Pasta & the Pope: Florence (Days 12-14)

Hola todos, 

The last few days have been pretty slow. I probably scheduled one more day in Florence than I ideally should have, but that’s allowed me time to just sit by the river and enjoy the view for a while, or people watch by a tourist spot, or just wander the streets with a bit of a purposelessness. But I did have a few activities or tours or happenings of note:

Tours and Wanderings

I went to mass at the Duomo—the fastest way to see the incredible dome ceiling frescoes (otherwise, the line can take hours).

 

The Duomo dome has 700+ painted figures (I think?).

I went on this tour to two family-run wineries in Chianti. Surrounded by beautiful rolling countryside, we learned about the olive oil, wine, and balsamic vinegar that are made in this region.

The first winery we went to was Tenuta Torciano, founded in 1720 (!!). The second was Poggio ai Laghi. Both were absolutely fabulous, and the wine was so delicious and smooth. I'm a sucker for a good chianti.

 

 

 

I toured the Santa Maria Novella church and its attached cloister. The wall frescoes, paintings, and main altar were all so beautiful.

 

 

 

Just look at that ceiling!

 

The cloister grounds.

And I stopped by the Church of San Marco, another stunning church.

I checked out the Mercato di Sant’Ambrogio, a market on the east side of Florence with food stalls and restaurants, and fresh meat, fish, vegetable, and fruit stands, and clothing and knock-knack booths. It appears to me that Mercado Centrale has a wider selection, but this market is much less crowded and could hold some undiscovered gems.

I went to the Duomo’s Baptistery (and the sweet ticket lady gave me discount tickets since the ceiling is under restoration!). Its interior marble lining was probably completed by 1113, and the exterior is completely marble. Several generations of artists worked on the 1,000 square meters of mosaics on the dome’s ceiling. Unfortunately, it currently being restored and we couldn’t see any of it. We could see some of the other incredible mosaics, though.

 

 

All of these gilded decorations are small-tile mosaics. It's incredible to see the artistry!

The Duomo’s museum was included with the baptistery ticket, so I checked it out, even though I’m a bit burnt out on museums. They had originals of some of the sculptures in the church and on its exterior, as well as the golden doors that were a part of the Duomo and baptistery. And models of varying facade ideas, old construction equipment, and floor plans. The museum itself is where a former timber warehouse used to be: the timber sales there were used to fund the building of the church and its repairs.

 

Check out this to-scale model of a potential facade for the Duomo. This view is from the second floor of the museum, and you can see how small the people below are in comparison.

This was Bruschinelli's own wooden model for the tippy-top of the Duomo.

At the top of the museum, you got a great view of the dome.

This is a Pieta, Michelangelo’s second to last piece. He abandoned it after seven years when he damaged it, frustrated by faults in the marble. Michelangelo sculpted himself as Nicodemus (top figure).

Food

I went to the trendy bar 25 Hours with some of the other young people who I hit it off with on the wine tour, and I ate a spicy salami pizza at Matto Matto. I recommend both spots!

The pizza at Matto Matto--after I remembered to snap a pic!

I went to Un Caffe for lunch—so cheap and good! I almost went back a second day, but I had other places to try. This sandwich was €4, or about $4.50. Yum!

(And yes, I am skipping All’Antico Vinaio this trip. The lines were always *super* long because it's Instagram-famous and, since it has now expanded to other cities outside of Florence, including Rome and even New York City, I'd rather try somewhere *truly* local.)

Daily coffee-and-a-sweet-treat breaks allowed me to try a bunch of different local pastries. The one pictured below is a Sicilian cannoli--chocolate chips on one end and orange rind on the other. An interesting, but yummy, combo!

I also walked around the Mercado Centrale, checking out the local foods and souvenirs available as well as the selection of restaurants on the first and second floors. I ended up eating lunch one day at La Primeria: fresh pasta cooked to order for €6 a plate. You can’t beat that!

Not pictured: my trip to My Sugar gelato, a spot that had been recommended and was definitely worth it. One thing I love here is that they have smaller serving sizes but will still give you two flavors! Just enough to satisfy you.

Florence Overall

A total delight. It's in contention for my favorite city this trip. There is so much history, so much to see and do, but in a compact and easy-to-navigate city. And while Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, it isn't hard to get out of the Centro Storico and get a feel for culture that is a bit more local.

Besos,

Tina the Exploradora

Cumulative steps: 312,547