RonnieAdventures: RonnieAdventure #0697

While we were in Florence, Italy, we spent most of our time in the main tourist area, but one afternoon we ventured south across the River Arno to the Palazzo Pitti (also known as the Pitti Palace). The Palazzo Pitti contains the Galleria Palatina art collection and the Museo della Moda e del Costume.

Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the River Arno that was built sometime before 996 AD. It is the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed during World War II. This is a popular tourist attraction because shops are built along both sides of the bridge, which was once a common practice. However, the original butchers, tanners, and farmers have now been replaced with jewelers, art dealers, and souvenir stands. From the bridge, there are nice views up-and-down the River Arno.

Picture by Kolohe

Palazzo Pitti was built in 1458 as a private residence for a wealthy banker named Luca Pitti. Then, in 1549, Eleanor of Toledo, Duchess of Florence, purchased the property, and it became the House of Medici.

The Medici family was originally from the Mugello region of Tuscany and opened the Medici Bank in Florence, which became the largest bank in Europe in the 15th century. For a time, the Medici family was considered to be the wealthiest in Europe and had substantial political power. The family produced four popes - Pope Leo X (1513), Pope Clement VII (1532), Pope Pius IV (1559), and Pope Leo XI (1605), and two queens of France - Catherine de Medici (1547) and Marie de Medici (1600).

Medici family members were patrons of the arts and responsible for financing a large number of the works of art in Florence, so the House of Medici became a treasure trove of paintings, jewelry, and luxurious items. Palazzo Pitti is so large with so many rooms that we could only do a brief walkthrough. Unfortunately, many of the placards did not have English translations, so we should have allowed more time for the visit and taken a guided tour. They also offer separate tours of the gardens, which we were told are beautiful.

Picture by Kolohe

Back on the North side of the River Arno we walked past the Museo di Antropologia ed Etnologia (Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology), but did not tour the museum. It looked interesting, but we were getting museumed out, so we found a shop that sold sweets and purchased some vitamin CH.

Picture by Kolohe

Venchi was founded in 1878 and is famous for producing chocolate in a variety of forms. Two of the key ingredients in their products are Piedmont Hazelnuts and Green Pistachios of Bronte. Annually, they are recognized in several categories for Italy's prestigious "Premio Taveletta D'OrO" award, and in 2004, they won the Vassoio D'Oro at Eurochocolate in Perugia.

Picture by Kolohe

Once we had recuperated and had more energy, we decided to tour the Crypt at Cathedrale di Santa Meria (Florence Cathdral). An excavation of the Crypt was made between 1965 and 1974, and they discovered the remains of Roman houses, Christian pavement, ruins of the former Cathedral of Santa Reparata, and various enlargements of the church. The tomb of Brunelleschi is located in the area open to the public.

Picture by Kolohe

Although we had previously visited the Basilica, we walked upstairs to look up at the dome again.

Picture by Kolohe

The Piazza della Repubblica is a city square that was the original site of the Florence Forum. Located in the square now is a nice merry-go-round, street performers, artists, and impromptu exhibitions.

Picture by Kolohe

Although we had walked through the Piazza della Signoria probably a dozen times, we had never stopped at the Loggia dei Lanzi to take pictures of the sculptures.