Arrivederci Firenze

As the sun sets over the River Arno so we wind our two day visit to Florence to a close. We woke up to the sound of a 5 K race being started in the piazza below our room. Had I known I would have registered and run. However we just ate our breakfast to the music of Chariots of Fire and the Rocky Theme. Since the line at the Uffizi Gallery was impossibly long we went around the corner to the Galileo Science Museum. Ron and I and about 3 other people were interested in early telescopes and science experiments.



Although I missed seeing the Botticelli's angels I found one outside the museum who was eager to welcome me to Florence.


We then walked to the Piazzale Michelangelo which offered an amazing view of the city.


A few thousand steps above the Piazzale was the church of San Miniato. As we were sitting in the church admiring the the paintings a really cranky monk started telling everyone to be quiet and started blocking off stairways. But shortly after, we were serenaded by Gregorian Chants. For those of you unfamiliar with St Minias as was I, he was beheaded on the banks of the Arno River. He picked up his head and walked up the really high hill without benefit of the thousand steps I referred to earlier and died on the site of where the church is today and was buried in what became the first Christian cemetery in Florence.


My friend Tommaso told me it is good luck to rub the nose of the boar outside the Uffizi so that was next on the list.


Then Ron and I went back to our room for a short nap and when he awoke he was inspired by all of our religious experiences and did his best imitation of il Papa.


So I leave you with the glorious sunset from the Ponte Vecchio and bid arrivederci to Florence.

Location:Florence