Tuesday... In Florence Italy~ The Effizi Galleria

We arrived in Florence by train on Tuesday afternoon. We checked into the Hotel Paris! WHAT? I had no idea we were going to France!!! I did ask Meigan, later that night, when I turned on the tv, if she thought ALL the stations would be in FRENCH! She said.... I doubt it, since we are in ITALY! God help me!!

Here are Frankie, Audrey, Bonnie, Julie and Meigan in front of the hotel!

This is a view of a room... Mine and Meigan's, which was the smallest of the three rooms we were in, but it was the most quaint! We loved the window and the drapes!

Out this window.... we saw this across the street on the neighboring rooftop...
and the street below!

We headed to THE ORIGINAL & BEST WALKING TOURS to meet our guide, Sarah.
Sarah was American and had came to Italy, from LA, 10 years ago to study art aboard and loved it so much she stayed!! She graduated from University, meet a true Italian and married here in Florence! She was the best guide EVER! She had so much passion for what she shared with us that we were never bored or disinterested at all! We walked and walked!!

We arrived at the Piazza Della Signoria. In this square, we were shown the copy of Michelangelo's DAVID. It stands in front of one of the most spectacular buildings of the communal period of the city, the Palazzo Vecchio, which was built in 1298 for the goverment of the Republic. The original David was moved after it was damaged during a fight in which someone threw something from a window, that broke part of THE DAVID"S arm off. Someone outside was able to save the pieces and the statue was repaired and moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia. More on DAVID later!

This beautiful ticket booth and carousel graced the square as well...
More walking.... off to the Uffizi Galleria with Sarah!
Sarah told us the Uffizi is one of the oldest and most famous gallery of the world. There is no photography permitted in the gallery, but I will tell you it is not to be missed if you ever visit Florence.
Sarah told us about many artists and their styles of painting. We learned about the techniques of the earliest painters and of how they made the paint for their projects. Secrets were shared about some portraits... we learned of the Medicci family and their rise to fame and power. Many became Dukes and Popes. The family was very generous with their money. We also learned about some of the famous Medicci women! We saw the works of Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo. Ask me about it sometime!

We got to the top of the museum and Sarah told us it was ok to take photos out the window~~
View out the window, across the Arno.
The tower of the Palazzo Vecchio
Sarah left us to explore the museum on our own and then we were off again to walk home to the Hotel Paris.
Meigan, Audrey, Frankie and Bonnie heading home!
Back thru the Piazzo della Signoria...
but on the way I snapped this column of marble with the beautiful cross on top!
Home at last... so tired. We had learned so much in 3 short days! Fun memories being made along the way too!

Tomorrow...

Michelangelo's THE DAVID!