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Florence: Part 1

Buon giorno, Firenze!

After taking a crack-of-dawn train from Rome, I rushed over to the Accademia Gallery in order to make it to my 9:00am reservation. (Yes, in hindsight, it might have been better to make the reservation a bit later, but I was hoping to avoid the larger crowds in the afternoon. I do remember trying to postpone the reservation one day, but a lot of museums/attractions are closed on Mondays.)

I was happy to see that the Accademia included a museum of musical instruments! Since I didn't a chance to see the museum in Rome, I got pretty excited when I saw the signs in the Accademia, and it was a decent collection. Most of the instruments were from Grand Prince Ferdinando de Medici's Cherubini collection, which included a quintet of Stradivari pieces with an unmodified "Medici" viola - which has since been phased out of the string family. There was also a harpsichord and a pianoforte - the precursor to the modern-day piano.

The gallery also contained a lot of Renaissance paintings from Botticini, Botticelli, Granacci, Filippino Lippi, Albertinelli, and Allori among others. Of course, the most impressive pieces in the Accademia are Michelangelo's sculptures - quite a few unfinished ones in addition to the famous David. Seeing David in person, I realized why it was a symbol of liberty and civic pride for the Florentines - the statue used to be outside for all the world to see: it's not just because it's such a massive sculpture (17-feet tall), but it is a masterpiece showcasing the beauty of the human body and Michelangelo's undeniable skill and technique. In the face of David, instead of the typical victor's expression after defeating Goliath, he looks introspective - showing intelligence instead of brutality.

Other exhibits in the Accademia included plaster casts of sculptures by Bartolini and Pampaloni and rooms of art prior to the 15th century. One description about how hair styles in the 1800s varied with general fashion made me laugh: "Useless ornament seems to have become an essential part of femininity." They also had an interesting video about how they created "tempera on wood" art - explaining the gilding process and how they mixed pigment with egg whites.

Once I exited the Accademia Gallery, I took a break for lunch (a simple panini) and then headed to the Pitti Palace. The plan was to tour the Palatine Gallery (home to the second-largest Raphael collection after the Vatican) and the Royal Apartments, then relax in the Boboli and Bardini gardens. However, after walking through another gallery and the palatial apartments, my feet were done for the day. I thought the artwork in the Palatine Gallery was impressive - mostly paintings with a focus on artists from Florence (Raphael, Rubens, among others) and exquisitely decorated rooms - but it may have been a bit too much for a day. 8 hours of walking is apparently my limit.

Instead of touring the gardens, I grabbed a 3-flavour cone of gelato (chocolate, hazelnut, and coconut) and managed to find a relatively quiet corner by the Arno River to enjoy it away from the swarms of tourists.

Lessons learned: I need to find a way to walk less to avoid tiring too early, and I must remember to bring my hat/sunscreen with me to avoid getting sunburned!

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