Italy2017
Finally made it to Firenze
We set off on Sunday Sep. 10 – and made it as far as LAX. Alitalia moved our flight to the next day. And they did it very badly – we spent all day at the airport to learn that we should have just gone home and returned. They had no staff that knew anything […]
September 15th, 2017 by alephnaught
Shopping in Florence
We got a late start – my throat is sore and scratchy and neither of us slept especially well. We decided to do some shopping, so we went to some stores Aviva identified, ending at Aviva’s favorite jewelry store and I at the Florence Apple Store. Aviva found all kinds of neat things including a […]
September 16th, 2017 by alephnaught
The Ufici
This day we had a 2P ticket to the Ufici, which means office in Italian. We got an incredibly slow start – my throat is still sore and Aviva didn’t sleep well. So we ended up rushing out at about 1:30, grabbed a fast lunch at Move On, a combination record store and pub. The […]
September 17th, 2017 by alephnaught
Some sculpture at the Bargello and a failed attempt at Santa Croce
As usual we got out late. We walked down to the Museo Nazionale del Bargello and checked out the sculpture, then tried to get into Santa Croce – we were too late, services had already started. So we shopped a little, had dinner and headed back to the apartment.
September 18th, 2017 by alephnaught
Santa Maria Novella
We got up very late and grabbed a quick lunch and headed to Santa Maria Novella. It’s a large church with great frescoes by Ghirlandaio (Michelangelo apprenticed with him) and Lippi. We also walked around the cloisters with severely damaged frescoes from Ucello. Then we shopped at Santa Maria Novella Farmacia which goes back to […]
September 19th, 2017 by alephnaught
The Duomo Museum and the Medici Riccardi
Yet another late start – it’s become standard, we get up and eat a leisurely breakfast and then go out for the afternoon. Today Aviva and I went to the Duomo Museum, which has been complete remodeled. It is now really modern and wonderful, they’ve got a multi-floor model of the Duomo showing key sculptures. […]
September 20th, 2017 by alephnaught
San Lorenzo, the Duomo
We got out a little earlier today. We started with San Lorenzo and it’s library (which was designed by Michelangelo). The cathedral’s face was also designed by Michelangelo but never applied so it looks quite raw from the outside. The line for the Duomo was short so we decided to walk through. To me, the […]
September 21st, 2017 by alephnaught
Shopping, the Orgnassanti and the Oltrarno
We got out late (we’ve given up trying to get going early – being in an apartment makes it easier to hang around somehow). We walked down a few shopping streets, grabbed lunch, and found some really interesting stores (one that specialized in lighting and a rubber duck shop, for example). The lighting store (Controluce) […]
September 22nd, 2017 by alephnaught
Santa Croce
We got up late and headed out to Santa Croce, which is a huge church built in the 1200s/1300s. On the way we had lunch at a lousy place (we were hungry and in a hurry, a bad travel combination).
September 23rd, 2017 by alephnaught
Palazzo Strozzi and heading home
As usual we got out late and headed to the Palazzo Strozzi. We had lunch at their cafe which we really liked (I had a burger, Aviva a salad – we needed a break from Italian food). Then we took in the show “Il Cinquecentro a Firenze” which highlighted artwork from the 1500s in Florence. […]
September 14th, 2017 by alephnaught