Florence - our last day and more treasures - the David

After the market we started to wander again and came upon the Laurentian Library.  What a remarkable family the Medici family were, Cosimo the Elder collected ancient manuscripts of classical authors and opened the library for anyone to read/interpret.

The building was designed and built by Michelangelo in 1524.  We were very lucky when we walked in, we were the only one there and the custodian was passionate about her work and gave us a 30 minute talk about the building, Michelangelo and the Medicis.  The thing I found most interesting that she told us was that during the renaissance everything had an interpretation.  The stairs going up to the library were a dark grey with a bright door at the top.  Hence you walked from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge.  When you walked up the stairs you went up the middle and when you left you went down the sides showing your enlightenment.




The library itself consisted upon row upon row of pews.  On the side of the pews were the list of important books that were kept there (which I gather now can be found in their on-line library).  The seats were always filled with scholars reading and interpreting these historical works.  The floor above was laid by Michelangelo, the carpet was installed to try and keep it safe.

While we were there, there was an exhibit by Leonardi Bruni, he wrote what was considered the first modern history book of its time.  Ciao and Arrivederci being my only Italian, these books were amazing to look at.  Being brought up in Canada with such a young history I am amazed by the skills and education of this whole region.

Right next door to the library is the San Lorenzo Cathedral and the Medici crypt.  If you are listing your house today, chances are you are using the colour palette from this church.  Grey and white looked stunning even 600 years ago.

Along with the burial site of the Medici family, the tomb of Donatello is here.

What is a reliquaries you say???  So did I.  It's a little creepy actually.  It is a container for relics, which in most cases may be a piece of bone taken from the important religious leader that has died.  For some saints and popes the bones and clothing were put into these beautiful reliquaries and then transported across Europe so each church would have a little piece of the Saint to pray too.

We knew nothing about the above when we arrived in Florence, this is what makes the city so amazing is around every corner there is a masterpiece and amazing piece of history.

Next stop THE DAVID.  The first time I saw the DAVID was in Caesar's Palace - yep Las Vegas, a full replica.  It was pretty impressive.  The next time was in the Palazzo Vecchio where the original was until they moved it inside to protect it.  I'm not sure why I have always been so enthralled with his statue (as millions of people around the world are LOL).  I always loved the story of David and Goliath, he was the 2nd King of Israel and I did name my son David which means "beloved".  Maybe it had something to do with the little man taking on the giant.  When we walked in there was this large corridor and at the bottom looking down over everyone was the DAVID.  The effect was amazing.  Yes I cried, well teared up.

He looked brand new not 600 years old.  There are interpretations on everything from the size of his head, the large right hand and yes the size of his privates, I'll leave that to you to look up :)

"Because of the nature of the hero it represented, the statue soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Republic of Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome." (wikipedia)

Thank you Florence for an amazing time.  With all our wandering we still didn't see everything this beautiful historical city had to offer.

The San Lorenzo Market - Florence

Here we are discovering Florence for our 3rd day.  Honestly I thought it would take a day to see everything I wanted to see.  So WRONG.  Yesterday was a busy day touring the Chianti region so today we are just wandering around Florence and have discovered some amazing treasures.


Stephanie and Chris are big shoppers so our first stop today was the San Lorenzo Market.  The market sits in the shadows of the Basilica di San Lorenzo the main burial place for the main Medici Family.

If you want a bargain in Florence the market is where to get it and Stephanie and Chris are the ones to barter for you.  After watching for a few minutes Jim and I decided to find a cappuccino and happily wander around while they discussed prices with different stall owners, who all had the best leather, best hat, best scarf, best price in all of Italy.

 Right inside the door of the food market was a cappuccino bar.  Perfect.  The camera was turned on and I clicked my way around only the bottom floor of the market, which was filled with amazing smells and colours and things that for me that still go "ick", but warrant a picture.

