Florence!

Florence is the second of three cities in Italy experience with my mom

Thursday (July 26^th):

We took the boat up to Venice’s train station and we were off to Florence.  We were able to find our hotel very easily as it was in eye sight of Florence’s train station so we quickly dropped off our bags and we started our sightseeing. 

Traveling into Florence

We purchased a “Venice Card” which cost 50 euros but gave us unlimited access on the transportation system and access to most major museums within the city without having to wait in line.  We used a card to go to the top of the hilltop “Piazzale Michelangelo” which was on the hillside and could see all of Venice.  It was quite stressful trying to find out how to get to the top of the mountain side as I was not familiar with the train system and was guiding my mom within along the different routes within the first hour of arriving to the city. 

Piazzale Michelangelo (view of the city from the hill)

From the hill, we walked down to the Ponte Vecchio and then past the “Colonna dell’Abbondquza” and “Dumom” where we had dinner.  I befriended a Russian girl sitting next to us and asked her about my trip to Moscow and listened/took notes of her suggestions.

Ponte Vecchio

After dinner, we got gelato in “Della Repbulica” and watched the sun set.  It just so happened that a festival was taking place just down the street at Duomo to celebrate “Saint Anne” so we stopped there on our way back to our hotel.

Friday (July 27^th)

We had an early start so that we could visit the “Duomo Cathedral” before the large crowds started to gather.  My mom didn’t have the energy to walk up the 463 steps but I was determined to visit this famous peak and hiked/squeezed my way up through the congested steps for the best view of the town.  After my trip up there, I meet up with my mom and we went to “Museo dell’Opera del Duomo” and saw Michelangelo’s Pieta, Donatello’s Marry Magdalene, and much more.

View of the Inside of the Duomo

View on top of Duomo

Then we headed off to “Plazzo Verchio” (City Hall) where the Medici family lived and came into power.  Inside, I saw the “Grand Hall” (holds 500 people), Michelangelo’s “Victory”, the Room of Four Elements, and up into the tower.  We stopped for lunch and then off to “Bargello” where we saw various Medici treasures, coats of arms, Michelangelo’s earlier wooden carvings of Jesus and statues.

Plazzo Verchio

Then we were off to the famous Uffizi Gallery to see Botticellis’ “Birth of Venus” and “Allegory of Spring,” Paolo Uccello’s “Battle of San Romano,” Titian’s “Venus of Urbino” and a few other Leonardo da Vinchi and Michaelangelo paintings.  My mom was pretty tired after visiting all of these cites so she went back to the hotel and I continued to “Chiesa di Santa Croce” where I saw Giotto’s “Death of St. Francis” and the tombs of Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo.

Tomb of Galileo Galilei

Tomb of Michelangelo

Saturday (July 28^th):

After a long Friday, we decided to sleep in a bit and got a late breakfast in the hotel on the roof.  Once we were done eating, we went to “Chiesa de San Lorenzo e Cappelle Medicee” (Florence’s oldest church, started in 393) and was the official church of the Medici family where we saw works from Brunelleschi and Michelangelo.  We went into the chapel and saw “Cappella dei Principi” and Pope Leo X’s memorabilia before seeing Michelangelo’s New Sacristy where the Medici’s most famous family members are buried.

We then went to the famous “Accademia di Belle Arti” and saw several Michelangelo’s sculptures (including the 15^th century famous David statue), Giambolognn’s “Rape of the Sabines”, and the museum’s ancient musical instrument collection. 

We then got sandwiches at a grocery store across the museum before going to “Chiesa e museo de San Marco” where we saw Friar Angelico’s 43 painted munk cells and bedrooms.    We then decided to do a quick stop in “Plazzo Medici Riccardi” which housed the Medici family during their political gain during the renaissance movement.  We got dinner and then drinks on the rooftop where we watched the sun set for our last night in Florence.

View from Hotel Roof

View from Hotel Roof

What European Trip Would Be Complete Without a Stop in Italy

Sorry for the long break, I have been traveling with my Mom in Italy and then off to Athens/Istanbul and have not had a lot of time to devote to updating you all.  I'm proud to say that I'm already at 1,000 views in total and I can't wait to show you guys my trips to Athens/Istanbul!

Before I begin this entry, I just wanted to inform my audience of my circumstance of this section of my adventure.  In April, I asked my Mom to join me to visit Italy after Oliver’s wedding (discussed in the previous entry).  She said “Yes!” and organized most/all of the travel logistics with help of a travel agent and booked a total of 10 days (2 in Venice, 3 in Florence, and 5 in Rome).

My entry begins with Venice….

Venice's Grand Canal

Monday (July 23^rd):

I had traveled to Venice four years ago with Oliver and a few of Oliver’s friends a few years ago and fell in love with the city.  As many of you know, I swam competitively ­for about 10 years and absolutely love water (I find it very calming) and was happy to visit the city again.

