Under the Tuscan Rain: Reflections on Florence

The past few days have been so hectic that each night I did nothing more than collapsing into bed, but now that we’re in Munich and I’m feeling more relaxed due to the beer and wurst, here’s a long over due post about our travels in Tuscany over the past few days.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect in Florence. La Dolce Vita? I just knew I wanted to eat lots of lots of pasta. Since I’m also a political science geek, Florence immediately conjured up Machiavelli and the Medici’s, but all that happened in the 15th century and seemed dated, surely the city had more to offer? As it turns out, my three days in Florence did revolve around two themes – food, and the Medici’s…

As soon as we stepped off the train, I could feel that Italy was intrinsically different from France and Switzerland – it wasn’t European, but rather Italian. Florence was louder, messier, and bustling with mobs of tourists. Although the weather was miserable (no Tuscan sun for me!) and I eventually grew sick of Italian men hollering NI HAO whenever we walked by, the brilliant remnants of the Renaissance redeemed Florence of its many flaws.

We spent a lot of time walking around Piazza Vecchio – a remnant of the city’s 14th century Golden Age and the heart of Florence’s Old City. My photography does not do justice to the intricate artwork of the cathedral.

The entrance to the Baptistery – Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, made entirely of gold.

The brick red medieval town square of Siena, a town in Southern Tuscany. We arrived there after a rather scary bus ride – during which the Italian driver narrowly dodged other buses by as little as a centimeter – through the Tuscan countryside.

 

Siena’s Main Cathedral.

As hard as I tried to hide my UChicago past and not freak out fellow travellers, I couldn’t help but freak out at the statue of Machiavelli at the Uffizi in Florence. MACHIAVELLI!!!

Ponte Vecchio – private bridge of the Medici’s during the two centuries of their rule.

View of Florence from Piazza Michelangelo, perched on a hill. The climb was absolutely exhausting, especially after 10 hours of walking around the city.

On our last day, we climbed to the top of the Cathedral – the Duomo – a frightening 480 steps up a claustrophobic spiral staircase with the width of a person. The view from the top, however, redeemed our sufferings. The city was a sea of brick red roofs and piazzas. Absolutely beautiful.