Next stop Santa Maria Maggiore then moved on to Santa Maria Novella. We were surprised that there was an admission to get in (2.50 e each). This seems to be a trend that some churches are charging now. Even with the entrance fee we would recommend stopping here as the church has had extensive restorations and there is much to see. This is our first time in Santa Maria Novella as it was under restoration the last 2 times we were in Florence. There is much to see here including the only surviving wooden sculpture by Brunelleschi (the designer of the Duomo’s dome).
Our final stop was the Ognissanti. This church was founded in 1256 by a Benedictine order that specialized in wool making. There is a Botticelli that was commissioned by the Vespucci family – we are talking about the same Vespucci family that Amerigo came from. There is even a painting in the church that is rumored to have the likeness of Amerigo as a boy. This church is worth the time as it also has a beautiful courtyard off the chapel. Be sure to look at the plaque by the stairs that shows the flood level from the 1833.We then did some wandering before heading back over to our neighborhood. Il Vanaio was open so we decided to stop for a sandwich (speck, gorgonzola and rocket), a few cichetti (this time they had my (Wendy) favorite – anchovy) and wine. This is the first day we had wine before noon. Oh well that is what being on vacation is all about. We decided to head back and get Parilla but then decided on resting for a few minutes which was lucky because it started raining about 10 minutes later and rained for a couple of hours.
1 comment:
It sounds like you had a really comfortable time in Florence! There is sooo much to see there and soooo little time. Did you get into that museum where they have saved the art from the flood? There is an interesting prominade there which is a mausolium(sp).
Next is Assisi where there is lots of bueno vista. Have FUN!
DAD
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