Contents
- Preface
- San Francisco
- Amsterdam
- Amsterdam, Helmond
- Amsterdam, Zandvoort, Haarlem
- Amsterdam, Bruges
- Bruges, Brussels, Cologne, Berlin
- Berlin
- Berlin, Potsdam
- Berlin, Wansee
- Berlin, Prague
- Prague
- Prague, Karlstejn, Vienna
- Vienna
- Vienna, Salzburg, Füssen
- Füssen, Neuschwanstein, Munich
- Munich, Innsbruck
- Innsbruck
- Innsbruck, Zürich, Lauterbrunnen
- Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch
- Lauterbrunnen, Schilthorn
- Lauterbrunnen, Spiez, Zermatt
- Zermatt
- Zermatt, Martigny, Chamonix
- Chamonix, Mont Blanc
- Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Courmayeur, Aosta, Turin
- Barcelona
- Barcelona, Sitges
- Barcelona
- Milan, Venice
- Venice
- Venice
- Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre
- Cinque Terre, La Spezia
- Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, Florence
- Florence
- Florence
- Florence, Siena
- Siena, San Gimignano, Rome
- Rome
- Rome
- Rome, Sorrento
- Sorrento, Vesuvius, Pompeii
- Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello
- Sorrento, Capri, Naples
- Naples, Bari
- Patras, Athens, Mykonos
- Mykonos
- Mykonos
- Mykonos, Paros, Santorini
- Santorini
- Santorini, Athens
- Athens
- Athens, Amsterdam, San Francisco
Prev :: Thursday, 6 October 2005 :: Next
35. Florence
Photo Gallery
Artistically, today was pretty unbeatable. I had made an appointment for 9:00 for the Uffizi Gallery (this has to be done a month in advance, otherwise you wait in a very long line). Botticelli's Birth of Venus is memorable here, and the Annunciation by Leonardo (mostly) is fascinating. Outside lining the courtyard are statues of many of the great luminaries of the Renaissance. The Uffizi isn't terribly large, so I was out in little over two hours. This gave me time for a quick visit to the nearby Bargello museum, which houses great sculptures including the seminal David by Donatello, before my 14:00 reservation at the Accademia to the north.
The entry process at the Accademia seems quite chaotic; there is even a long line for those with reservations. I overheard people in the non-reserved line say they had waited for three hours! Even the reserved line wasn't apparently moving, so I joined a small mob of people at the entrance, where you just wave your time at the doorman and he lets you in. This museum is unmissable for Michelangelo's amazing David. A critic wrote that it's almost pointless to look at any other sculpture once you've seen the splendor of this one, and I'd have to agree — it's that good. It's impressively large — quite a bit bigger than lifesize, and the pose and lifelike details are remarkably well rendered. The crowd surrounding the statue wasn't overwhelming when I was there, which was a pleasant surprise.
After the museums, I walked east to the Piazza Santissima Annunziata, then south through the center past the Duomo and across the river on the tourist-trap Ponte Vecchio. Heading southeast, I climbed up to Piazzale Michelangelo, which sits on a hill overlooking the town. This square also holds a copy of David. Behind the square, I visited the unique church of San Miniato al Monte. Around 17:30, the monks come out into the church and begin chanting — a bit warbly compared to the Gregorians, but beautiful nonetheless. The square offered another fantastic sunset, perhaps even better than the night before, with a view over the whole city bathed in a remarkable warm, golden light. Tonight I visited the YAG bar, but the place looked as if it could have been lifted right off Santa Monica Boulevard, so I almost didn't feel like I was on vacation any more here. I talked with someone who looked Italian but was actually from Valencia — which sounds like a very nice place to visit in the future.