Day 3 - Florence

Just for the record, today is Tuesday in Italy, though not necessarily so where you are. Today we go to Florence.

Florence, or Firenze in Italian, is like Siena on steroids. The Duomo is larger, the crowds are larger but the medieval streets are just as small. When we left Il Colobaio, I set my GPS for a point near the Duomo. Another mistake. You DO NOT want to drive in the area remotely near the Duomo. For one, the signs say restricted vehicles not allowed (that would certainly include us) and for two, the streets are NARROW with pedestrians, bicycles and scooters taking up the most of the way. We wandered up and down the streets until we finally escaped the narrow confines of the Duomo proper. Finding a parking garage, we abandoned the car and, with the help of our mapping app, proceeded in the general direction of the Duomo.

Now the Duomo in Siena is quite popular, but we were able to buy tickets and waltz right in. The Duomo in Florence is something else entirely. The line is long, it moves slowly and we had not gotten off near as early as I would have liked so it was after noon before we arrived on the scene. We decided that lunch was the best option at that point and so we found a covered sidewalk cafe and sat. I had two slices of pizza (my first in Italy), one a spicey sausage that turned out to be pepperoni (basically) and the other a ham and mushroom. Along with a cool and tasty local beer (appeared to be a lager), I was quite happy with the decision.

Satisfied, we next tackled the question of waiting in the long line and decided that it was not in our best interest. Let me say that missing the Duomo of Florence was a major disappointment, one that I may have to rectify at some future date. I would suggest that you order your tickets on-line ahead of time which allows you to by-pass the line at your given time of entrance, Unfortunately, we were sure which day we would go and so blew the opportunity to see one of the major attractions of the world.

We decided to proceed to the Galleria dell'Accademia where Michelangelo's David is displayed. If you don't know, David is considered to be the primo statue of the universe. The line to the Accademia was much, much, much shorter than that of the Duomo so Erin and I chose to wait it out. Both Amy and Sharon had been there before and seen the statue and elected to leave us for another venue. Once inside, we perused much of the art but, after a while, it was evident that all of the art was a variation on one of three themes - Mary and Jesus, Jesus' Resurrection or the Magi. We finally made it to the display of David and then decided to push on to join up with Amy and Sharon.

Unfortunately, that proved to be somewhat problematic, so Erin and I parked it at the Piazza Cesare Beccaria to wait for Amy and Sharon to find us. This took some time so we decided, once they arrived, that there was only one thing to do - get so chocolate gelato. Though it did not set all to right, it did restore some semblance of balance to the universe in our immediate vicinity.

Again, with our mapping app, we managed to return to the car. I probably have not mentioned it yet, but there are very few level streets in these medieval towns. They were build on the tops of hills for a reason (usually having to do with defense from the heathens) thus making level a fleeting idea. However, each street we trudged down had its charm…when I could look up from the uneven cobblestone streets that attempted to trip me and turn ankles at virtually every step.

Returning back to Il Colombaio, Amy, Erin and I accompanied Steve, Missy and Josie to dinner at the Ristorante Il Grillo Moro. Here they specialized in beef, beef and beef with the specialty of the house being a 1.6kg (56oz) T Bone steak for two. This massive piece of beef is deboned and sliced in the dining room by the owner, a large man named Fillipo, and served to a couple (or really large eater). You are not asked how you want it cooked - it is served on the rare side. I ordered the fillet that came wrapped in a thin strip of pale white fat (not bacon) with fried red onions and a side of roasted potatoes. While not the best steak I have eaten, it was quite good and, with a glass or two or three of the local house red, I came away satisfied with my experience.