This is the 4th time I have been to Florence - once when I was 21, again with M&D the following year, then in 1997 with the family, then the following year with mum and dad and Rosie, then now.....J'adore Firenze....
Florence is full of the most magnificent art - the Uffizi Gallery is the next most important art gallery after the Louvre, David is the most magnificient work of art - it is said that you only need to see David - after that every sculpture fades into the background.....since 2005 the government has ruled that no photos can be taken....shame as it is difficult to see how a non-flash photo can ruin the statue.....I think it is so that people will buy postcards etc....
I was very fortunate there as a friend of a friend's allowed me to stay in this tiny unit - no bigger than a small caravan - for gratis....right in the centre and within walking distance to everything....so I bought a sketch pad and pen and tried my hand at sitting in the Plaza Signora and sketching - I realise that I am soooo hopeless at it and because I get embarrased easily, it was difficult to do it privately as there are heaps of tourists it was challenging to find a quiet spot, so I sat and people watched....another pasttime I love to do.......
Plaza Signora, Duomo, St Lorenzo leather markets, Marios for bean (fragiolo) soup where they sat me at a table with a Florentine who lives part of the year here and part in Florida so we had a lovely conversation...he eats here 3 times a week and it's always packed...a great sign...
The next day I decided to go on a bike tour into the Tuscan hills - it was a beautiful day - sun shining - probably a little too much for a ride but the tour started easily with a van ride to a castle, wine and olive oil tasting then on our bikes to ride around in a huge circuit taking about 4 hrs. The last stretch was a gradient of 14 then 16 then 18 and needless to say, some didn't even try it, others, like myself ended up walking the last stretch - only 1 made it without getting off......pretty impressive....
Met some lovely fellow Western Australians - Nicki and Stewart from Denmark and Neil and Sandy from Kojanup - had a lovely time with them - will catch up when I return!
Then after a day with the flu and a chance to recouperate I trained it to Assisi - the town of St Frances of Assisi - a beautiful town but a bit touristy for me - the best and most spiritual part was the Tomb of St Frances - a place of peace and an atmosphere of holiness......I was happy to visit the whole town just to be there for that....
Florence is full of the most magnificent art - the Uffizi Gallery is the next most important art gallery after the Louvre, David is the most magnificient work of art - it is said that you only need to see David - after that every sculpture fades into the background.....since 2005 the government has ruled that no photos can be taken....shame as it is difficult to see how a non-flash photo can ruin the statue.....I think it is so that people will buy postcards etc....
I was very fortunate there as a friend of a friend's allowed me to stay in this tiny unit - no bigger than a small caravan - for gratis....right in the centre and within walking distance to everything....so I bought a sketch pad and pen and tried my hand at sitting in the Plaza Signora and sketching - I realise that I am soooo hopeless at it and because I get embarrased easily, it was difficult to do it privately as there are heaps of tourists it was challenging to find a quiet spot, so I sat and people watched....another pasttime I love to do.......
Plaza Signora, Duomo, St Lorenzo leather markets, Marios for bean (fragiolo) soup where they sat me at a table with a Florentine who lives part of the year here and part in Florida so we had a lovely conversation...he eats here 3 times a week and it's always packed...a great sign...
The next day I decided to go on a bike tour into the Tuscan hills - it was a beautiful day - sun shining - probably a little too much for a ride but the tour started easily with a van ride to a castle, wine and olive oil tasting then on our bikes to ride around in a huge circuit taking about 4 hrs. The last stretch was a gradient of 14 then 16 then 18 and needless to say, some didn't even try it, others, like myself ended up walking the last stretch - only 1 made it without getting off......pretty impressive....
Met some lovely fellow Western Australians - Nicki and Stewart from Denmark and Neil and Sandy from Kojanup - had a lovely time with them - will catch up when I return!
Then after a day with the flu and a chance to recouperate I trained it to Assisi - the town of St Frances of Assisi - a beautiful town but a bit touristy for me - the best and most spiritual part was the Tomb of St Frances - a place of peace and an atmosphere of holiness......I was happy to visit the whole town just to be there for that....
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