After finishing packing in the morning, we left the apartment at 10, which was checkout time. Our train wasn’t until noon, so with the boys feeling better, we went back to the Trevi fountain and the Capuchin crypt so that Bill, Liam and River could see them. Walking through the tiny streets of Rome, we can definitely understand why so many people have scooters and motorcycles.
We took the metro to Termini station for our train to Florence. River was not nauseous anymore, but he was drained from not eating the day before, so we redistributed his things among the rest of us.
On our way from the train station to our Airbnb, we walked by some very old buildings.
Our place was about the same cost as a standard hotel room, but was SO much better! It’s located in Santa Croce, right in the heart of the city. From our windows we look across the tiny street at the back door of the Medici Palace.
Going out the front door and to the right ten meters takes us to the Piazza di San Lorenzo, and the Medici chapel. Apparently, they bought the land and built the church, and had designs for the facade done by Michelangelo, but they ran out of money before they could complete the facade.
While we were settling in and getting ready for our walking tour, a group of performers, Catholic pilgrims raising money on their way to Jerusalem, put on a show below our window.
Our place is so cute, and although most of it is furnished at Ikea, some things are very different from what we would see back home.
We went on a fantastic tour with Catherine from ToursByLocals. She was so engaging and told a lot of stories to bring the past to life. It was really cool to see these unfinished works that Michelangelo started. You can see a bit of his process.
Our guide told us that Michelangelo would go out at dawn to see the way the light came through the marble blocks. Then he would mark the perfect blocks with his symbol of three rings. Usually it would get chipped away, but one of his unfinished pieces still has it.
Michaelangelo’s David did not disappoint. I could understand why they decided not to put it up by the duomo, and instead put it in a place of honor.
We heard the story of the basilica doors, which were cast in bronze and then gilded. Donatello and Brunelleschi lost the contest to make them, and left Florence for Rome because of it. It took a Ghiberti and his son 30 years to make them.
There’s a street artist in Florence who modifies some of the road signs in interesting ways.
The number of individual pieces of marble that had to be cut to fit together to make the facade of the cathedral is incredible.
On the bridge across the Arno where all of the gold and silversmiths have their shops, they still have the old fixtures that allow them to close their shops up tight when they leave for the day. They look so medieval.
This face was carved into the side of a building by Michaelangelo. Apparently a criminal had been left in the stocks for longer than he should have. Da Vinci and Michaelangelo bumped into each other in front of that spot, and da Vinci dared Michaelangelo to back up to the building blindfolded, then carve the criminal’s face into the bricks behind his head. So he sat right where willow is and carved the face behind him.
The kids rubbed the lucky boar on its muzzle and dropped a coin in the mouth to see if they would come back to Florence one day.
We went to a food hall recommended by our guide for dinner. It allowed everyone to get what they wanted. Willow and I discovered arancine, which reminded us a little of corn dogs but with Prosciutto and fresh mozzarella inside. The outside is rice instead of corn though.
River found a piano available to play.
