Florence the First

"I can't believe I did it again. Every trip this happens. It's a tradition."
-Adrienne, after stepping in Florentine dog shit

A busy day today!

We left Riomaggiore and headed for Pisa to see (what else?) The Leaning Tower of Pisa. We didn't stay too long - in fact, I think it took me longer to post the Cinque Terre blog in the parking lot than to tour the tower. This was "drive-by" tourism at its best.

In 1174, Bonnano began construction of this eight-story marble campanile, intended as a free-standing bell tower for the nearby duomo. There are legends about the tower: Bonnano intended the tower to lean, Galileo let objects of different weights fall from the tower to prove his theories about bodies in motion. Lies! The truth is more pedestrian: the tower's foundation is not rock but water-soaked clay. Hence, the lean. Mike Homes would not approve (if you're going to do it, do it right). But despite the shoddy workmanship, it does make for some fun tourist photos.


We finally made it to our hotel in Florence (having been screwed again by Tom-Tom who now is unable or unwilling to locate street numbers. What did we do to you? WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY AT US?!?!?). We got settled, had some lunch and then toured around a bit.

Our hotel is about 2 minutes from the Piazza del Duomo. The Duomo is one of the world's largest churches and represents the flowering of the "Florentine Gothic" style. Began in 1296, it was finally consecrated in 1436, although the finishing touches were applied as late as the 19th century.


We are planning to tour the inside of the duomo another day.

Next, we viewed the "Gates of Paradise", bronze doors carved by Ghiberti on the nearby baptistry. These doors took him 21 years to make. Well, not these exact ones. These are reproductions - the originals are safety tucked into the nearby Duomo Musuem to prevent them from being damaged. The doors are considered to be the first true pieces of renaissance art.

A close-up: The below panels represent The Fall of Jericho and Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.


This is the Loggia del Bigallo. It was built in 1358. During the 15th century, lost children were displayed here for 3 days. If, after this time, their parents had not claimed them, they were sent to foster homes.

No one claimed Marco, but hey, it's only day one

We were again guided by the Unseen Hand of Celestino (who has been very active on this trip). Perhaps we are haunted?

This is the Casa di Dante (where Dante lived for bit, before his exile) and where he may have been born.


Even the cobblestones here love the Big D.

We then meandered to the Piazza della Signoria, a unique outdoor sculpture gallery. This piazza has been at the heart of Florentine politics since the 14th century and the statues here commemorate major events in the city's history, A sampling (you'll know one, but it's a reproduction!)




Following that, we saw the Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge" - not very romantic in English). This bridge was built in 1345 and was the only bridge in the city to escape being blown up by WWII. It's nice if not a bit tenement-y - there have been a lot of weird add-ons built onto the original structure over the years. (Another Mike Holmes nightmare.)

The butchers, tanners and blacksmiths who used to work in the shops on the bridge were expelled in 1593 because their trades were too stinky. Today, the shops on the bridge specialize in new and antique jewellery. This one is closed but honestly, I think the shutters are more interesting than a lot of the gold in the windows of the open shops.

Learning of the day: if your dude scarf is in the wash, liven up your outfit with some minty pants! Zesty.
See you tomorrow!