Our flight arrived around 6:00pm in Venice and from there it was up to us to figure out how to get to our hotel.  Luckily, my Mom thought ahead and brought a Rick Steve’s guide book of Italy which we soon learned would be our main mechanism for planning every part of our trip.  We purchased bus tickets that would take us to the “Grand Canal” where we were planning on taking the “Vaporetto” (Venice’s water taxi) down to our hotel.  Just to our luck, a lady gave me a Vaporetto pass that was still active for another few days given to her by the casino and was able to travel practically free with it during most of my trip in Venice.

Our View While Traveling to our Hotel

After our bus ride from the airport to the canal, we took the Vaporetto where we just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed the magnificent views the Grand Canal had to offer.  My Mom was quiet for a few moments and then stated: “Jay, I was not prepared on how beautiful this city is.”  This is the reaction I was waiting for, as I still tell people it is my favorite city in the world.

We found our 1700s hotel with little/no problem and made our way for a nice dinner at one of the local neighborhood squares where we ate fresh fish, drank wine, and prepare our itineraries for the next two days.

Tuesday (July 24^th):

We started the day around 8:45am and had breakfast in the crammed hotel breakfast room before heading out for the day.  We walked through Dorsoduro and Santa Croce districts to get to the top of the Grand Canal once again.  This time down the canal, we used the guide book as a guide down the canal which provided a nice “walking tour” as we zigzagged down the canal.  Our first stop was at the Cannaregio Canal where my mom got a coffee and I traveled north to visit the first Jewish Ghetto and where the term “ghetto” was first coined.

Venice's Jewish Ghetto (only place where Jews were allowed to live)

We then continued down the canal where we saw the Turkish “Fondaco” Exchange which use to house the Turkish traders upon their arrival, bringing trade goods along with them.  After the Fondaco, we saw Venice’s Casino and the “Ca’ Pesaro” which represents the finest of the merchant’s wealth.  The word “Ca” in front of the name is short for “casa” as many of you guys know, however it used because the Venetian ruler, “The Doge” was the only one allowed to call his house/palace “casa.”

We then hopped off at the Ca’ d’Oro stop and walked to the Fondamenta Nuove stop where we got pizza and caught the vaporetto to the island of Murano which is known for its handmade glass making.  My mom spent the day shopping for gifts for her friends at work (she is a librarian at a local elementary school in Northern Virginia) before we caught another vaporetto to the island of Burano (known for its bright neon painted houses) and caught another vaporetto to the island of Torcello.  

Torcello Vaporetto Stop

Torcello is the original site of Venice during the 6^th and 7^th century AD Venice before moving to its modern day island.  On Torcello, we purchased an audio guide tour of the 7^th century “Santa Maria Assunta Church” where we saw 9^th/10^th and 13^th century Byzantine mosaics.  After visiting this swampy island, we went back to Burano to walk around the beautiful colored buildings and handmade lace before venturing back to the main island of Venice.  We then finished up our guidebook tour down the grand canal where we saw City Hall, the Mayor’s Office, University of Venice, and finished at La Salute Church.

Burano's Neon Colored Houses (amazing!)

Wednesday (July 25^th):

With a similar early morning at the hotel (minus my late night planning session), we went to go see St. Mark’s Square.  We booked a tour that morning to see St. Mark’s Basilica (saving us 1-2 hours of waiting in line at 90+ degrees) and so we decided to walk around the square and kill some time before our guided tour.  We saw the “Torre dell’Ordogio Clock Tower” built in 1496 Renaissance where we saw the Moor bronze men hammering the bell at the top of the hour before making our way to the “Plazzo Ducale” (Doge’s Palace).  We wait in the short ~20min line before entering and starting our audio guide where we saw: Senate Hall, Hall of the Grand Council, Tintoretto’s “Paradise” (world’s largest oil painting), the Bridge of Sighs (the bridge that connected the palace to the prison, rumor has it that this was a prisoner’s last view of the city before entering prison, hence the “sigh”), and of course the prisons themselves.

Doge (Venice Governor) Palace

"Sigh" Bridge

We then ate a quick lunch and made our way to St. Mark’s Basilica.  Inside, we saw numerous Byzantium Venetian mosaics, Saint Mark (the symbol of the city, mentee of Apostle Paul), a nail used to pin Jesus on the cross, a piece of wood from the cross, a lock of hair from Saint Mary, and a piece of the stone pillar used to tie Jesus down during his public beatings before being hanged.   And no visit is complete without making your way to the “Pala d’Oro” (Golden Altarpiece) which housed 250 blue-black enamels, gold frame, 15 large rubies, 300 emeralds, 1,500 pearls, and numerous smaller sapphires/trysts/topaz.  My mom was exhausted from the day and went back to the hotel as I continued on to the “Museo Correr” where I saw the Viennese Sis & Ferdinand living quarters during their reign of the Hapsburg Empire.

Our Last Dinner in Venice

Thursday (July 26^th):

On Thursday we made our way to the train station, befriending a group of American college girls while waiting in line, and got on our train to Venice!

Traveling Back to the Train Station

 Farewell Venice for now, but I know I'll be back!

Jay