Our Amazing Race (part 3)

DAY 3

Departure time was 9:20am. Today’s major TASK was to explore the Uffizi Gallery. We had made an online reservation for 10:45am, so we took our time moseying. We walked the gauntlet of the Central Market on our way down. There are hundreds of venders selling their goods.

At the market we hit a DETOUR – a parade was marching from the Basilica of San Lorenzo down to the Duomo. And of course you have to watch a parade. There was a band playing and flags waving and herds of people walking. It was quite an enjoyable detour.

As we turned to head down Via De’ Calzaioli to the Piazza Della Signoria the parade started to follow us. They accompanied us right to the Uffizi.

Thanks to our reservations we walked right up to the front of the line, leaving hundreds of people lined up wrapping around the outer walls of the Uffizi. We were entertained during our short wait by street performers. This statue of Leonardo Da Vinci is actually a man in costume.

This second picture is an actual statue of Da Vinci just a few meters down the street from where we saw the performer.

Once inside the Gallery we started our audio tour and explored. It is hard to describe, in words, all of the wonderful things we saw there. The Renaissance produced some wonderful pieces of art, and as we walked through the Gallery we were taken on a journey of an evolution in art – from 2D to 3D, from tunnel vision to panoramic views. I was very excited to see Botticelli’s works (and they did not disappoint). It was also fun to see other works that I had only ever seen in books and read about. It was amazing!

The Uffizi is right on the Arno River so we stopped to take a few pictures of the beautiful bridges crossing it. The red roof that crosses the river is a walkway made by the Medici family from their home (Palazzo Pitti) across the river to the Palazzo Vecchio, where they conducted business.

After our first TASK was completed we stopped for some lunch. Ben was looking for a particular type of pizza – I was looking for atmosphere. We settled on B. Gallo where Ben ordered a pizza topped with arugula and I was able to eat my pasta with a view of the Baptistery (It is a little bright outside, but if you look closely in the picture, you can see the Baptistery behind Ben).

This was the best meal so far . . . and we stuffed ourselves! Our plan was to get some gelato after lunch, but we decided that the gelato would have to wait until later that day. So, we did a little leather shopping at the San Lorenzo Market.

Then we headed back to our hotel. Ben had to go to the Opening Session of the conference (I guess that is technically why we are here in Florence). So I took a nap. He wasn’t gone long. We had reservations for dinner, but we were still too full to eat, so we decided to just get some gelato. We got a tip from some locals and found the best gelato place. I think Ben got a huge cup with five different flavors – chocolate, cinnamon, yum, yummier and yummiest! We decided that would be our dinner for tonight.

We headed back to reach our PIT STOP – iChat with the kids. They are so cute and sweet! My mom is absolutely amazing with them. They are all smiles and full of fun and exciting stories to tell us. I miss them tons! But, I am also very grateful to be here with my sweet and wonderful husband. It is so nice to have hours and days to spend together. I never feel like I have to get up to do the dishes or pack lunches. We can just devote our whole day to being together. Today was just another day in Florence.