A Little Bit of Tuscany - Day 2

Well, it has been a week and I haven't posted anything else about our trip to Florence. Yikes! Time does fly when you are having fun.

So, I think I was remiss on the last post and didn't include pictures of the outdoor gallery outside of the Uffizi Gallery. The statues were, umm, interesting. I made the mistake of going to read the names of each statue to KK. Yeah, let's just say one was named after an infamous, not great, moment. I guess I should study my art history before I go on these trips! There are also some shots of us under the covered archways on the Arno River and with Porcellino, a pig statue near a market in Florence.

 They were so thrilled to see more statues! So was the guy behind them, obviously.

 

 On the river

 River view, again

 Cincy has flying pigs, Florence has Porcellino.

 Porcellino and 2 beautiful, tired girls

This guy! We had to force him off the pig so others could get shots of it

Finally, on to Day 2 of our excursion! I have been thoroughly confused by the pictures of this day. I was lost, to be honest. I finally figured out why! Little J, Boo and I went back to the hostel for a break while the rest of the family kept sightseeing. 

So, if you've ever been to Florence, you might be wondering...where are the pics of THE David?!?! Wait no longer, here they are! I have to say, sculptures aren't my thing. They are alright, but I'd rather see a beautiful painting most days of the week. David changed me. It was awe-inspiring. I talked about it for the rest of the day. It left an impression on my mind and soul. I have never, ever been so moved by art in my life. If you ever get to Florence, Italy, see it. You won't be disappointed. The shear size and magnitude of it are worth your time and effort. It is just spectacular. Did we get pictures? Why yes, we did. No flash allowed (ok, this is a rule just about everywhere...the Accademia even had other rooms that did not allow photography of any kind.)

 Jesus being taken off the cross

 The main attraction...this pic doesn't do it justice. BTW, that is all marble

   A little bit of scale to show you the magnitude

 Joe, the kids, and a couple hundred other people just checking it out

 The detail was amazing...he even included veins in his hands!

 Well, after the David, this room seemed sort of anticlimactic.

 These were plasters of statues throughout the city. Impressive, but no David

 These little guys were cute.

 Some paintings in the Accademia

 More artwork in Accademia

 Well, that doesn't look good.

Next, we headed to the Duomo to climb the dome. I think I mentioned the amount of steps in Day 1's post...so not gonna go there again. Let's just say, the two older people in our group were feeling the burn!

Here we go!

 Luckily, there were a few "straightaways" to keep you motivated...and to let you see the amazing artwork on the ceiling of the Duomo

 Just another shot of the Duomo...no big deal

 Looking down on the Cathedral

 Pretty sure this was the Hell side

Up we go

  

View of the Campanile we summitted yesterday 

 Florence, Italy

 Just a couple of kids on top of a dome

 Another shot of Florence

 Santa Croce Church...which will be viewed on Day 3

 Joe and the kids in front of the Campanile

Several shots of the dome...for those of you that might be interested in such things

After climbing the Dome, we headed to the Uffizi Gallery. This is several halls, corridors, rooms, etc. I don't even know how to explain this place sufficiently. It is HUGE. There are more statues and pictures in this art gallery than be imagined. I hate to admit it, but my eyes started to cross and I started to lose interest in statues and paintings of the Madonna with child. Seeing Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and "Primavera" were impressive. KK waited all day to see them since they had been moved for renovations. We also saw Michelangelo's "The Holy Family"...and somehow missed taking a picture of it. There were so many people crowded around it, we might have deleted it for the bad quality. C'est la vie! It is imprinted on my mind. It was gorgeous.

 This little guy loved this bust

 A pic from one of the windows...I think

 Yours truly with a painting

 I'm sure I was discussing art and culture with them...or asking if anyone needed a potty break

 Joe, Jesus and Mary Magdalene

 Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus"

 Botticelli's "Primavera"Ja

 This pic makes me chuckle..

Porcellino -not bronze and not touchable

On the plaza of the Uffizi

Some of those last shots were taken after half of us went back to the hostel for a break. That night, we had Indian for dinner! It was so good. KK said she wanted to eat there the rest of the trip. It was really that good...and a few of us needed something to eat besides pasta and pizza. J Jr. can eat pizza for every single meal and be fine. Some of us, not so much.

That concludes day 2 in Florence, Italy! We really enjoyed our time there.