Wednesday morning we got up early so we could go to the Uffizi. We were supposed to meet Mollie at her hotel but couldn't find her hotel! After calling her hotel, we learned that she had already left and so we went to the Uffizi and assumed we would see Mollie there. Since we arrived an hour later than we planned, the line was long, about an hour and a half. We eventually got in and were able to enjoy the Uffizi. The first rooms started with art from the 13th century and we slowly made our way through time. So much of the art that we had studied in art class was on display here. I could list them off but I would probably bore you. We spent 3 hours in the museum and I thought the museum was never going to end! It was really cool but I had had a little too much art by the end! After the Uffizi, I got a sandwich for lunch. It was cheese and prosciutto and it was delicious.
We headed to the Duomo and admired the cathedral from the inside before making the trek up 450+ stairs to the top. The really cool thing was that you got to walk around on these platforms right below the frescoes! The stairs were not too bad until you get halfway up and they become narrow and really steep. But luckily, the view at the top is worth it as it is gorgeous. Of course, the walk down is worse because walking down really tiny steep steps is the only thing worse than walking up them.
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| While walking up to the top you get to walk along this balcony and you are super close to the frescoes! |
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| View down! |
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| View up! |
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| Look at the guy with the lizard head!! |
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| Eleanor and I! |
Afterwards, we went to the baptistery. I walked in not knowing what to expect, but what we found inside was amazing! It was this gorgeous gilded ceiling! I will put up some pictures later! We sat down inside to rest and my knee started shaking. Apparently my body was really sore.
After a quick rest, we moved on to the museum. It was tiny but the original golden doors were there and an original statue was there. Finally, we went to Santa Croce. It was really pretty but unfortunately, the altarpiece and main frescoes were all covered up. We were still able to see some tombs and the Giotto frescoes. The area outside was quaint and peaceful. Eleanor and I could imagine being nuns here (but I sure will not be!).
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| The most spectacular gelato! It was dark chocolate and tasted liked ghiridelli dark chocolate! |
We were exhausted at this point so we walked back to our hostel and took a rest. We were also able to contact Mollie (she doesn't have a working phone) and plan dinner. For dinner, we went to this local trendy place called Moyo. It is an aperitivo which means you pay for a cocktail (I got an Italian ice tea) and then you get to eat an unlimited amount of food. The place we went to had Indian and Chinese food, but I was okay with this since I have already eaten some Italian food. It was nice to have unlimited food and we were very full afterwards.
We had to buy train tickets to Rome so we slowly made our way there. On the way, we stopped in one of the piazzas that has tons of statues in it and took pictures, imitating the Renaissance poses. It may not sound funny, but after studying art for so long, it was funny to us! We eventually got to the train station, bought tickets, and then made our way home.
