A new day and the threat of more rain later in the day. No matter though, as we will be inside the Uffizi Gallery today.
We had our breakfast: Sue enjoying her yogurt and me finishing up the biscotti. Our time slot at the Uffizi Gallery is at 11:30am, so we kept ourselves moving.
We arrived early and had a chance to walk around the courtyard and then took a look at the Arno River. With all the rain lately, the Arno has water in it again, though it is really muddy looking. For a while in late summer, the river was practically dry.
From where we were standing, we had a nice view of the Ponte Vecchio. We’re probably staying on this side of the river with the threat of rain, but I guess we’ll see how things go later in the day.
Our time arrived and we entered the museum. The typical tour starts on the upper floor, which meant lots of stairs. Like…eight flights of stairs! When we got up to the main gallery floors, we needed a brief rest to catch our breath.
We skipped ahead and went right to the Botticelli Rooms. Here we find another of my favorite art pieces – “The Birth of Venus”.
We’re not art heathens, but while some people spend a full day going through the gallery, an hour is about right for us. For those who know me, remember PPS – pretty picture syndrome.
While some will be critical, Renaissance art is not my favorite. The subject is basically the same by every artist – that’s just what was expected of them. The church was powerful and deviating from the norm was frowned upon. That’s why I like Botticelli so much – colorful paintings and different subjects.
We zipped through many of the other rooms. Many of the famous artists’ best works are not on display, so we just skimmed through them.
We had a little chuckle over the bottom left sculpture. Being us, Sue murmured to me: “Snakes…why did it have to be snakes?” A woman next to us didn’t get the Indiana Jones reference and started explaining to us about the use of snakes in art. Then it hit her. She laughed and slowly moved away.
Time to move along. We headed for the exit and when we got downstairs, it was pouring rain. We did have a small umbrella, but it was useless against the torrential downpour.
We strategized and made a dash across the street to the Palazzo Vecchia. A little unplanned visit, but perfect for a rainy day.
While the book and movie frenzy is over, Sue and I still managed a self-guided “Inferno” tour. Without the threat of population extinction, we were able to go at a more leisurely pace than Robert Langdon did. Not having people chasing and trying to kill you helped too!
When we finished, it was still raining pretty hard. We decided to stop for an early dinner at the place we went to yesterday. It was just up the street, so Sue had the umbrella and I stayed close to the walls. They remembered us from yesterday and ushered us in. It was much busier as others had dodged the rain by coming in too.
We sat near the back and there was a tour group from Viet Nam that took up most of the tables. We were just happy to be out of the rain and getting fed, which is the same thing that they were thinking.
I was thinking that with the group it would take a while and maybe not be as good as the day before – but I was wrong. Everything was once again delicious. Their specialty is there steak, especially the big Florentine bistecca. We might have to consider giving it a try before we leave.
After our meal it was back to the apartment, with just a quick stop at the market to grab some more water and biscotti. I told him how much I enjoyed them and he seemed happy for the compliment.
Tomorrow, we’re hoping for a little sunshine.
Slightly Whirled - A Traveler's Tales 