Florence, Tuscsany

We arrived Florence with huge anticipation and excitement of what our experience would be. There are a lot of things to learn about Florence. A smart tourist will have to decide how to prioritize. For us, Florence without a guided tour will not be wise; and so we had guides for two days. It was worth the investment. Our five days experience would be broken down into the following:

• Meeting with David;
• The day trip to Pisa
• Exploring the city of Florence, its history;
• Making gelatos and pizza

Meeting with Michelangelo’s David

There are pictures of David in a lot of travel guides, history books, etc. But those are not the same with actual encounter. Lucky for us, we had a experienced art historian for our guide to David. He provided us detailed information; explained what Michelangelo was doing when he was the same as our kids, including Chimdi. (He claimed he remembered events that happened when he was 6 months old!).

David is located in the Accademia, a museum. Sculpted from 1501 to 1504, this marble master piece is about 14.2 feet tall, and incredibly detailed. And considering that this was sculpted in the 15^th Century, speaks to the power of the human intellect. How do you explain the naked David to the children? This was a teaching moment on art and the human body.  (We encountered the same with Leonardo Da Vinci human body.) These are arts, not nudity for its own sake.

Alone with David late in the evening in the Accademia

 Trip to Pisa

 We took a day trip by train to the leaning Tower of Pisa, What an exciting experience. Built more than 800 years ago, it is still leaning. We climbed the 247 stairs to the top of the tower. Obi literally ran up most of the stairs; great to be young. At the top, we savored the moment; looking around the city and over the two big domes; we talked about the moment, what it means. What a special moment.

 

 

At the top of the tower:

We also took some silly pictures, trying to hold up the Tower from falling.

 

 

Florence and its history.

The names of great people from the 15^th century that called this place home is amazing: Michelangelo, Donatello,  Leonardo De Vinci, Galileo, Machiavelli, Medici, the Medici banks and the two popes the Medici’s  produced - Leo and Clement, Dante, Rafael, etc.

Santa Croce Church - the other big church in Florence where lots of important folks are buried

Galileo's grave

Michelangelo's grave

Nicoli Machiavelli's grave

Rossini's (the composer) grave

Gelato

Eating Gelato at Santa Trinita, probably the best Gelato joint in Florence, which as any Florentine knows, means the best in the whole world

The Duomo - front facade.

We spent half a day at the Uffizi, which probably has the largest selection of renaissance painting. Walking through the museum without a knowledgeable guide will have been a total waste of time for all. With the help of our guide, we saw the most important pieces, without getting very dizzy. The histories and the back story of the painting make them come to life.

Uffizi top floor hallway

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Only known painting by Michelagelo

Gelato and Pizza Classes
We had the pleasure of attending a pizza and gelato making class in Florence. It was a lot of fun for all. Each person had to eat what they made, and certificates were issued at the end.

Meeting a friend for dinner at The Napoleon Restaurant:

In between activities, the kids had fun playing around Florence

Last Day in Venice

We had a great time in Venice. The city was easy to navigate. We got lost a few times, but on each occasion, it was easy to find our way back. Though it may by is a dying city, Venice is a great city to visit. The kids had a great time. 

 

 

 

  We had lunch with an old friend, Rev. Dr. Ejeh at St. Pius X Canonical Institute.

 

We took the vaporreto (local boat transport vehicle) to Murano, the legendary home of glass making. We enjoyed watching the glass making in one of the local shops. We picked up some hand-made Murano light pendents.

 

The finished glass products:

 

 Everyone chilled out on the ride back to Venice.

 

  

March 25

At the train station in Venice, on our way to Florence, Tuscany.

Gondola

Gondola ride in Venice: It is a 1000 year old tradition, and is one of the most renowned Venetian traditions. Like most visitors to the islands, we took the obligatory gondola ride. The weather was perfect for the ride; no rain, the sun was up and the wind was mild.

We met up with our gondolier or operator, paid our fee for the 45 minutes ride through several canals in the city. Our operator pointed out some landmarks in the city, including some churches that are 500 to 600 years old; the home of Marco Polo; the house of Giacomo Casanova, etc. The children enjoyed the ride. Partly because of the time of the year, the canal did not smell too badly. No one fell into the water! Whew!!

The ride through the Grand Canal. The Rialto, the center of ancient Venetian commerce, in the background. Now home to the fish market and other merchants

The "bridge of sighs" - connecting the the Doge's Palace (Palazzo Ducale) to the prison, so named as the last view prisoners had of Venice before going to prison.

Towards the end of the ride by the Palazzo Ducale and the bridge of sighs.

At the end of the gondola ride: