Florence day 1

Thursday, Ist October

Florence

Although we were very sad to be leaving Venice, as we think it is the world’s most beautiful city, we were cheered by the thought of going to Florence. The train from Venice to Florence was smooth and efficient, and we arrived mid afternoon. Our room is small. Very small and we are sharing the bathroom and toilet. The hotel is in a great location opposite the river and about 10 minutes stroll to everything, with beautifully decorated rooms and furnishings.

After unpacking and stumbling over the luggage, as there was nowhere to put it, we went out for a walk to explore the city. Lovely! Very impressive – the Duomo is enormous, intricately carved marble and statues all around, beside the Baptistry, the Uffizi, the Palazzo Vecchio and more! In the square where the copy of David is located we were amazed by the fabulous statuary everywhere. What must it be like to grow up surrounded by all this art and beauty? Do you become immune to it or more appreciative of it and Art in general? If the shop windows are anything to go by it the love of all things beautiful must permeate through the population.

We had dinner at a lovely restaurant and sampled local cuisine and Chianti (as we do). We got back with an hour or two to spare and waited in the hotel lounge and before too long the Police Marching band paraded up and down the street and then the fireworks started up. The fireworks were set up on the banks of the river Arno and in the Arno. The show went for about 25 minutes and the reflections in the river were spectacular. The fireworks were to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Art and Antiquity Institute. We prefer to think it was a thrilling and brilliant welcome to this beautiful place!