Today is an Italian holiday. What should we do to celebrate? What to do? What to do? We decide to take the rain to Florence...I mean the train...well, actually we are taking the train AND the rain to Florence.
Jamal, our host, has insured us that we have PLENTY of time to get to the speedy train in Figline Valdarno that will take us to Florence. But...of course...we miss it....but we were only two minutes late! We're getting faster!
Our first goal in Florence is to get to Piazzale Michelangiolo to see the wonderful view that Jamal has told us we must not miss. When we get off the train, we notice the black clouds overhead and try to rush to this piazza to enjoy the view before the downpour begins. So we walk, and walk, and walk, and then climb, and climb, and climb (if you want a view you must head up!) and get there with a bit of sunshine. Maybe our luck is changing...or maybe we'd better hurry and get some cover before the storm hits.
We head down the hill and find a cafe. We sit outside until the downpour hits and then we move inside. We have the sweetest waitress. Jacque & I have been talking about buying gold in Florence...which it is known for. I tell her that the shops on Ponte Vecchio (the famous old bridge of Florence) may be more expensive than others so let's ask the waitress about this. The waitress says, "Yes, the shops on Ponte Vecchio may be expensive...because you can say it is from Ponte Vecchio." So I ask her, "So...where do you buy your gold?" She shows us her naked neck and arms, "I don't!" she replies.
We head to the Ponte Vecchio and Jacque does some shopping for beautiful gold pieces.
Then I suggest we continue heading away from the duomo because I haven't seen this part of Florence before. I know the Boboli Gardens are in this direction, but gardens & rain may not be a great combination. We come upon the Pitti Palace. I've read about his place before, but don't know much about it. Oh well, we may as well buy tickets and see what we can see. After all...it fits with our Castles and Culture theme.
Our jaws drop! This place is amazing! This is the palace of the famous Medici's. It is the home of the Grand Duke (which I assume is like a king). So we have seen the ancient palace of the King of England, the present home of the Queen of England (although only the exterior), the castle of the King of France, and now the palace of the Grand Duke in Italy. All I can say, "Wow, Wow! Wow!"
Each room seems more fabulous than the last. The ceilings are utterly amazing! Frescoes are nice, but these are frescoes with sculptures and some gold inlay. Enough to take your breath away. Obviously the Grand Duke is a well paid position!And the art work hung from the walls are numerous. Some are by Raphael and Michelangelo, to name drop a bit.
One curiosity...in the first halls we saw many statues. But most of the male sculptures had the penises lopped off. Why, I wonder? And while we're on the topic of unmentionables...there was one painting where a woman's nipples are being attacked by gigantic iron tongs. Just the kind of art work I'd love to hang in my bedroom. Gazing at that would certainly put me in the mood...for revenge, perhaps. Hmmm...maybe I should have gotten an audio guide.
We see the public rooms: banquet rooms, the throne room, meeting rooms, the music room, and art work laden hallways. We also see the private rooms: a more private living room, bedrooms,and smaller meeting rooms. The Boboli Gardens are just outside. They are supposed to be stunning. But these touristas have had enough for this day. Besides...if you've seen one gorgeous garden in the rain (and we've seen several)...you've seen plenty.
Speaking of the rain...it continues to follow us. You know the phrase, "The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane." Well we've altered the phrase to, "The rain in Europe falls mainly on US!" But we're not complaining about it, just laughing about it. We've seen too many incredible things to complain. Our agritourismo host said that it gets very hot here in the summer. Larry told him that for the price of airfare we'd come back and bring a cooling rain.
After touring Pitti Palace, we head back to the train station, take the train back to Figline Valdarno, get our car and get back to Jamal's place...easily! How can this be??
Jamal is so impressed that we managed to make it back in time for dinner. And the dinner...quite a feast! The dining room is filled with guests this evening. The couple next to us is from Singapore. Other guests are from Canada and Texas. There are many more guests, but we didn't get to interrogate them...I mean converse with them. The place is lively! The guests are interesting. The food is delicious. And the decor is eclectic (from Jamal's many travels to different parts of the world). What a great last night at Villa Poggio di Gaville!
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