Italian Holiday 2004

Florence (Firenze)
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Ponte Vecchio:

This charming bridge was built in 1345 to replace an earlier bridge that was swept away by flood, and its shops housed first butchers, then grocers, blacksmiths, and other merchants. But in 1593 the Medici grand duke Ferdinand I (1549-1609), whose private corridor linking the Medici palace (Palazzo Pitti) with the Medici offices (the Uffizi) crossed the bridge atop the shops, decided that all this plebeian commerce under his feet was unseemly. So he threw out the butchers and blacksmiths and installed 41 goldsmiths and eight jewelers. The bridge has been devoted solely to these two trades ever since.

Walking Tour of Florence:

Our tour in Florence focused on mainly three piazzas -- Piazza della Duomo, Piazza Signoria, and Santa Croce. There are neat little streets and alleys between these piazzas with different architetural features. Everywhere you look is just a fascinating site and quite often, you are entertained by street performers and musicians as you travel through the city.

On our tour, we were treated with a demonstration of Florentine Leather. We went to the back room of a company called Misuri. The manager showed us the different types of leather and told us how we can tell good quality leather from mediocre leather. She used some of my tour group members as models for the different leather jackets.

Street Musicians:

Our Models at Misuri (left) and an old Palace (right):

Our tour guides - Francesco (left) and Antonia (right):

Kristi and I had two tour guides in Florence. We met our first local guide outside the Academy of Fine Arts. His name is Francesco and showed us around the city. He was my favorite tour guide we had on this trip.

Kristi and I opted to see the Uffizi Art Gallery, but there were not enough of our tour group who wanted to see it. The few of us who went were combined with another Globus tour group. Their tour guide was named Antonia. She was a British lady who has spent years in Florence studying art. She was the only non-Italian tour guide we had on this trip, but she really new her art history. She told us some fascinating information about the pieces of art in that Gallery.

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