Cindybelle's Bella Notte TR COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 10/19 With Prices! - Page 16 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We had a lot of fun, telling our fellow bed-and-breakfast mates about our day in Pisa as well as our magical evening back in Firenze. Two couples urged us to get Gabriella to make reservations for us at the Palazzo Vecchio for its "secret itineraries tour." So the four of us plus Ferd and Lenka (the Canadian-by-way-of-Czech-Republic couple) did just that and got ressies for 15:00 (3:00pm).
When we told Gabriella how much we'd enjoyed Sunday Mass with Gregorian chant at the Duomo, she said, "Are you planning to go over to Piazzale Michelangelo before you leave Firenze? Because if you are, there's a lovely little church(a-churcha) that has an amazing Vespers service in Gregorian chant."
Well yes, we were definitely planning to get to Piazzale Michelangelo (PM), either that evening or the following. So we marked our maps to look for the churcha-churcha just south of PM.
Here are notes from my journal from that day:
Because today (Tues, Sept. 8) is the Virgin Mary’s birthday, there is a free climb to the top of Firenze's Cathedral – not to the top of the Duomo, but almost that high. Heck yeah, we’ll take advantage of that. So we stood in what was probably the longest line of the trip. The line moved fairly quickly, and we were in the shade for much of the wait. Plus, we took photos of people who were already on top of the roof. It was another gorgeous day.
What a treat this climb was. No one rushed us off as they had at Pisa’s Leaning Tower. We all posed for pictures and interacted with fellow tourists.
I've already shared many photos with you from the top of the Duomo, but here are a few more.
Here's our chance to look down at the tourists waiting in the line we'd just exited to get up to our new perch:
After our morning on top of Firenze's Cathedral, we did some shopping. This is the day we ended up at Mercato Centrale, purchasing bread, cheeses, and meats and then carrying them up to our rooftop terrace for a delightful lunch. We kicked back and relaxed for quite awhile up there.
Then we met up with Ferd and Lenka (and about 15 other tourists) for the 15:00 “secret passages tour” at Palazzo Vecchio. The tour was led by a young Italian woman who spoke excellent English. We were allowed to take photos with no flash. She showed us the hiding places, secret stairs, and structural system (in the attic) of the building. Pretty cool!
In 1299, the commune and people of Florence decided to build a palace, worthy of the city's importance and giving greater security, in times of turbulence, to the magistrates.
When you're with structural engineers, they tend to poke their heads into EVERYTHING. Here's a shot of Rick in a picture I like to call, "Santa?"
By the time we left the Palazzo Vecchio (which I would definitely recommend to art lovers), we'd seen so much incredible art that I suggested inserting ourselves into a "porthole" we found in a stairway. See what you think -- are these examples of Michelangelo's later work?
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More great ones Cindy. Love 'em. You were all having such a great time. Can't wait to hear and see more. Thanks!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
When we go back to Firenze (and I'm sure it's just a matter of time, heck it's only a couple of hours away and the flights will be abotu £100 for the two of us out of season), I'll be bringing this trip report along with me, as it's got so many great ideas of things to do and see there. How cool to get up to the top of the Duomo.
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Wednesday, September 9 -- had we really been at B&B Il Bargello four nights already? Yep, and we had just one night left. But first, one full day to enjoy Firenze.
We shopped at the Duomo and then at San Lorenzo Market for more earrings for us and little gifts for friends back home. Paul & Robbie bought a beautiful tapestry to remind them of Italy.
I had prepaid reservations for 12:00 at the Accademia, home to Michelangelo's famous David -- even though we were destined to see excellent copies elsewhere, you really do have to see the "real thing" in its beautiful surroundings at the Accademia. Once again, we bypassed a long line to get in. We enjoyed the entire museum -- no photography allowed.
We were famished afterwards, of course, so took Rick Steves' suggestion to lunch at La Mescita Fiaschetteria, a few blocks from the Accademia. It's known as a good, fast, cheap place to eat. We saw many students there. Very enjoyable, and about 20 Euros for all four us – and that included the tip. I definitely recommend it.
Then we stopped for gelato, which we finished up on our rooftop terrace. That's when Robbie said, "Hey, let's set up the tripod and have some fun with the camera, like we did last year." (See the first page of us in Colorado, on my boss's back deck). That's all it took for me to urge Rick to get his tripod. We had a lot of laughs up there, acting silly. (Well, the photos I posted here have dropped off the face of the thread, so we'll move on.)
Then Rick got very Rick-like and climbed over the confines of the terrace to get "better" shots of the surrounding city. Do not try this at home! While he was taking his shots, I took plenty of him -- you know, for the insurance company!
Yes, he's nuts!
Well, it was fun, anyway!
Then we determined to spend our final late afternoon at Piazzale Michelangelo, a great spot on the other side of the Arno River, where you can see terrific views of Firenze. We took a cab up in time to get to the little churcha-churcha up there. We participated in the 5:30pm Vespers service, which is held on the lower level of the cathedral, in a small grotto. The acoustics are perfect, and the service was lovely.
Then, lots of photos from Piazzale Michelangelo -- I'll try to share some of those with you tomorrow. Ciao!
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Thanks Cindy. More great photos. Can't wait to hear about Venezia! My suspense level is building!
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October 6, 2017-Enjoying an amazing dinner at Victoria & Albert's with PP's Dot and Drew
My TR from my most recent trip is now underway. Includes: Universal Studios Florida, Disney World and Sea World Orlando Trifecta TR -Updated December 10th! TR is now COMPLETED!
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Piazzale Michelangelo - our last evening in Firenze
As I said, we took a taxi across the Arno River and up a pretty steep hill -- I can see why the guidebooks suggest walking BACK, which we did -- it was actually an easy walk back to our B&B. But that hill was to think about going up it.
Right away, we see another excellent copy of Michelangelo's David. He presides over all the tourists who are snapping photos like mad.
I've got a gazillion shots of David, but you'll probably want to see the view of Firenze from this point. It's amazing.
There's our old friend, the Ponte Vecchio.
With such a romantic view, of course romance blossoms (especially after I threatened Rick if he didn't kiss me). Ah, engineers -- they are SO romantic! I can tell by Rick's eyes that he was laughing when we took this photo.
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How cool to get up to the top of the Duomo. 
I can tell by Rick's eyes that he was laughing when we took this photo.
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