Today we decided to have more of a relaxed scenic experience and enjoy some of the less crowded and noisy areas of Florence. So after a breakfast of yogurt, coisants with nutella & cheese, and a hot cup of cappuccino we hit the streets and headed over to the Pitti Pallace Museum & Gardins about 15 minutes away.
After touring their impressive renaissance art exhibit, we crossed the Arno river again and made our way to the Piazzale Michelangelo, atop a nearby hill. At the top we enjoyed a mushroom & tomato pizza at the Michelangelo Restaurant overlooking the city below. The pizza was overpriced, but the view was well worth it. :)
The Piazzale Michelangelo overlooks the city of Florence offering a nearly panoramic view, and a unique vantage point of the Duomo. Just over the edge from the Piazzel was an iris garden which was FREE! (It seems like you have to pay for just about everything in this tourist city/country, so it's a great find when you get something for free). The flowers were amazing combinations of colors and shapes and were planted among old olive trees. A small stone pond full of blooming beautiful water lilies made a great hangout for us while we waited for it to stop raining (something that seems to happen every afternoon).
Once we were finished seeing flowers, we made the short journey further up the hill to see the San Miniato Church, a green-and-white marble Florentine Romanesque church. It is a fairly humble church, yet very ornately decorated (if that makes any sense at all). Someone was playing the pipe organ when we got there and after about 30 minutes they started the evening mass, lead by a group of Gregorian monks. I'll try to post a video clip for you to see & hear. It was all very beautiful and peaceful...
Leaving the church we headed back down the hill back into the city only to see the original city wall of Florence and decide to follow it up the side of another hill. At the top of the hill we came to Fort Belvadeare which also overlooks the city. It had signs to a ticket booth but we didn't see anyone there, so we (and a few other tourists) walked on into the fort. There were security people there but no one stopped us or made us pay. Perhaps it was already too late in the day... Woohooo! Another freebie! :)
Finally getting back to our corner of town we decided to get some supper and try out the veggie hamburger mentioned in the previous post. The service was great, the portions were big, and the prices weren't too bad! So we took our food, walked out to the middle of Ponte alla Carraia bridge, sat on the huge stone railing and ate our supper, overlooking the most famous & picturesque bridge in Florence. Supper was followed by some of the best Italian gelato we've had yet! We've read that Florence has the absolute best gelato in Italy... I believe it!
Home sweet home.
Italy08vacation
