Monday, October 3, 2022
Today's action packed adventure started bright and early as we had a lot of ground to cover.
In search of the morning's
mandatory cappuccino and brioche
None of the maddening tourist crowd was up yet so Laurie had an easy opportunity to stroke the lucky hog's snout
The street vendors were wasting no time getting set up for another day of bartering
The ladies on the Ponte Vecchio
overlooking the Arno River
Benvenuto Cellini
1500-1571
Goldsmith, Sculptor and Author
Who better than this Renaissance goldsmith to have a statue on the Ponte Vecchio?
We recovered our rental car from the Ponte Vecchio Parking Garage at a cost of 55 Euros for the night and were off on a one hour drive due west to the city of Pisa to see the fabulous Field of Miracles.
Our first glimpse of Pisa's
magical Leaning Tower
Strong fortifications in Pisa
Our two photogenic young
ladies with the Leaning Tower
and the Duomo behind them
It was simply intended to be the
Duomo's bell tower when built
in the 12th-century A.D.
It became much, much more than that over the centuries.
The 15-foot lean from vertical has made the Leaning Tower one of the world's most iconic sights. It has been a case of Man vs. Gravity ever since the first stones were laid in 1173 A.D.
We are happy to report that Man
is still winning the battle
Barely.
Romulus and Remus suckled
by a she-wolf
This symbol is closely aligned with Rome but, what the heck, we're all Italians now.
I thought that Scorpion Field
was majestic but this is something
else altogether!
Pisa's Duomo is spectacular in its own right
Pass Rush arm under move?
Part of the ornate story telling
Duomo entry doors
Again, the illiterate masses needed visual reminders of the biblical stories that had been read to them over the years.
A fallen angel on the
Fiel of Miracles
Massive head trauma
The Crest of the Medici Family
A powerful group indeed!
The third structure on the Field of Miracles
is this gorgeous Baptistry
Did she just cut the cheese?
It was my fifth time in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, the Duomo and the Baptistry and I was still in awe of all three structures.
We headed back to Florence to drop off our rental car as we would not need it for the last two days of our visit to Tuscany.
An important Italian aviator
with a bust at the airport
Our taxi ride back into town from the airport was mostly a Mr. Toad's Wild Ride experience.
Our helpful, happy driver was dubbed Maria Andretti in tribute to her mad driving skills. I mean, who doesn't love a purposeful four wheel drift in Florentine traffic?
I suggested that she consider driving a car in this year's Italian Grand Prix at the race track in Monza.
She laughed.
Time for a late lunch at our
#1 dining spot in Florence
the Trattoria Zá Zá
A classic menu with several
traditional Tuscan delights to try
The Hostess with the Mostest
Our view while dining at Zá Zá
That is the Central Market building in the background.
My pappardelle pasta with
wild boar sauce was AMAZING!
The Trattoria Zá Zá has yet to disappoint me, a GREAT dining experience.
Lunch behind us, we now headed to the Medici Chapel.
Koreen has been watching the Netflix show about this famous/infamous power broking Renaissance family so we just had to go.
What is that man doing
to the Basilica de San Lorenzo?
Oh, I see . . .
Shouldn't he be down river in Pisa trying to shore up the Leaning Tower like so many of the tourists?
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, I believe
Into to yet another amazing
art experience
Definite signs of . . .
. . . wealth and power but . . .
The Medici Chapel itself was
a tad over the top
Nothing says Power Family like building yourself a structure like this one.
What is that animal?
It's mythical, right?
Wow, just plain WOW!
The crown of the Medici's
above their family crest
I just liked it
Massive tombs for the key
Medici family members
Was this the inspiration for the
iconic Bob's Big Boy overalls?
The altar was magnificent
This black half moon
caught my eye
What a ceiling!
This one just caught my eye too
Grandeur to be sure
Pope Leo X was a Medici
So were Pope Clement VII, Pope Pius IV and Pope Leo XI.
As I stated earlier, a real deal Power Family.
Pope Leo X's Staff . . .
. . . and his beaded Mitre
Angelic Laurie in the Medici Chapel light
Spoils of War tribute
One of Michelangelo's contributions
to the Medici Chapel . . .
. . . and another
Lorenzo the Magnificent and
Giuliano dei Medici eyeballing the
Madonna and Child who are taking
the spotlight off of them
The utter audacity of that woman and her child!
I like the color red
Hmmm, how much is all
of this going to cost?
The Medici Chapel is well worth the time it takes to see it even if you have not watched the Netflix Medici series.
While walking back to our
home base, we ran into
Florence's Duomo again
Giotto's Bell Tower
is a great sight!
Street art nearing completion
Artist tools
Speaking of art, Brian took this photo
of the chapel in our Air BnB bedroom
In the evening, Brian and I came
across this great street singer . . .
. . . as well as this excellent suit
The cap ties the whole outfit together, don't you think?
The reason that we left Laurie and Koreen back at the Air BnB to fend for themselves was the we had a chore to do.
For the second time on our Adventure,
we had laundry to do
Thirty minutes to wash, 30 minutes to dry and we were done.
We have now done laundry in Lyon, France and Florence, Italy.
Will Barcelona, Spain be next?
Tribute to Lady Justice
We spotted this cool
Florentine graffiti and . . .
. . . this one too on the walk home
from the laundromat
Physical Fitness is our #1 byproduct
Tomorrow we explore Florence's famed Uffizi and Accademia Galleries on our last full day in Italy, stay tuned . . .
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