Sloping Pisa and Renaissance Florence

Writing tonight, our last night of 3, from a wee little hotel room in Florence. Infact the room is so small the shower has no screen/curtain and is approximately 35cm x 40cm! That's pretty standard for a 3 star place that costs as little as 70€\night I guess?!? Everything is expensive in Florence (and I am told Venice is even more costly!) and tourism is huge so it has come as no surprise that we'd get little value for money.

Pisa. 3 days ago.  Not a lot to the place but it's tower; now being scientifically monitored to ensure it remains at about 5 degrees or thereabouts (the critical angle of lean apparently). Oh and 1000s of tourist like us wanting to goof off with their cameras and the tower! I know everyone has seen pictures and the crafty camera work of Pisa's tower, but to stand in front of it and marvel at the fact it's still standing and compare it to the surrounding straight buildings made it even more worthwhile. Certainly worth the small detour on the train trip from La Spezia (end of Cinque Terre) to Florence. Also had here the best ice-cream of the trip. I don't really think it will get any better than this one. For a cost of 2.70€ (on par for a double scoop) we had a cone packed to overflowing with 2 scoops of the most mindblowingly rich and creamiest ice-cream. I had orange with a candied zest in orange syrup and mango yoghurt with mango syrup. Manda had this decadent dark chocolate and a second scoop of orange. So good. So Pisa will be remembered for all the right reasons; even if only the two!  

Farewelled Sud and Neeq this morning after 6 days with them (Nice, Monte-Carlo, Pisa and Florence) and won't now see them for 4 days when we cross paths again in Naples. Was terrific to see them!

Florence was pretty enough; a nice old town that reminded us a little of some of the buildings in Martin Place in Sydney. It wasn't however anything out of the box and for me, lacked a point of difference. It had the cathedral dome tower with an amazing view of the town, pretty stone bridges, a panoramic view from a semi peaceful Piazzale Michelangelo park (dark skinned chaps selling the usual handbags, sunglasses, paintings/prints, train letters for 50€ cents etc), yummy ice-cream (Manda IS addicted and requires a double dose (aka scoop) once a day; costs between 2-4€ with 4€ being a rip-off, 2.50€ usual rate) and it has some interesting and therefore popular museums. Otherwise it's just another city!

 

Did a bike ride here which was good fun. Manda and I had really wanted to cycle Tuscany like all the lovers do in Italian movies but it was going to be mountainous (so too hard and quite likely not romantic, perhaps even detrimental to the newly weds!) and distance wise a bit of a push too. Ended up riding 20km round town and in a big park. Pleasant enough, just lacked the romance factor you get riding through the quaint Tuscan villages, olive groves and vineyards. Oh well! Thankfully the day was hot and sunny as opposed to Amsterdam when we rode bikes last when it was raining and freezing cold!

Museums were, as the so often are here in Europe, stunning yet overwhelming; the 2 we visited both had additional visiting exhibitions which bled an additional 8.50€ from each pocket (normal entry 6.50€) as they weren't optional!

The Galleria Dell'Accademia, home of Michelangelo's David sculpture (most widely recognised and arguably important sculpture of the western world) was terrific I felt. I'm not much into sculpture or Renaissance matters but David was quite a sight to behold: 5m and a bit tall and made of 1 single piece of marble he was not only stunning but a good source of conversation (ie big hands? large head? Perfect representation of a male? Small wheener?). For Manda and I, he alone was worth the admission fee. No photos allowed but somehow our camera managed to have one on it when we left! They also had, in the visiting display of string instruments, a Stratavarious violin from the mid 1600's; I wouldn't have been any the wiser but Dad has talked of these violins and when I read the plaque for it I nearly fell over! Very impressive considering their rarity!

The other museum, the Uffizi Gallery, housed the Medici families collection and some other impressive artworks. La nascita di Venere (birth of Venus) and Botticelli's other renowned work Allegory of Spring were the two big hits for us and most of the other tourists visiting. The Uffizi museum was much larger than the Accademia museum and contained 1000's of paintings, mainly religious ones depicting Jesus, Mary and John and took up 44 rooms or so. We ran out of puff so skipped the last dozen or so. Audio guide would put even the most avid art enthusiast to sleep!

Fortunately we reserved tickets for the museums a day before, as the lines for people without prebooked tickets was extraordinary and generally looked not to be moving. Good friends Michael and Mel were here a few days before us and happened to miss out so we heeded their advice and booked early! Thanks guys!

Otherwise we did a sunset with wine and rolls at the park mentioned above. 1L of white wine in cardboard cost 1.20€. Quite a bargain really and still better than Turkish wine. The sunset was hindered by cloud on the horizon but was pretty nonetheless.

Manda had a few claustrophobic moments climbing the 400+ stairs up the cathedral dome to the breathtaking and again extremely busy viewing platform of the Cathedral di Santa Maria. Best view over town from here but be forewarned the stairs to the top are at times narrow and disheveled. Lines inevitable unless you arrive early (15 min before opening) which we did and it was well worth it.

Last place of interest for us was the Pont Vecchio (pont=bridge) crowed with it's jewelry shops. Made walking across it feel like walking down any other street as the shops really do block all the view (unless you look out their back window) with the exception of 2 reasonably narrow sections where you could look out and see the river (Fiume Arno). Incredible buskers play here before sunset and made coming here in the late arvo worthwhile! Icecream shop on the southern side remained in business (clearly a hit with the tourists as the coloured ice-cream mountains rose a good 30cm out of the display case) where Manda and her family had the most expensive double scoop of their trip last time; however I must report back now that prices are marginally better at 4€. Still not cheap! Very appetizing! Didn't buy.

Worst experience here was my raw roasted beef roll. Bought at the market for 4€ we thought it would be a few slices of roast beef (would love a roast now) with pesto of on a fresh bread roll. No. It was a dry bread roll dipped in semi cold cooking juices to soften it with a few slices of room temp roast beef still very much raw. I ate 2 as Manda couldn't even look at it. Gave me some wicked stomach cramps! Errrr!

Eagerly planning for Venice now (leave in the morning) hopeful of it being a highlight of the trip so fingers crossed!
Ah! Just remembered, the dark skinned chaps selling designer (rip-off) glasses, handbags and the like must be considered a real pest here; official signs everywhere warning not to buy from illegal street sellers with the threat to fine buyers, if caught, 600€! Ouch! No surprise they dash instantaneously when a policeman is seen (they work in teams and I'm sure have watchmen keeping an eye out). Even mid transaction, of which there aren't a lot, they'll pack up and bolt. We watched them scatter at lightening pace outside the Ufizzi and later found they'd left/dropped/forgotten some of their wares so scored a few nice little pieces! Bonus!