Dante's Inferno (Florence)

Day three in Florence. Last evening we went for a wander around the local area because it was time to buy Jayne a new red leather jacket. While we avoided the street sellers, I'm not sure the stores in our area are any more reputable. I'd been looking in every store since we arrived so it didn't take long to find one with the jacket I had in mind - and it was literally across the street from our apartment. We were sweet talked by the local merchant who gave us a fabulous discount and then discounted some more because we weren't sure. All a bit of theatre, but we are happy with our purchases. I'm sure we will get some wear out of them when we return to the cold climes of Australia.

Last night after our shopping expedition, we began planning the itinerary for the remainder of our time in Florence and decided not to head out of town to the wineries or to Sienna or anywhere else for that matter. In what can only be described as a "Terminator" moment, we'll "be back" at least to experience the Tuscan countryside, so we are staying local for the rest of this trip.

Having been promoted to be in charge of windows and shutters after Jayne's failed attempt on night one, we both slept much more soundly last evening, with all windows locked and shutters firmly latched. While our apartment is central to everything, in future, I would avoid an apartment overlooking a piazza. It is just too noisy and even if you can sleep through the restaurant crowds coming and going, the drunk boys serenading their way home at 1am is a little too much. Florence is also quite small, so if you are walkers, like we are, just about everything is in walking distance.

A view of the old town wall

We slept a little longer than planned which meant breakfast was put on hold and we headed off to Chiesa di Orsanmichele to purchase pre-entry tickets for the Uffizi Gallery for Friday. That done we attempted breakfast. The first place we stopped at insisted on table service, so we went outside and waited. And waited. And waited. Enough. We were making our way down to the river and Ponte Vecchio so surely we would find somewhere to eat in such a big tourist area. Not as easy as we thought. The only places we walked past were crowded (bus tours), only had tables in the sun, or were all white pre-fab plastic - really? This is Italy - I'm not eating there. When we finally did find a cafe on the other side of the river, Jayne thought it would be too expensive because it was in a tourist mecca. We walked on. And on. And on. And up. And up.

The view from the top

Nice garden

Santa Maria del Fiore and San Lorenzo in the background

There were no cafes and we reached the top of the hill before we found another one. Great views of Firenze, including the Arno River, at the Piazzale Michelangelo - locally recommended and all for free. A tourist area. Outdoor seats only in the sun. The pastries looked like they been baked with yellowcake. Another no. While taking in the view and getting the obligatory photos (I hope the one of the Ponte with the reflection of the shops in the water turns out), I noticed a sparsely populated cafe on the terrace below us. Down we went, the pastries looked good, and the view was sensational because we also got to people watch. Breakfast time. I know dear reader, it was closer to brunch but we needed a sugar hit and the lateness of the hour means it will be beer for lunch and then a proper meal at dinner. Of course it was twice the price we would pay near the apartment, but it was a welcome sugar hit and a rest in the shade.

How about that reflection?

The next stop was the Santa Croce church for which the Lonely Planet guide book described the interior as "austere". Just for the record and the sake of accuracy, austere means: having a plain or unadorned appearance. Sooooo wrong! Mind you, the outside façade added on after the original build was typical Florentine - 3 colours of marble and beautiful to see. The inside, however, was an OMG moment, perhaps because we were expecting, well, nothing. It is stunning, from the art works to the stained glass windows to the frescoes. Seriously well worth the visit. The pictures speak for themselves. How can you go wrong with Giotto frescoes, and the tombs of Galileo, Dante (hence today's title) and Machiavelli??? Mind you, we knew these great minds were going to be there because we researched the place before deciding to go there - the frescoes and the stained glass windows were a bonus due to the Lonely Planet's understatement.

Austere?

Surprisingly not so austere.

Definitely not austere.

A side chapel, also not austere.

It appears other tourists are less deliberate in their explorations because, as we were waiting to purchase our entry tickets, a couple from an unnamed country (insert your own prejudice) asked if we were English and then inquired what we were going in to see - was it worth the entry prices? After I replied, "Better, Australian," Jayne proceeded to tell them what they were going to find, including an explanation of who Dante was.  Apparently our recommendation was sufficient because we spotted them inside the basilica later on.  Do people really just wander around a city and see what they come across? We are great advocates of walking everywhere because you never know what gems you may come across off the main grid and we are always looking for local recommendations (hence our dinner destination tonight), but we try to ensure we know the big ticket items in any place we visit. We travel too far to go home and find out later we missed a classic must see.

The weather continues to be a bonus. Cloudless skies and temperatures in the low 30s. Today is no exception. It does mean one needs to stay hydrated so, in place of lunch, today we had beers, somewhere on the walk back toward the San Lorenzo district where we are staying. I know I have mentioned this before but I rarely drink beer at home and Jayne never does, yet a beer sometime in the afternoon has almost become a ritual.

Re-hydrated, we turned for home again, the long way, to check out a restaurant where we think we will dine this evening due to a local recommendation - Fuoco Matto (Crazy Fire). Then off to the supermarket for some happy hour supplies.

The last tourist destination of the day was the Basilica di San Lorenzo which is the church we look at through our bedroom window. Another church full of renaissance art and Giotto frescoes, full of deceased Medici family members who considered this to be their local church since it was just a stone's throw from their original palace. Again, the murals and frescoes are impressive, prompting Jayne to ask, "What is so special about the Sistine Chapel?" I have no answer, especially since Michelangelo didn't want a bar of it. So, any of my arty friends out there I would love to hear from you. (Kristy, I'm looking at you).

Another relief.

Jesus with chest hair and a tummy slug.

A side altar.