London meets Florence

Long time no see! I’ve been super busy the past week or so, and am just now getting to record all the great Florentine things I’ve been doing…

Last Wednesday was a big day. Nick had arrived Tuesday, after a tiring early-morning flight from London (where he is studying for the semester), and checking into his hotel turned out to be quite the fiasco. It turned out the Spagna Hotel, where he was supposed to stay for a few nights, had some sort of “problem with the water” (the kind of unclear, mysterious explanation that I’m getting used to coming across in Italy). After walking to another hotel that told us to go to another hotel and arriving at the new hotel but not being able to find it for half an hour because the new hotel actually went by another name than the second hotel told us (confusing??), we finally stumbled upon the relocated hotel and checked in easily and it turned out to be even nicer than the original. So…

Wednesday: To start with, we visited arguably the most famous sculpture ever created – The David, in The Accademia Galleria. And it was even more impressive than I was prepared for. The giant statue of David, clutching both ends of his sash and looking like pure perfection, is taller and cleaner than I had imagined. The white marble is untainted (except where a vandal smashed David’s toes in 1992) and every vein and muscle in the body looks like the statue might spring to life at any moment. I was in awe. And interestingly, you can also see about six more unfinished sculptures of Michaelangelo’s that are also quite famous, in a lobby leading up to the circular hall where The David stands illuminated. It’s funny, but, the rest of the Gallery in which this amazing sculpture rests is actually pretty unimpressive. Besides a few more pieces by Michaelangelo, most of the pieces in other rooms are plaster copies of the originals. Although, a random music exhibit showed off instruments dating from the 1500s – we could even touch the keys of a grand piano to watch its inner-workings and see how the string transfers to sound. Something I already knew from growing up with a musical genius though.

The Palazzo Vecchio was our next stop. I’ll admit I wasn’t expecting to like the Palace so much – it seems small from the outside and I hadn’t heard much about it from tourists or anyone who might recommend it. But since Nick is Mister History, I figured we should check out this 1500s palace where some of the Medici Family had lived. It was beautiful! You first walk into the main courtyard and then follow a maze of staircases and hallways through the rest of the building to view the rooms of Cosimo I, Lorenzo il Magnifico, and a variety of other dukes and princes of Florence. As always in this city, the ceilings and floors were the most impressive part of the palace. Each room had a different design and color scheme, with dark reds, greens, and golds that gave the whole place a feeling you might find in Shakespearian films. I felt like I could walk around a corner and find Hamlet staring back at me. Weaving through the stone interior, we finally came upon the best part of the Palazzo Vecchio – its huge hall the size of a football field, called Cinquecento. This was where city councils of 500 members would meet in Florence before its Republic fell in 1530. Along the great hall’s walls are massive frescoes of battles won by the Florentine army, painted by none other than Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo.

So much more to write but gotta get some sleep, so I'll be adding more this weekend! Ciao!