 And what goes ick for me, well usually it is something fishy, but here I found a memory of my childhood that even my mom wouldn't make any of us eat.  2 or 3 times a year she made it for my dad as he loved it.  If my mom wouldn't eat it we didn't have to.  At home it came in a little tray just like your hamburger meat.  I can honestly say I have never seen it at a market.  My dad just drooled over it - yep TRIPE, the most coveted part of the sheep or cow's stomach is called the honeycomb tripe.  Yep even a cute little name ain't going to get me to eat it.

 Just like in Venice, fish of all kinds seem to be a staple of their diets.  I keep trying, but fish especially with heads on just don't do it for me.

I know I am missing out on some of the most wonderful delicacies in the world, but animals from the ocean especially ones with tentacles never have to worry about me!!!!!!!!!!

Now bread, fresh pasta and cheese (and some veges esp mushrooms) I could live on for the rest of my life especially with a nice Chianti to wash it down.  Below is my favourite shop, a fresh pasta store, you put in your order and watch it get made.  Buy the fresh sauce, go home to your Nonnie and she will think you are the perfect wife.

After an hour of wandering we headed over to meet up with the kids.  Amazing they actually bought something.  A hat each.  :)

All that looking at food made us starving for, of course, a homemade pizza and a glass of Chianti before we continued on our way.

Finally we are off to Tuscany and San Gimignano - Chianti Time

Has everyone seen "Under the Tuscan Sun", well if you haven't you should and if you have you definitely want to visit Tuscany.  Our tour guide said it caused an explosion in tourism to Tuscany.  Today we took a private tour out to the countryside with stops at 2 wineries and San Gimignano, that is the town off in the distance in the picture above.   Needless to say we are all super excited and our driver "Ilaria" from Fun in Tuscany Chianti Wine Tours is amazing.  Funny and so knowledgeable, it is going to be a great day.  

Just an hour outside of Florence is the beautiful Fattoria Poggio-Alloro (Bay Leaf Hills)  our first stop.  After a tour of the winery, we enjoy some appetizers and a tasting of their beautiful wines while overlooking the amazing wine fields and San Gimignano.  Yes it is only 11 am.  A great way to start the day.

 Along side their grapes are their amazing olive groves. 

Is there anything better than some amazing local cheese, fresh olives and a wee sampling of their organic wines to start the day.  The sun is shining and our cheeks are starting to glow. 

 Nothing better than popping into their local store for some treasures to bring home (at least back to Florence).  The olive oil made it home, the wine was drank. 

 This is the famous Tuscan cows - The Chianina, served best rare with a nice bottle of Chianti.  This farm and area is also famous for their saffron which flowers in November and is known as the "gold of San Gimignano.  Would love to come back here and do one of their cooking classes with all fresh grown products, while sipping their wine of course. 

Next stop San Gimignano, still haven't figured out how to pronounce it.  It is known as the "Town of Fine Towers.  It is a true walled hill town, so be prepared for lots of ups and downs.  There are 14 towers still standing out of a total of 72 in its heyday.  These were all owned by the patrician families, who each tried to build the biggest tower.  Even back then rules were put into place to maintain the integrity and beauty of the town and surrounding countryside.  360 degrees around the town are wineries, saffron fields, and the most beautiful countryside. 

 Oh yes, after all those hills we had to stop for a gelato. 

Next stop was a lunch stop at Tenuta Torciano just outside of San Gimignano.  Jim unfortunately wasn't feeling the best, so we had to sacrifice ourselves and drink some of his favourite brunellos. 

 Stephanie bonded with one of the local chickens. 

 The courtyard was amazing and lunch spectacular. 

 I think our sommelier was in the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun".  If not they should do a sequel.  I would love to be a bit player in it, just sitting in the background drinking wine and drooling :)

 Ilaria our tour guide went above and beyond including giving a sword to Stephanie that she was to use to open a bottle of champagne that David was holding.  This seemed like a great idea after drinking wine all day.  :). David survived.  Such Fun in Tuscany. 

Thank you Ilaria for a great day.  We had so much fun we decided to book another one for my birthday this time with a stop in Sienna.  :)