Today’s adventures started early with a tour at 9am. Since we’re staying out in the suburbs and there is no cars allowed downtown, we took the local bus. It seems all quite easy and civilized really. Maybe this is the solution to Toronto’s traffic woes.

Our first stop was the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David, a renaissance masterpiece he created in the early 1500s. I don’t think I was prepared for the size, 17′ tall, or the detail one can see in the statue. It was originally made to be set high up on the Florence Cathedral, which means the hands and face are a bit out of perspective. Michelangelo was really a master of the human form and muscles, veins and expressions are very realistic. There were a number of other sculptures there, some which he never finished either because the commission evaporated or in one case, he died before he had finished the work. We then left the gallery and proceeded to a walking tour of the old town. The Medici family were very instrumental in the development of Florence and many of the major builldings have some involvement with their family.

We also visited the Duomo, the main basillica in Florence and the eighth largest church in Europe. Built between 1296 and 1436 in the gothic style the exterior is quite ornate – marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered with white. Inside the church was quite plain other than a lovely ceiling painting n the dome over the altar. On the back wall was an interesting 24-hour clock, called a sunset clock because the one and only hand moves counterclockwise and records the amount of time left prior to sunset. Across the road is a building called the Baptistery (part of the church property) one of the oldest buildings in the city.  An octagonal building built in the Romanesque style it is renowned for its three sets of bronze doors with relief sculptures. Michelangelo when he say one of the doors named them the Gates of Paradise. Like many European cities, there are many little squares with statues, cafes and lots of birds. On a sunny warm day like today they appeared quite inviting.

After the walking tour we had about an hour before the second half of the tour was to start. We enjoyed lunch outside in one of the cafes and then did a bit of Christmas shopping at the market.

This afternoon’s tour was to the Uffizi to see some of the important art works associated with Florence. Our guide was quite fun and knowledgeable. We learned:

• how the Catholic church came to own so much valuable art work
• why Mary is always depicted wearing blue
• who always is depicted wearing animal skins
• why is baby Jesus always shown with something red
• why the sky is often shown as gold instead of blue

Free gelato to anyone who can answer these questions! We felt the tour was a bit rushed but he apologized because the tour company cut 1/2 hour from the normal tour, cut his salary in half and left the fee for the tour the same as last year. Such is life in the Italian tourist industry. Speaking of gelato, we each bought one after we left the museum and sat in the sun enjoying the warmth of the day.

Our third museum was the Galileo museum which houses a collection of the Medici family scientific instruments and has been added to over the years by others like Grand Duke Leopold. There were a number of Galileo’s inventions such as the telescope and Leopold’s medical equipment. While it was interesting, we were both a bit tired and perhaps didn’t do it justice. It was neat to see some of the really old equipment though.

We then took a stroll over the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval arch bridge, which still has stores as was common in those days. It’s now called the Golden Road since all of the stores are jewellery stores. George wouldn’t let me stop to buy anything! We came back across another bridge and found a Mexican restaurant where we stopped for an early dinner. We were home by 6pm and look forward to a restful night and a slow take-off towards Pisa tomorrow.