Saturday, May 31 (Florence) – After being a bit turned off by the crowds on the first day in Florence, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to brave them once more and enter some of the world-famous museums like the Uffizi. But I tried anyway, and everything just seemed to fall right in place into my favorite day in Florence! Here are some of my favorites ... "Stace's Places"!
Gucci Museum
We toured the Gucci Museum which is in the center of town but somehow not very crowded. It was surprisingly interesting… I didn’t know that Guccio Gucci got started after working in a luxury hotel and being inspired by the types of travel cases the guests would use. I loved seeing the evolution of his work in the world of travel luggage, cases and accessories. I can’t imagine carrying some of those massive wardrobe cases on my travels, but they were extremely innovative at the time.
TIP: Walk over to the cafe and take a look at the sugar made into Gucci logos!
TIP: Walk over to the cafe and take a look at the sugar made into Gucci logos!
Uffizi
The Uffizi is the museum in Florence that features famous works such as Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” paintings as well as hundreds of other prominent Renaissance pieces. It is one of the places that requires a reservation in advance in order to guarantee entry, but it is much better to do with a guide so you make the most of your visit. As I was about to stand on line to try my luck at a day-of ticket, a woman announced there would be an English guided tour in ten minutes. My mom and I thought the price was right and the tour company seemed legitimate so just like that we skipped the line, got right in and had a wonderful guided tour of the Uffizi.
The museum is packed, mostly with tour groups but a few people on their own here and there. TIP: I definitely recommend booking a tour to get a good backstory of what you are seeing in the museum, but when you are booking, find out how many people are on the tour. Unless your guide has a microphone, it is impossible to hear your guide in a group larger than about six. I am not an art history aficionado and as much as I enjoy art, I don’t know much about the different styles. But one thing that stuck wit me about Renaissance paintings is that it introduced three new things to the art world: perspective, movement and landscape. Learning that, I was able to understand the importance a little more and appreciate some of the great works of the time.
The museum is packed, mostly with tour groups but a few people on their own here and there. TIP: I definitely recommend booking a tour to get a good backstory of what you are seeing in the museum, but when you are booking, find out how many people are on the tour. Unless your guide has a microphone, it is impossible to hear your guide in a group larger than about six. I am not an art history aficionado and as much as I enjoy art, I don’t know much about the different styles. But one thing that stuck wit me about Renaissance paintings is that it introduced three new things to the art world: perspective, movement and landscape. Learning that, I was able to understand the importance a little more and appreciate some of the great works of the time.
The Beach on the Arno
If you cross the river from the center of town, such as the Ponte Vecchio bridge, and turn left, you will walk along the river for a while until all of a sudden there is a small beach! Complete with sand, beach chairs, hammocks, and a bar, the beach on the Arno River was a perfect place to relax for a half hour after the museums to soak in the sun and have a cold beverage.
Alessandro Dari
Walking along Via San Niccolo, I came across a workshop / gallery / store(?) of Alessandro Dari, a sculptor, pharmacist and goldsmith from Florence. His specialty is creating extremely unique rings that look to be large enough to weigh your hand down. The work is beautiful and intricate, albeit a bit impractical. The artist was in his small workshop off to the side while people walked in and out to get a good look at his displays. This was the most interesting and unique place I found in Florence for sure. The whole surrounding area was actually really nice and quiet, filled with galleries and workshops.
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