I grabbed a mini pizza to go and walked to the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, where I stopped for dessert at a gelateria in the piazza. ...Yes, gelato again. There are too many flavors and I must try them all!!! This time I had bacio again and combined it with amaretto. MM MM GOOD.
P.S. I love that you can basically walk everywhere in this city. Especially since the buses are super annoying to use effectively.
Then I moved to Basilica di San Lorenzo, followed by the Capelle Medeeci, which is right next door. On the bottom floor of the Capelle, there are several artifacts from this "princes' chapel", all extremely ornate and beautiful (and expensive looking). Then I went to the second floor - this is where the real sight was. Under the dome of the capelle, I was surrounded by marble work. Literally every inch if this place was decorated with and covered in marble (or similar material), some so intricately designed and laid that it seemed like a painting. There was an altar as the focus of the room, of course, and places for each prince with statues of them around the room, as well as crests and columns and just all sorts of ridiculousness. It. Was. Fascinating. Pictures weren't technically allowed, but I managed to sneak a few on my phone to give you a feel of the place:
Next, after getting hit on by a younger Egyptian fellow in the Piazza del San Lorenzo, I hit the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (obviously belonging to the Medici family - hugely prominent in Florence), which was also incredibly ornate and stunning.
I was going to go to the Garden Bardini and Porcelain Museum (for the view of the countryside...not the porcelain), but apparently they close an hour early on the last Monday of the month. What is this business where everything randomly closes at random times on Mondays? Add it to the "Back to America" list. And yes...I have an actual list. I started it the day of the pigeon fiasco (see the Milan post for a recounting of the pigeon affair). Top of my list? Right above 4G coverage and free water in restaurants? Street signs posted OUT IN THE STREET where you can actually see them.
Sorry, I got off an a little bit of a tangent there. Anyway, this allowed me some more time to sit down at a nearby restaurant for dinner, where I had a big, cheesy slice of pizza (for veteran Rockwallians...think Bella's). Dessert was a caffè macchiato, described in the menu to include coffee and chocolate, but it leaned a little more on the chocolate side of things. Still good, though, and pretty looking:
Finally, I headed for Piazzale Michelangelo! It was a little bit of a climb, but by now I'm used to such things. As area calves.
Basically, it's the best view in Florence and you can see the whole city from up there. The popular thing is to go up there and watch the sunset over the city and the hills surrounding it. Check it:
Breathtaking, no? Great end to a great day.
But now, I must rest. Tomorrow holds for me another day trip. Destination: Siena! Then to Pisa from there for the obligatory Leaning Tower visit before heading back to Firenze to hit the Accademia (David) and Uffizi (Birth of Venus, among others). Both of these places are open until 10 on Tuesdays - fits in perfectly! Then on Wednesday, it's off to Roma!!!
Also...in one week I'm back in the greatness of America. Hollaaaaaaa :D
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