Saturday, May 21
At this point I just wanted more free time- Don't get me wrong I enjoyed having guided tours and all, but I wanted to explore the great city of Florence on my own and start picking up soiviners. The outdoor stands and storefronts were so tempting.
We had a later start today before our first site- thank goodness. I needed a little extra RnR time in bed after getting up and out way too early over the last few days. The Academia Museum was conveniently located a few blocks from Hotel Arizona.
We had a later start today before our first site- thank goodness. I needed a little extra RnR time in bed after getting up and out way too early over the last few days. The Academia Museum was conveniently located a few blocks from Hotel Arizona.
Academia Museum
Our guide today was so considerate of our noddle legs and encouraged us to take a seat as she explained the exhibits of the Academia.
As the name would suggest, the Academia was once a place for scholars to conduct research and learn from each other, a school, if you will.
Here, we saw the famous David in all his naked glory.
Here, we saw the famous David in all his naked glory.
Note the proportions of Michelangelo's masterpiece. His head and hands are accentuated, compared to the rest of his body. Some think that this symbolizes the high intellect a large head for a big brain) and the hands represent action. As the story goes, young David was an underdog who defeated the Big Bully Goliath with smarts and faith in God, equipped only with a slingshot and a few rocks. It proves you don't need to be strong and powerful to be a winner. |
We were on our own for lunch that afternoon and stopped at Antico Noè, a priased panini shop, as per suggestion of our tour guide. And boy was she spot on!
I got a #22, ham, brie, and mushrooms all on a warm toasted flat bread. So tasty.
I got a #22, ham, brie, and mushrooms all on a warm toasted flat bread. So tasty.
Since there was time to kill before our next venue tour at 16:00, a few of the girls and I went souvenir hunting. I bought a few silk scarves that read Firenze and Roma on them in floral prints, a couple of magnets, postcards and handmade wristbands. Walking down the outside corridor of the Uffizi Museum, we spotted a man with an easel-like stand. Mounted on it was a board with gold and silver necklaces, bracelets and rings.
"Ciao!" the man greeted. We responded back in Italian as courtesy. He continued in Italian, and somehow I code switched to Spanish. "Ah, tu hablas espanol!" he exclaimed. I knew more in Spanish than I did in Italian, so between that and English, we had a great milti-lingual conversation.
Kaitlin really wanted to get a necklace with her zodiac name on it. The man pulled out a thin bronze wire from his pocket and with what looked like mini pliers, he began bending the malleable metal into letters. In two minutes, it read: Sagittarius.
Hers looked beautiful, so I decided to get one too with my name on it.
"Ciao!" the man greeted. We responded back in Italian as courtesy. He continued in Italian, and somehow I code switched to Spanish. "Ah, tu hablas espanol!" he exclaimed. I knew more in Spanish than I did in Italian, so between that and English, we had a great milti-lingual conversation.
Kaitlin really wanted to get a necklace with her zodiac name on it. The man pulled out a thin bronze wire from his pocket and with what looked like mini pliers, he began bending the malleable metal into letters. In two minutes, it read: Sagittarius.
Hers looked beautiful, so I decided to get one too with my name on it.
Venchi Chocolate Demonstration & Tasting
We were led upstairs to the second floor of the cioccoleteria/ gelateria and took a seat at the U- shaped table. The view overlooked the streets below, backed with people walking and shopping. The space's dark brown interior walls were covered in white printed words ( which I loved.) It explained a timeline in chocolate history. | From cocoa bean to packaged product, we tried an assortment of melt-in-your-mouth delicacies with a chocolate demonstration and tasting courtesy of Venchi. |