the rest in the Uffizi left me feeling slightly let down. Sorry, Jo! The lower level of the Gallery was such a warren of tiny, unmarked and claustrophobic rooms that we never did locate the Carrivaggio paintings I so eagerly wanted to see. I hear you - get over it, Daf!!! I have to acknowledge that sculpture has more of an emotional impact for me than paintings. I was looking for the emotional impact of DAVID and didn't find it.
We wandered our way back up to the Duomo, but huge lineups were waiting to enter. Now we have
a reason to return to Florence.
Stopped for a cappuccino and panne forte ( to be discussed later). Sorry Starbucks, as much as I love you, it is no competition. When it comes to cappuccinos, Italy takes the Gold Medal!
We dined with a wonderful couple we have met from Idaho. He is doctor who handles sleep issues. Given our collective jet lag, we had some great laughs about that issue. We truly enjoyed our evening in a little trattoria across thebPonte Vecchio in Oltrano - excellent food, wonderful Tuscan wine and much laughter.
Off to Pisa tomorrow.
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