Italy trip 2011 - Day 5

We woke up early, ate the nice breakfast, took some caffeine and started our core visiting. That was to hang around in Florence.

The first thing was to collect the 'Firenze Card' from information center. This card is kinda fast pass or tickets for entering a bunch of museums. Which is a good tool for us to walk through those interesting museums. And this card could also be a bus ticket within the city. Of course it is a 3 days pass. I am not sure whether it is still existing. But if you are going to visit museums there, and such program is still there, you'd better get one.

So after collecting that card, our 3 days visit started. The first place that we went is Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a plaza on the hill side. From there, you can have an overview of the whole Florence.

We took a bus to there from the train station using 'Firenze Card'. The card is a 'touch and go' type. Something like our HK Octopus Card, but in different technologies (my NFC phone cannot read that card, thus I think it should be in different technologies).

Piazzale Michelangelo is a plaza where a replica of the statue 'David' is standing in the middle. It is a famous visiting place for tourists. You can have a really magnificent 180 degrees view of the city.

In the plaza, we met a lady who was selling her handcrafts there. Those are lady's accessories like bracelets, necklaces, and which are made of colorful glass strips. Really pretty. We chatted for a while. That lady told us that there are not much artists doing such kind of handcraft nowadays which is a traditional art in Florence. Even her daughters are not going to learn it. But still, she hopes this kind of art could be advocated somehow so that it could sustain. We bought some from her before we left.

 That lady is a really nice person. She told us to go up the hill a little bit to see a white church. She said that church is quite nice. So we went up the hill and visit that church. It is free go in and take a look. That church is very old. It is not as that grand as those inside the city. But it is quite nice. You can feel it kinda church in a village. Simple but peaceful.

We hanged around for a while and left the hill. There is a path which is leading back to the city. Scenes along the path is nice. If you are not in a hurry, you could enjoy it very much.

Our next destination is Palazzo Pitti and all museums around there. Including follows:
Galleria del Costume
Giardino di boboli
Museo degli Argenti
Museo delle Porcellane
Galleria Palatina e Appartamenti Monumentali
Galleria d'Arte Moderna

But, only one Palazzo Pitti could take you hours there. I couldn't remember whether I had visit all of the above listed. I think at least 3 or 4. As some would not allow people to take photos, I really could hardly remember all.

Inside that Palace, there are lots of paintings and statues which was collected by the owner for many years. Of course not in this century. What impressed me was the huge garden at the back of the palace. It is kinda maze in bushes. Nice one.

After that, we left and walked across the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. That bridge is full of shops which are selling gold. And there are lots of people there. I think it is one of the most crowded area in Florence. That bridge is really pretty. And I remembered we passed by there many times, and was coincidently near sunset. That scene was absolutely stunning.

Across the bridge, we were heading back to our accommodation. Before reaching, we passed by the most famous church at Piazza del Duomo. We went in the main building and take a look. That part is free of charge. And other parts which may need our Firenze Card, well it's ok, but they were closed at that time.

That main building is really large. But I would say, the outlook is much more attractive then the interior. Still, you can feel the grand environment in those days.

Just the high-reliefs outside the walk of the church, could let your neck a little bit painful. All reliefs on walls and doors are amazing. I could not imagine how those artists could work out such incredible things.

Sitting there for a while, we walked back to our accommodation area and found something to eat.