Day 5: Florence

First thing Tuesday was a trip to the Bargello to see the original trefoils. I won't go into detail on these, but I've wanted to see them up close since I learned about them in college. They did not disappoint. I could tell by looking firsthand why Ghiberti won. Despite other people taking pictures and no signs, John was told no cameras. So this is our only indoor picture; no Donatello David. No excursion is complete without some stairs. We went down to the courtyard and enjoyed taking some legal pictures of statues.

Then we went back to the piazza della signoria to see the other statues better in daylight.

With the Sabine women, David and Goliath's head, and this Hercules and centaur, the statues and stories could get pretty graphic. The emotion is visible in the sculptures. While walking to the Galileo museum we saw these barriers covered in locks. People put their name and date on them. We're curious how it started.

Pictures weren't allowed in Galileo's museum either, but we had to sneak one of his fingers. Why on earth people feel the need to save and display his finger is beyond me. We read about the different rumors around it, though, and they're pretty entertaining.

I tried another mozzerella and tomato panino but was vastly disappointed. I think the bread was too thick this time for the cheese to melt at all. Not as fresh or well seasoned (basil and olive oil) as the Pisa one, either. We're definitely trying those at home, though.

We had tickets in the afternoon for the Accademia. AMAZING. Lot's of statues, like the Prisoners, but the best by far, of course, is Michelangelo's David. Truly breathtaking. No pictures I've ever seen have come close to portraying its beauty. I just loved it. John thought it was cool, too. But really. Unbelievable. I'm glad pictures weren't allowed so I could just soak it in.

Next up was the Uffizi, which has roomfuls of great art. Works by Leonardo, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Giotto, Raphael, Titian, etc. My favorites were Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring. Definitely a don't miss. Although I prefer Renaissance art, so I may have a bias.Pictures were allowed on the rooftop terrace, which provided some cool views of the duomo and campanile. On our way back we found an Aveda salon. John's sister, Sarah, works for Aveda, so if she ever wants to move to Florence we'll visit. Such a great city.

They tipped the scales that night with pesto pasta for me, carbonara for John, and Italy's greatest gelato that night a few blocks from our hotel. John had the most amazing pistachio and hazelnut and I had chocolate and cream. I'm not a chocolate ice cream lover, but this gelato was to die for. If only we'd found it sooner!