Firenze: the Duomo, the David, and the--Tourists?

May 24, 2007

We got up at the crack of dawn and headed down to the local bus station to ride the twenty minutes to Arezzo. In that six-minute walk I forgot my bus tickets, panicked, almost got hit by a vespa--talk about a morning of accomplishment! Dr. Oatsvall was nice enough to give me one of her tickets, and I bought more in Arezzo. The ride is an hour long and takes you up a winding, mountainous road to the small, urbanized town/city, and even dramamine couldn't keep my stomach settled. But the views! Imagine driving coming upon Anghiari before passing through it, its ancient stone walls jutting out over the edge of a cliff; small villas peek at you through lush trees, and poppies burst into crimson bloom in the fallow fields left dormant for the season.

I saw nothing of Arezzo--we high-tailed it into the station and onto the train to Florence, or Firenze, which took us another hour. We arrived in the crowded Santa Maria Novella train station, and we walked into absolute madness. I have been to Florence before, having taken a trip with twenty others just out of high school through six countries (including Italy) in just ten days. I loved the afternoon I was in Florence, because the towering Duomo and Baptistry, the Santa Croce, and Michaelangelo's David were stunning.

This time, however, all I could think about, as I stepped into the sweltering sun on the crowded Florentine street, was how I missed the quiet vibrancy of Sansepolcro. Florence takes a mallet and smacks you in the face with it, its urban feeling and abundance of tourists taking over the roadways and blocking traffic with tour buses. The sights were gorgeous, but the crowds took some getting used to. The Meredith group split into smaller numbers after arriving at the Duomo, of which I was very thankful--the tour groups are large and pickpockets frequently "brush" by them. I traveled with four, and later two, other girls as we walked toward the Ponte Vecchio, the beautiful bridge lined with shops that crosses the river. However, halfway through walking there I realized that I remembered the route to the piazza otuside the Palazzo Vechio, and I took us on a nice detour that ended up in the correct spot--problem was, we couldn't get to it! The square was blocked off by barriers and police cars, and after asking around we realized that the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, was inside! We waited around to see if he would come out, but the wait was cutting into our other time, so we left.

We headed to the Science Academy, and our group split up into those wanting to see the academy and those wanting to grab lunch. I joined the Academy group, and we saw huge astrolabes, sundials, compasses, everything! The globe room was amazing, with a globe twice as tall and round as us in there, its many interlocking links made of gold and bronze. There was a whole room dedicated to immensely huge telescopes, and another one houses medical instruments, including early microscopes. My favorite part was seeing Galileo's middle finger encased as a relic with his instruments--it's only a bone now, but it sticks straight up like it wants to "politely" make you leave. We eventually followed his advice and left, eating at a small cafe across the street with some of the first cold water I've had in Europe--it was glorious, especially for an ice hog like myself!

We had a 12:45 appointment with the Uffizi, and on the way back to it we realized that the crowd around the Palazzo Vecchio had not dispersed--if anything, it had only gotten larger! We squished our way through the crowds (clutching our purses and on the lookout for gypsies) to a nearby stair, and we actually got pictures of the president coming out! I SAW THE ITALIAN PRESIDENT IN FLORENCE! We finally made our appointment and entered the Uffizi, a former Medici office building that now houses the greatest collection of Italian art in the world. It was huge, and we had an arduous worksheet to fill out, but I saw Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, everyone there! I even saw The Birth of Venus!!!!

Bekah, Hillary, and I eventually left the Uffizi and wandered through the streets, eating some gelato on the way. Florence is the birthplace of gelato, and Rick Steves (my hero) said we HAVE to eat some there. I got Tartufo and Bancio, and the tartufo definitely had alcohol in it :). We eventually wandered back to the train station, our feet aching and our bodies sweaty, and we took the train and bus back to Sansepolcro--I slept for half the trip. After we arrived, the three of us ate at the Trattoria Pizzeria off the piazza, and we each had a glass of white wine. It went wonderfully with the meal (spinach ravioli), and it was a great first-time experience. Homework and exhausted sleep followed in quick succession (sleep was my favorite part).

When in Florence, watch out for the pickpockets and tourist groups. Stay to the back alleyways and get lost, because it's so much fun to navigate your way to saner ground!