Firenze -- Dessert

Monday, June 3

After breakfast we waited for the bus at the corner, but it never came; so we walked to the vicinity of the cathedral and visited the Museo dell' Opera del Duomo, stopping at a small outdoor market on the way.

This museum is where the treasures from the Duomo have been kept, especially since the destructive floods of 1966, but the museum has been open for over a century.  Copies of the artwork may be seen in and on the duomo.  In the museum one sees the original panels from the baptistry doors by Ghiberti, the choir loft reliefs as well as a Mary Magdelaine by Donatello, and a pieta (not THE pieta) by Michelangelo.  The pieta was finished by another artist, and even the untrained eye can detect the difference in artistry.

There was a mosaic tablet displayed in which the metal mosaic pieces are so small, there was a magnifying glass mounted in front of the piece so that the workmanship could be detected.  In the same room, the huge silver crucifix from the main altar is on display.  Its restoration, as well as I could understand the Italian, was "generously" underwritten by Atlanta's High Museum of Art.

We walked to the main synagogue, where we were not permitted even to carry our camera into the building.  The synagogue building dates from 1874, and is in a moorish style, with a large dome.  The museum houses artifacts, primarily donated by Jews of Florence.  The sanctuary is beautifully decorated with candelabras, and has an ornate bima and ark.  The floor is of inlaid marble.  Depending on the source, there are between 900 and 1400 Jews in Florence -- not families, but individuals.  The preschool on the premises has about 20 children enrolled.

Our next stop was the Mercato di Sant' Ambrogio.  There was a permanent indoor section as well as an outdoor market, all open daily.  Indoors were the butchers, dairies, bakeries, fish mongers, and delicatessens.  There were also a couple of trattoria.

One of the small gems of this day's adventures was the Casa Buonaroti.  While Michelangelo never lived in the house, his nephew -- who owned the house -- had a son who turned it into a gallery.  Among several works by the master, two that stand out in the collection are the Madonna of the Steps and the Battle of the Centaurs, both sculpted in relief when Michelangelo was 15 years old.  What an experience to see work completed at that age, already demonstrating the artistic talents that would make him one of the greatest artists of all time.

It started to rain as we left the Casa Buonaroti, so we ducked into a cafe and shared a panino for lunch.  By the time we were finished, so was the rain. 

We took the bus to the huge San Lorenzo market, where I dropped Yoyi while I went back to the Duomo, which we had not yet visited.  While there, I climbed the 400+ steps to the top of the campanile (bell tower).  There weren't many people over 40 climbing the tower.  On the way down I ran into yet another couple with whom we are acquainted.  We chatted a few minutes and went our own ways.

When Yoyi and I met up again at the market, we packed up all the souvenirs she had purchased and took the bus back to the hotel to drop off the loot.  On the way, we stopped at a grocery to buy farfalle pasta manufactured in the colors of the Italian flag; what a souvenir.  By this time in the day, we are ready for an hour's rest.

After dinner we stopped to get a chocolate waffle: two waffles with nutella between them, dripping down your arm.  Then we went to the stazione to buy tomorrow's train ticket.  While at the stazione we tried to pick up the wi-fi to communicate with Atlanta, but unsuccessfully.