Around Florence

I had a most enjoyable few days in Florence. There is so much to see so I will only touch briefly on some of the wonderful places I visited as after a little while cultural fatigue sets in, I had planned a big day of excursions and started early. My first stop, after walking across the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's classic bridge, was the Uffizi Gallery, the world class art museum holding the private treasures of the  Medici Family. The House of Medici came to prominence from the 14th century and was Europe's most powerful and wealthy family until the early 18th century. The collection ranged from ancient Greek scupltures to 18th century Venetian paintimgs. Of particular interest is the Renaissance display. The Uffizi is enormous with some 45 rooms and over 1500 masterpeices to view. The spendor of the rooms filled with works from the likes of Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio was a little overwhelming to take in. After the Uffizi I went next door to the Palazzo Vecchio, the former 13th century seat of the Florentine Government, which consisted of a series of lavish apartments created for the Medici clan. I proceeded past the Loggia dei Lanza, a gorgeous 14th century columned square displaying numerous statues to the breathtaking Duomo with its pink, white and green marble façade and crowned with a red-tiled dome. The inside was equally impressive with its colourful mosaics, stained glass windows and enormous pillars. Florence is a wonderful place to wander around and I did just that, admiring the various old churches and other ancient architecture such as the former portals to the city. I finished the day by taking a 4 klm bus ride to the Piazzale Michelangelo, which sits on an elevated hill overlooking Florence and gives spectacular panoramic views of this amazing city. I head to Sienna tomorrow.