October 24, 2023
A quick breakfast and lots of coffee for the girls and we’re off on another adventure. This morning we’re heading to Florence to explore on our own. We must have gone through a zillion roundabouts as the google maps routing did not include any highway driving to avoid construction. We find the parking lot at the tram station but it’s full so we check out nearby street parking and score a nice big space for our ginormous SUV. After a quick pit stop, we board the tram for a station in the city center.
We don’t have a firm plan today other than to meander through Florence with a desire to go to the Scola del Cuoio (Leather School) to buy some prime leather and see whatever we see along the way.
Florence is a beautiful city with a rich history so it is inevitable that we will trip over some of the more notable sites regardless which route we follow and we do!
Our first “find” is some very beautiful wall art.
Soon enough we make it to the Duomo. Santa Maria del Fiore is one of the largest churches in the world. The external walls are covered in white, red and green marble with geometric figures and stylised flowers. The first stone of the new cathedral was laid on 8 September 1296. The church was consecrated at completion of the dome, by Pope Eugenio IV, on 25 March 1436; a mere 140 years later! The church is magnificent but I especially loved the ornate doors.
Next highlight is the Palazzo Medici Riccardi Museum which used to be home to the Medici family who ruled the city and the Tuscany region between the 15th and the 17th century. Situated in the heart of the city center, the Palazzo, is one of the most visited sites of Florence.
Yesterday we noticed some young folks sporting crowns of laurel leaves. Again today, we spy recent graduates crowned with laurel leaves enjoying some bubbly with their loved ones. The “laurea” is earned whenever a student is ready to defend his/her dissertation to a faculty committee in front of family and friends. Only after the committee deliberates is it clear that the degree has been earned and the student gets to wear the laurel wreath for the rest of the day’s of celebration.
At just under 10 sq cm, the next thing we stumble on is easy to miss: a small brass stone, embedded directly underfoot, in the sidewalk. Known as “Stolpersteine”, or “stumbling stones”, there are now more than 70,000 such memorial blocks laid in more than 1,200 cities and towns across Europe and Russia. Each commemorates a victim outside their last-known freely chosen residence. The inscription on each stone begins “Here lived”, followed by the victim’s name, date of birth, and fate: internment, suicide, exile or, in the vast majority of cases, deportation and murder. Together, the number Stolpersteine now constitute the largest decentralised monument in the world.
Dante Alighieri was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His Divine Comedy is widely considered one of the most important poems of the Middle Ages and the greatest literary work in the Italian language. The Statue of Dante is found outside the Basilica of Santa Croce in the Piazza Santa Croce.
It’s time for lunch so we grab a table at the Osteria Battipalla under the canopy. The location is great until it starts raining cats and dogs and all the outside diner scatter to find tables indoors. The food is good and we miss the bulk of the storm while taking our break.
Fortified, we continue to the Leather School (Sculo del Cuoio). The Florentine tradition of working leather dates back into antiquity. Due to the proximity of the Arno river, providing an endless supply of water necessary for the tanning process, Florence and other small towns bordering the river became important sources of high quality leather.
After World War II, the Franciscan Friars of the Santa Croce Monastery teamed up with the Gori and Casini families, well-known leather artisans, to found a school that would teach war orphans the leather trade. With a stated commitment to keeping the tradition of exquisite Florentine leather craftsmanship alive, we found beautiful leather products within their doors though they were a bit expensive so we decided to head to the San Lorenzo Market and see if we could find some purses within our budget. This outdoor market has rows of booths selling everything made from leather, from jackets and purses to other souvenirs such as notebooks, belts and change purses. Linda, Glenda and I had some success here but Elaine is still on the hunt for the perfect bag.
Retail therapy done, we headed back to the tram station, hopped on a tram, rescued our SUV and headed back home for the night. What about David you say? While we did pass the huge line of folks waiting to enter the Accademia Gallery of Florence on our travels, we decided to give him a miss this time!
Back on the farm, we enjoyed a charcuterie platter and some wine before a rousing game of Wizard. Soon enough it was time to call it a night!
Tomorrow is another day. Adventures await …
Judy’s Rambles 