A night time walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo

Buona sera,

I hope everyone is doing well.

We made it to our fabulous hotel this afternoon after a few little airport hassles at CDG in Paris. Upon arrival to Florence, our joyous attitude was immediately met with frustration. We thought ourselves to be travel savvy and well organized, but I suppose that this was a faulty notion (or maybe just wishful thinking?) when three bad things happened within thirty minutes of settling in.

1. International service on the phone proved to be problematic. It's all fixed as of 5 minutes ago.

2. I packed the three-pronged power adapter for my Macbook and somehow did not pack the proper converter. Thankfully, Lorenzo (our fabulous and gorgeous concierge) came to the rescue. I honestly do not know what made me happier- the charger or that Lorenzo said "ciao bella" as he left... Italian men know how to woo the ladies... (blush). Quite honestly, I was sad that my blogging dreams were momentarily doomed. I was looking forward to doing this.

3. The Museo Firenze has scheduled a strike this Friday for 4 hours- the four hours my private tour of the Bargello and Uffizi were scheduled. Guess who came to my rescue? I don't even have to say!

All of these situations could have been much worse, but I was thinking that even if they were, Florence's cobblestone streets and lively piazzas have a magical way of making stressful events seem trivial. As I sat in the Piazza della Signoria, I was transported to so many different times in history. I say this with risk of sounding cheesy, but it's true. I thought of Savonarola's fiery fate that took place in that piazza and as I marveled at the medieval architecture of the Palazzo Vecchio I dreamed about how the Medici family reigned.








Our hotel is a block from this piazza as well as the Uffizi and so it was the first place I walked to as I was drawn to the music and ignored the crowds that were fixing their zoom lenses and wiping gelato off their shirts... No matter how many times one visits Florence, the excitement and warmth reemerges as the city embraces you. The people are so kind and welcoming. The collision of antiquity and contemporary elements can be unsettling (the Palazzo Vecchio tower optically aligns with cranes and scaffolds adorn the Sta Maria del Fiore), but I choose to overlook these things and appreciate this lovely place.





Today we ate a fabulous meal at Gilli in the Piazza della Repubblica and afterwards we did a window shopping walk down the Via Tornabuoni (a preview for tomorrow!) as this eventually led us to the Ponte Saint Trinita bridge. Via Tornabuoni ends at this bridge and with the Salvatore Ferragamo flagship store and museo. You will recognize this bridge when I post the photos as it is illustrated in the Holiday painting as Dante's eyes admirably gaze at Beatrice.

This was followed by a hike to the Piazzale Michelangelo (after a gelato stop and Ponte Vecchio crossing). Piazzale Michelangelo is an upbeat hangout for students as well as a romantic setting with plenty of nooks for Romeos and Juliets. It also offers breathtaking photography opportunities (especially at night) so that is what I will share today. We also hiked to the San Miniato church, a less traveled delight.

Often overlooked, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo is home to the real bronze door panels for the Batistrero by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo's "Pieta" is also on display (it was intended for his grave) and Donatello's striking "Mary Magdalene". In addition, the mechanisms and models that were exercised during the construction of Brunelleschi's dome are on display. I thought it was all so fascinating. If youhaven't read Ross King's book about the Dome, you should.






Cosmo, my darling, I have yet to see a pink Vespa, but here was a pink bike (near a Max Mara boutique I might add). Are you sure you are not here?



Thank you all for the kind comments. It means a lot to hear from you ladies (and gents). I miss you all dearly, but I will try to stop in on twitter as I can and when I wake up I will reply to comments.





Raizie, I took a picture of the Synagogue from atop the overlook. It's so beautiful. :)

Album from this evening:

PiazzaleMichelangelo

Have a lovely evening my darling friends,

Love B.