Okay, today was our Uffizi day, with reservations for 8:15 a.m., when they opened. We were, of course, there early, and again of course, 8:15 in Italian means – you know, 8:20 – 8:25 – whatever…So…got our reserved tickets and across the courtyard to the entrance. We brought Rick Steves Tuscany 2012 guidebook with us, and he suggested that we head straight to the top floor and work down … so this is what we did. I have to admit, not being a big fan of art museums, we had a terrific visit! Rick Steves comments were a bit tongue in cheek, and some downright funny, but they also provided some really good and interesting information! I thoroughly enjoyed our almost 4 hours there, and wish that we had been able to take photographs, but they are very strictly forbidden. At the end of the top floor, there is a café, where we decided to rest our very weary u-feetsies (one of Steves comments) with a couple of cokes. We started out on the rooftop terrace, which very quickly started getting wet – the rain was coming at last. And did it come! Talk about a deluge!
The Uffizi is an amazing trek thru early renaissance to high renaissance…Giotto to Raphael and beyond! We saw many angels and annunciations…Leonardo’s and Botticelli’s and even Michelangelo…it is difficult NOT to be inspired! You know that creative spirit…always prevails! ----Linda
We finished up the sightseeing, and toured the shops at the exit, and then out into the rain…with our umbrellas safely tucked up safe and dry in our room! However, the ubiquitous street merchants were literally one step outside the door, so yes, once again, we’ve added yet another umbrella to our growing collection! We only got one umbrella, and started out – each getting soaked on opposite sides. As it was by now after noon, and time for lunch, we decided to go to our little place across the piazza from the hotel. (We went there last night and got a Panini with roasted eggplant and red peppers and a Panini with mozzarella and tomatoes, which we split – 7 Euro dinner, and it was great! (Robert would NEVER approve!) We ate it in our room along with our Roman bottle of Asti Spumante!)
This time we split one panini, a fabulous pepper and sun-dried tomato affair, with glasses of red wine – yum, and exactly what was needed on a cool and WET October day! From there, it was only a skip and a hop back to the hotel for some well deserved down time.
Up and about again around 3:30 p.m. and this time, decided to head to the Archeological Museum. As fond as R and I are of Etruscan and Roman artifacts, we didn’t even know this museum existed – and it has a superb collection – and, it’s located probably 50 feet across the piazza from our hotel! Unreal! (In fact, I forgot the camera, remembering about half-way through, and just went back and got it!) The museum is rather like the Egyptian Museum in Torino, with mostly old-fashioned big wooden and glass cases, and what little information provided only in Italian – but it really didn’t matter – the pieces themselves were incredible. I hope you enjoy the photos! This is a place I definitely want to bring Robert back to see.
Then, the incredibly short walk back to the hotel. We had a nice glass of wine in the bar, along with a nice assortment of munchies. Nice habit to get in to! Now trying to figure out where to head for dinner!
Linda in our room!
More later!
Love,
m
x
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