Firenze, pt 3! & Siena

Friday

Today was one of the best days of the trip. Me, Greta and Bine decided to go to the Uffizi, plus some shopping and they wanted to go see David. 


What I forgot to mention is that the Uffizi is right next to the Piazza della Signoria, which was where the friar Savonarola was burned at the stake. I didn't realize he was killed in Florence. In a nutshell, he was a friar who, in my opinion, had the courage to criticize the Church during the Renaissance period. Unfortunately, he was a wee bit extreme with some of his views, and that got himself in a lot of trouble. Anyway, I digress.


For breakfast, we got gelato. I wish I was joking. We then went to the Uffizi, a beautiful museum housing more works of the Italian masters. Not only did they have an amazing exhibit on Caravaggio, plus works by Duhrer and da Vinci, but they had an ENTIRE ROOM dedicated to Boticelli.

I walked in, and first I see the Madonna of the Magnificat, one of my favorites. I then see, right next to it, The Birth of Venus, and beside that, Allegory of Spring. 


Starstruck. Speechless. Moved. Amazed. Seeing what I saw that day was much more impressive than the Mona Lisa. 


After the Uffizi we got a delicious lunch, and then wanted to check out the leather stores. Italian leather, and specifically leather from Florence, is of unbelievable quality. Plus, you aren't paying for a brand name, so it's much more reasonable. (Unless you could care less about cost, the Italian designers weren't far away)

We first went to the Leather School, and there you can see artisans creating various leather goods. It was really neat to see, but we continued. I found one store where I purchased a handsome set of black leather gloves, and I got them for 10% off too.

We then stumbled into one store, whose owner told us he owned another store down the street and everything was on sale at 50% off. The second store was even better. Bine found the leather boots she wanted, plus a gorgeous leather jacket. I wasn't planning on spending more, but I spied with my eyes a pair of brown leather shoes. I tried them on, and I was hooked. They were 50% off, plus the salesman took off another 10 Euros because I payed in cash.

I finished my purchases by buying two bags of rainbow colored bow-tie pasta.

Success? I think so. Grazie Firenze!


Saturday

Our final full day we spent in Siena. Unfortunately we got there a bit later than expected, so I thought our time there was pleasant but too brief. And, I regret not doing enough research on the city. I'll get to that later.

Once we got off the bus we followed Valerie to a restaurant that was highly recommended. It was definitely worth the walk. I had an amazing grilled veal steak, followed by little biscotti you soak in sweet wine. Yum yum.

We then walked to Siena's Duomo, and I will say, Siena is quite charming. It has a more Medieval feeling to it, more brick buildings and such. This Duomo was much more impressive on the inside. Again, huge, massive, and lots of marble. It was a treat! We also visited the Piazza del Campo, Siena's central square with the Palazzo Pubblico as the focal point.

The square is beautiful. It's shell shaped, so there's a curve, and it was so nice to relax on it. The square is also known for the famous Palio di Siena horse races that take place there. The energy must change so much, because it had a very relaxed laid-back atmosphere. I can't imagine when they are setting up for the races!

Before we left, we explored the Santuario e casa di Santa Caterina. Bine's friend recommend we visit, and I wanted to go, seeing that St. Catherine of Sienna is the city patron, and my mom is a 3rd generation Catherine in the family.

This place was a hidden gem. One side was the sanctuary, and the other side had a chapel. You open the doors, and the chapel glowed with light. Frescos, paintings and flags just glowed. My eyes were so wide looking around. But I wish I had researched Siena because I found out, this sanctuary was where Catherine actually lived. And the crucifix hanging on the altar is the one that gave her the stigmata.

Incredible. And I was there.

We got back, had a delicious homemade Mexican dinner courtesy of Jenny's mom, and then went out to celebrate our last night in Florence. Again, SO MUCH FUN. More merriment followed by secret bakery treats.