Toscany!

Saturday, June 17

Today we took a three-hour guided English-language walking tour of Florence that ended at the Academia d’Art. Because of our pre-paid group reservation, we got to go to the head of the line with only a brief wait. We spent most of our time marveling at Michelangelo’s sculptural masterpiece David, also known as Il Gigante, the Giant. The artistry is truly amazing.

A modest view of the David

After the David, we greatly enjoyed the Academia's Musical Instrument Museum. It was no match to the Phoenix MIM, but they did have the original Cristofori harpsichord, the first in the development of the piano. And even better, they had a small collection of brass instruments: sackbuts (ancestor of the modern trombone) and a few sizes of natural horns ("french" horns without valves). There were also a couple Stradivari violins, and couple Amati celli, and a tenor and alto viola. These originally belonged to the Medici family string ensemble.

The Academia also had a computer center with many explanations of Medieval and Renaissance music, the composers, church music. etc. It was available in Italian and English text and audio. It was an excellent educational presentation.

Sunday, June 18

I’m calling today's adventure “Big bus, small curves.” We took a bus tour to San Gimignano (a world heritage site), Siena , Greve, and a “Chianti” winery. The driver of our 45-passenger bus performed marvels as he negotiated the narrow and winding country roads. The landscape reminded me very much of the hills around the San Francisco Bay Area and the vineyard areas of central California. We were at about 1500 feet elevation in the Chianti region we were touring, so the altitude and gentle breeze made the air noticeably cooler than the past couple of days in Florence.

San Gimignano

The medieval walled cities of San Gimignano and Greve with multiple towers located on hill tops or ridges were spectacular examples of city placement for strategic defense against outside invaders. Sienna is the home of the famous annual and grueling horse race which provides hearty competition between the districts of the city.

The last stop of our tour was a visit to a winery in the middle of the Chianti region. A young woman, the employee of a small family owned winery, gave us a talk about the wine-making process. We began by sampling the less expensive “young” Chianti and then moved on to the high-end “Premium” Chianti Classico wines. They were all very good. Now I know what wines to look for at the store.

In our English-speaking tour group, we met a friendly middle-aged couple from Denver, Colorado. The husband is an artist, a painter, who has also taught art at the college level. We exchanged business cards. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll purchase one of his pieces.

At the end of the day, I felt my throat getting sore. I think I am coming down with a head cold.

Monday, June 19

Yep, a head cold. I got a couple hours’ sleep before the cold took hold: congestion, sore throat, slight cough, moderate headache. I tossed and turned for a couple hours then got up and went on Facebook at around 3:30 a.m. local time to occupy my time since the cold wouldn't allow me to sleep. I took a decongestant and was finally able to back to bed and sleep for a few more hours. Fortunately, we had no time commitments today, so sleeping in a bit was very helpful.

Pitti Palace with Florence in the background

Our goal this day was to visit the Pitti Palace on the other side of the River Arno from where we have been exploring. We walked around the exterior of the palace, it is huge, and then found an entrance to the Boboli Gardens that surround it. The garden is not a vegetable or flower garden as we might think of a garden, but more of a manicured wood with statues placed throughout. It was located on hill with great views across the river of old Florence with the prominent dome of the Duomo and the various lesser domes, steeples, and towers. Very picturesque.

We walked back to the hotel through one of the many market areas and found small gifts for our children and grandchildren. Then we chose an outdoor ristorante for our last Florentine dinner: pear and spinach ravioli with Gorgonzola sauce; pizza with olives, prosciutto, and artichokes; plus a glass of red wine. So good!

Back at our hotel we found our way to the rooftop terrace. The air was beginning to cool as the sun set. We had a beautiful view of the city bathed in the rose colors of twilight. There, we met a couple from Kansas City. It was fun to compare travel experiences with them.

Tomorrow we check out of the Santa Maria Novella Hotel and board the high-speed train for Rome.