Yesterday we had a whirlwind afternoon in Firenze. Setting out from the hotel we had a couple hours before a couple of the major churches closed (lots of things close around 5 here). We hustled down to the Duomo and got to enjoy its expansive, shaded, cool interior. The dome is magnificent. From there we headed southeast to Santa Croce. Unfortunately the piazza in front was cluttered with bleachers from some event that must have just occurred, which hindered good picture taking. But we got in saw the tombs of Dante Alighieri, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo. Maybe it's kind of like the Italian version of Westminster Abbey. Before grabbing a hearty dinner and some gelato we zipped past the Palazzo Vecchio, outside which is a giant marker on the piazza indicating where Savanarola was burned at the stake in 1498. Mmm, crispy.
Joel's Occasional Cultural Notes:
Summer must be the construction/restoration season in Italy. Almost every major sight has been obscured to some degree by scaffolding as it gets worked on. Kind of a bummer.
Top tip: Never remain stationary for longer than about 30 seconds. You will be emblazoned with graffiti. The amount of graffiti in this country is staggering. I can't imagine the Bronx, LA, or Philly coming anywhere close.
2 comments:
Sounds like you guys are having a great trip! Can't wait to see pictures!
I like trying to think of what kind of tag a graffiti artist would tag on your back if you did stand still too long.....what's Italian for "kick me"?
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