Firenze, the Home of David

After our busy couple of days in Rome, Cory and I were very much looking forward to enjoying the quaint atmosphere of Florence at a slower pace. 

Ten minutes walk from the train station and we arrived at our Bed and breakfast. If I had not been so dilatory in composing this post I would write a funny story about our accommodations. I will just say that we presumed “Bed and Breakfast” meant we were staying at the home of the owners, and they would cook us breakfast every morning while chatting with us about our plans for the day. On arriving in our room I ate what looked like a little snack they provided for us. Ten minutes later I found that I had eaten my breakfast for the next morning. Yes, when the owner (who does not live on sight) told us that the provisions in our room were breakfast we were both so shocked that I know it came across in our expressions that said, “come again?” Apparently we Americans have much bigger breakfasts than all the skinny Italians, but I digress. I laughed about it the whole of our stay.

Florence is a charming little city surrounded by a river and Tuscan countryside. We could very easily walk to all the main attractions and back to our room several times a day. We saw the unique and enormous church, the Duamo, in the city center and climbed the tall clock tower. The view from the top was breathtaking.

Our biggest tourist exhibition was to see David. While visiting Florence seven years ago I remember being so struck with the sight of this statue. Because of my previous impression I felt all the more excited to view the work again. As we wandered the museum I went around every bend, eagerly expecting to be in the room which houses the great masterpiece. This may seem like a strange feeling…but this statue is 18 foot odd of gorgeousness. Michelangelo did not disappoint. David looked as impressive as I remember and Cory was just as amazed by the sight of him. As photos were not allowed I had to sneak a few at the risk of being yelled at, but I got a couple that hardly do him justice. 

We hiked with a picnic to the spot where David once stood. This was an amazing viewpoint of the city. There was a replica of David in the spot he used to be (which was green and, once again, did not do Michelangelo justice). We sat in the plaza for hours, enjoying the city, the company, and waiting for the sunset. This evening in Florence is one of my favorite we have spent so far (I am sure I say this about a lot of our experiences, but I did specifically tell Cory how happy I was at this moment). Poor, patient boy had to put up with so many pictures. I am just so thankful, because now I have something that will help me remember those moments. 

The rest of tour stay was spent in wandering the streets, eating the most amazing sandwiches, shopping in the flea markets, and just enjoying the ambiance.

Our final outing of import in Florence consisted of seeing the lights over the river and the bridge after dark. Florence is lovely by night.