This is our last full day in Florence. I was hoping to get to Lucca but it doesn't look like that will work out for us. Another nice breakfast. For me-fruit, juice, slice of pie, biscotti. Then we take a taxi from our hotel to Palazzo Vecchio. Cost 15.10€/$16.23. We walk around Piazza dell Signoria as I forgot to look for the bronze plaque marking the spot where Friar Savonarola was killed.
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| My breakfast |
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Richard's breakfast
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| Our taxi to Palazzo Vecchio |
Piazza della Signoria. Square where Friar Savonarola burned his worldly goods and one year later was charged a heretic and hanged/burned. There's a bronze plaque on the spot where this happened. This square is right by our planned stop Palazzo Vecchio. Also we see water running at the Neptune Fountain which is nice.
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| Neptune Fountain |
Palazzo Vecchio. Built in the form of a castle with a tower between 1299 and 1314. Its function was to become the residence and workplace of the officials of the republic. On the first floor the most striking room in the palace is the Hall of the Five Hundred. It's huge and filled with art on the ceiling, the walls. On the second floor we find the apartments of the Elements-Hercules, Jupiter, etc. Also apartments of Eleonora of Toledo-Green Room, Admission for both of us 25€/$26.87. We spend around 1 hour here.
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Admission tickets
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| Hall of Five Hundred |
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| Hall of Five Hundred |
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| Courtyard |
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| Second floor |
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| Looking down to Hall of Five Hundred from second floor |
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| Room of Jupiter |
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| Room of Jupiter |
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| Pluto with a Dolphin |
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| Room of Ceres and Calliope |
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| Looking down from second floor to Hall of Five Hundred |
Ponte Vecchio. Medieval stone closed spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River. Noted for shops built along it. In the past you'd find shops of butchers, tanners, and farmers. Now we find jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir sellers. The two neighboring bridges are Ponte Santa Trinita and the Ponte all Grazie. Lots of tourists here.
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 | | Postcard-Ponte Vecchio |
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Shopping. I do want to buy some gold earrings. The store only has 18k gold. After a bit of looking I find my long dangly earrings and also a lovely cross. Paperwork is completed for VAT Global Blue at the airport when we leave Italy to get a refund. Cost 1122€/$1205.70. At the Pandora store I buy 2 charms. One is a pink vespa that I get because we are doing a vespa sidecar tour in Rome. The other is of Firenze with the Duomo on it. Cost 108€/$116.06. I'm happy with my purchases!
Palazzo Castri. Richard buys a carry on suitcase for the souvenirs I've been buying. He gets the price down to 40€. Then it's time to relax. Pool break. We decide to order some drinks. I get the Castri Limoncello Spritz. Richard likes beer so he gets artisan Tuscan beer-IPA. We're surprised when we also get some mini appetizers which are very tasty!
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| My spritz and Richard's beer |
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| Mini Snacks |
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| Relaxing |
Osteria Antica Casa Torre. Taxi from our hotel. Cost 13.50€/$$14.51. We end up here because places on my list are not available for dinner tonight. There is outside seating but we prefer to be seated inside. Place is moderately busy. Locals and tourists. I decide that we should try some Tuscan food items that are on the menu. We start with drinks-beer for Richard and just water for me. Bread basket. Side of Tuscan cannelloni beans. The bowl is piping hot and remains hot until the end of the meal. The beans are very good. Richard ends up with wild boar loin with pumpkin and pistachios. I have a taste but it's just not for me. I go for the fresh penne with cereal flours with Tuscan sausage and gorgonzola. This dinner is certainly rustic and not what we'd usually get. It's fine but not top on my list of favorite meals. Cost 62€/$66.63. Then to top it off we have to walk to a different piazza to get a taxi. It's a long walk. The taxi situation in Florence will not be missed by us. It seems we're walking, walking to where we can catch a taxi and it's always a 30 minute walk-more or less! I must have paid cash for the taxi back to our hotel and forgot to write the amount down.
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| Taxi from our hotel |
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| Outside seating |
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| Menu |
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| Wild boar loin with pumpkin and pistachios |
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Fresh penne with cereal flours with Tuscan sausage and gorgonzola
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| Side of Tuscan cannelloni beans |
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| Our taxi back to our hotel |
Palazzo Castri. Back at our hotel we decide to sit by the pool to just unwind from the day. Tomorrow we leave for Amalfi and we have to finish packing. We decide to order drinks. Richard gets beer-different from the one he had this afternoon-and I get a pina colada. A bowl of potato chips comes with the drinks. It's quiet and peaceful.
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| Richard's beer |
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| My pina colada |
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| Bowl of chips |
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