Florence

20th April, morning in Florence
After Switzerland, Italy really seems to be a disgusting mess! On our previous visits to Italy we have always arrived there from Africa and so we will not have noticed how strongly it contrasts with the rest of Europe. Most of the country we passed through in Italy yesterday was built up, and most of that looked like slums. Florence, too, is very dirty and the Italians seem loud and brash. Our rooms here are rather dreadful - no windows and not even any air bricks! But they are very cheap! One thing in Italy's favour is its debased currency: for DM100 which as about Z$32) we were given ₤53000, which has so far paid for two nights at our pension, a small bottle of wine, two large apples, two yoghurts and a litre of pure orange juice - and we still have ₤7450 left over! We took a walk about Florence yesterday afternoon. The most impressive thing we saw was the cathedral, which is all white and green marble on the outside, a really vast building. Inside seemed much smaller, without the usual impression of space in big baroque churches.

Green and white marble of the Cathedral of S. Maria del Fiore, Florence.

We walked through the Uffizi and saw some very seedy characters looking like drop-outs smoking dagga.

Drug addicts near the Uffizi.

Portrait painters outside the Uffizi.

Then on to the Ponte Vecchio, which is really a dreadful eyesore. Why they cannot look after such things is a mystery! On the bridge we once again saw drug addicts smoking dagga and someone else pushing drugs as well - all in full view of two policemen standing guard on the bridge. Today we are looking forward to seeing some of the museums.

Ponte Vecchio.

21st April Florence Station
We are on board a Rapido waiting to go to Milan and thence to Geneva. It's the ungodly hour of 6.20 a.m. Yesterday we set off bright and early for the Academia where, along with the rest of Europe, we admired Michelangelo's David and several of his unfinished works.

David in the Academia.

Michelangelo's unfinished Pieta.

Then we went on to the Pitti Palace where we looked at paintings. Most interesting were Rubens, Raphael and Titian.

Ornate baroque ceiling in the Pitti Palace.

Florence viewed from the Boboli Gardens.

Palazzo della Signoria.

Ammannati's statue and fountains of Neptune.

Then an early lunch before going on to the Uffizi which I preferred to the Pitti. We saw paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, van Dyk, Chagall and El Graco, Goya et al.

Detail of second century Roman relief showing the labours of Hercules - Uffizi.

El Greco's John the Baptist and St Francis - Uffizi.

View of Florence from the Uffizi.

Then they had the cheek to turf us out of the Uffizi at 2.00 p.m., while it was supposed to close at 7.00 p.m. So with the whole of the rest of Europe this time we set off for the Medici Chapel. Very ornate with many different colours of marble which I found overpowering, but I liked the floors. Also there we saw Michelangelo's 'Dawn and Dusk' and 'Day and Night'.

Ceiling of the Medici Chapel.

Tomb of "COSMVS II MAGNVS DVX ETR" in the Medici Chapel.

Michelangelo's 'Night' in the Medici Chapel.

Then, very weary, we went and sat on the station steps waiting for a supermarket to open at 5.00 p.m. to spend the last of our lira. We had early supper and bed in preparation for this morning's early start for Geneva.

On to Geneva

 

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