I got ready and out of the apartment by about 9:30, thinking it would be quieter on the streets the earlier it was. Wrong! It was absolutely packed everywhere! It was Sunday and there were probably a lot of people in the city for the weekend.

Crowds of people in the area around the Duomo

I managed to find the Duomo and Baptistry. I was dumbfounded when I turned the corner and saw the Duomo. I had read that the Baptistry was being renovated and not due to be completed until this year, so I wasn’t surprised that it was totally covered. But the Duomo is quite an impressive sight!

Duomo

I had downloaded Rick Steve’s Renaissance Walking tour so started listening to it. It got a few minutes into and quit! Not sure why. So, I wandered down a street and ended up at the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. The Ponte Vecchio, Old Bridge, is the oldest bridge (1345) in Florence and the only one not blown up during WWII. It has many jewelry shops lining it.

I went back to the Piazza della Repubblica where there is a Roman-style triumphal arch that celebrates Florence’s temporary stint as Italy’s capital, 1865-1871.) I had found free wifi there and once again I tried getting the download for the Renaissance tour.

Arch at Piazza della Repubblica

It worked! So, I headed back to the Duomo to start again. It was a pretty good tour. It took me around the Duomo and Baptistry, explaining the history of both along with the artists who designed various features.

Duoma

The tower on right is the Campanile and the covered Baptistry on the left

It then headed down via dei Calzaiuoli, a pedestrian street, to Orsanmichele, a gothic church with statues all the way around it of patron saints of the city’s trade guilds, like Masons and Carpenters. It had been a grain market at one time before being turned into a church shortly after it was built! There is a nave that was built to fit inside that is quite impressive.

The nave inside the Orsanmichele

Next was the Piazza della Signoria which has been the heart of Florentine politics since the 14th century. It is where Michelangelo’s original statue of David stood. It is now in a museum but there is a replica standing there. There are statues commemorating major events in the city’s history. Most of them are replicas, however. You can see the originals in the various museums.

Piazza della Signoria and the Palazzo Vecchio (the building)

The Rape of the Sabine Women, carved from one block of flawed marble. Impressive!

Michelangelo’s David (replica)

The tour ended at the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio that I had already found on my own.

Arno River

I hadn’t eaten anything all day and it was about noon when I stopped into a restaurant close to the apartment, Gusto Leo. Once again I was the only person in there at first. Quite a few people came in shortly after, though.

I ordered Menu 7, which included bruschetta with tomatoes and mozzeralla, Veal Scallopini Florentine, and a small side salad. The bruschetta was very good. The sauce on the veal was also quite tasty, but the veal itself seemed a bit dry.

Bruschetta

Scallopini Florentine with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives.

I went back to the apartment for a few hours and read and froze. There are controls on the wall in the living room and bedroom but I think they are only for the air conditioning. Paolo had given me the impression they were heat and cooling but when I started looking around I realized there were no radiators in the living room, except for one you had to plug in.

The study had one on the wall that I turned on and also in the bathroom. The bedroom one didn’t seem to work, but I prefer a cold room to sleep in so that was fine.

I covered up with blankets and read but finally had to plug in the electric radiator. That helped somewhat in the living room but every time I went into the kitchen it was like stepping into a freezer.

I was getting hungry again around 7:00 and thought about just going out to get something to bring back, but found a restaurant that the apartment owner had recommended, Ristorante Antico Barile. There was actually another table already seated!

I ordered the veal chop and some green beans with olive oil and lemon. Bread basket was brought out. The bread here isn’t nearly as good as in Nice, at least not the two I have had. Again more like a doughy white bread.

Veal Chop with Porcini Sauce

The veal had a porcini mushroom sauce, and both were excellent! The porcinis were silky smooth and some sort of liquor was used to deglaze the pan and make the sauce.

I should have known not to get the green beans as they wouldn’t be in season. Pretty sure they were frozen but at least it was something green. I am not used to eating so few vegetables but you have to order them separate for the most part.

One interesting note about both Nice and Florence restaurants is that they don’t use linen napkins, even the higher end places. They have really nice, thick paper ones that come in colors like I have never seen at home.

I came back to the apartment and the internet was not working! I kind of freaked since it is my only connection to friends and family. I can text but only with a few friends. I tried turning the modem off and on, unplugged it and then hit the reset button. Nothing worked, so I went to bed.

I had to go to the Piazza again this morning to send an email to the owner in Australia since Rosemary’s email was no where to be found. The owner contacted her and she just left. I guess they are installing cable in the city and many people on the Telecom service used at the apartment were experiencing problems. The internet light was back on when Rosemary showed up but I still couldn’t get on. When I told her I had hit reset, she said it resets the password. The original password was on the back so I was able to get on again. The passwords have to be 24 characters long so it is a pain if you mess one up!