Our Wakes: 2016
Florence and Pisa: Province of Toscanea (7- 11 May 2016)
The province of Tuscany has numerous well known places and we stopped over in Florence and
Pisa. We sailed to the Pisa marina located next to the mouth of the Arno river. This place is easily
recognizable as there are numerous fishermen's houses with big square nets that are deposited
at the bottom of the river and hoisted at regular intervals to collected the trapped fish.
In Florence we had to decide what to visit as there are numerous places that are famous. We also
had to take into account the hours as on Mondays, museums are closed. The first day we went to
the famous Pallazio Vecchio that was one of the most active places in Italy during the great days
of Florence when the Medicis family was controlling the city. This family was also highly
interested in art and was able to attract famous artists that have made the city so interesting to
visit. During the times of the Medicis family, Michellangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli lived
there, to name the most famous ones. After visiting the Palazzio Vechio we went to the famous
Ponte Vecchio. This bridge, over the river Arno, connects the 2 sides of,the city of Florence.
This bridge is full of jewelry shops . History tells us that the Medicis family complained about the
smell of the fish and meat shops. They ordered the merchants to move elsewhere and allowed only
jewelry to be sold on the bridge from then on. In the afternoon we moved to the Palazzio Pitti
were we strolled in the gardens overlooking the city. The second day was a Monday and all the
museums were closed so we decided to start our visit at the Cathedral of Santa Croce.
A large collection of various religious paintings is on display in this cathedral, all very impressive,
but the place also contains the tombs of such famous Italians as Galileo, Marconi, Michelangelo,
Fermi and Machiavelli. In every corner of this place there are remarkable artifacts. In the
sacristy, you can find a precious relic of St Francis of Assissi. The relic is a piece of his belt that
is now well protected. After Santa Croce we moved to the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore also
known as the Duomo. This place does not contain a lot of objects but the outside is richly
decorated with white marble and worth seeing. Next to this Cathedral you also have the Baptistry
with it’s very impressive bronze doors depicting several moments in the bible. To finish our day,
we went to the Medici Chapel were the sarcophagi of the Medici Family can be seen. This place
illustrates very well how the Medici
family hired the most talented artists to decorate the place. You will find the walls of the place
covered with beautiful marble and other precious stones that are combined into beautiful panels.
On top of most of the sarcophagi there are many statues by Michelangelo. We only regret that
due to restoration work some parts of the inside were hidden by scaffolding. Apparently, the
place is in need of extensive restoration if the next generations want to be able to visit it. In
the basement of the Chapel, you will find a very large collection of religious relics of various
saints. The interesting thing is not the piece of bone it contains but the case that contains the
relic. A lot of gold and silver protect the relics.The day after, we visited the Uffizi Gallery. This
is one of the most visited places in Florence and a must to visit. Booking your tickets in advance is
highly recommended if you want to avoid long lines. As soon as you enter you will be overwhelmed
by the religious paintings and statues
that are kept in this museum. But most of the people come here to see the paintings of Botticelli
with the birth of Venus and the Spring. The painting of the annunciation and the visit by the
three kings to Jesus painted by Leonardo da Vinci are also a highlight of this visit. To close the
visit you will also see one of the rare paintings of Michelangelo on a wooden panel called “Tondo
Toni” that is still in his original wooden frame. To close our visit in Tuscany, we needed to visit
Pisa and the famous tower, The place is well preserved and so clean that you could easily imagine
that it is cleaned with soap every day.
Around the tower you also have a few other remarkable buildings such as the cathedral of the
Baptistry and a convent. If you visit the place, spend some time looking at the richly decorated
doors, all very impressive.
Pisa. We sailed to the Pisa marina located next to the mouth of the Arno river. This place is easily
recognizable as there are numerous fishermen's houses with big square nets that are deposited
at the bottom of the river and hoisted at regular intervals to collected the trapped fish.
In Florence we had to decide what to visit as there are numerous places that are famous. We also
had to take into account the hours as on Mondays, museums are closed. The first day we went to
the famous Pallazio Vecchio that was one of the most active places in Italy during the great days
of Florence when the Medicis family was controlling the city. This family was also highly
interested in art and was able to attract famous artists that have made the city so interesting to
visit. During the times of the Medicis family, Michellangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli lived
there, to name the most famous ones. After visiting the Palazzio Vechio we went to the famous
Ponte Vecchio. This bridge, over the river Arno, connects the 2 sides of,the city of Florence.
This bridge is full of jewelry shops . History tells us that the Medicis family complained about the
smell of the fish and meat shops. They ordered the merchants to move elsewhere and allowed only
jewelry to be sold on the bridge from then on. In the afternoon we moved to the Palazzio Pitti
were we strolled in the gardens overlooking the city. The second day was a Monday and all the
museums were closed so we decided to start our visit at the Cathedral of Santa Croce.
A large collection of various religious paintings is on display in this cathedral, all very impressive,
but the place also contains the tombs of such famous Italians as Galileo, Marconi, Michelangelo,
Fermi and Machiavelli. In every corner of this place there are remarkable artifacts. In the
sacristy, you can find a precious relic of St Francis of Assissi. The relic is a piece of his belt that
is now well protected. After Santa Croce we moved to the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore also
known as the Duomo. This place does not contain a lot of objects but the outside is richly
decorated with white marble and worth seeing. Next to this Cathedral you also have the Baptistry
with it’s very impressive bronze doors depicting several moments in the bible. To finish our day,
we went to the Medici Chapel were the sarcophagi of the Medici Family can be seen. This place
illustrates very well how the Medici
family hired the most talented artists to decorate the place. You will find the walls of the place
covered with beautiful marble and other precious stones that are combined into beautiful panels.
On top of most of the sarcophagi there are many statues by Michelangelo. We only regret that
due to restoration work some parts of the inside were hidden by scaffolding. Apparently, the
place is in need of extensive restoration if the next generations want to be able to visit it. In
the basement of the Chapel, you will find a very large collection of religious relics of various
saints. The interesting thing is not the piece of bone it contains but the case that contains the
relic. A lot of gold and silver protect the relics.The day after, we visited the Uffizi Gallery. This
is one of the most visited places in Florence and a must to visit. Booking your tickets in advance is
highly recommended if you want to avoid long lines. As soon as you enter you will be overwhelmed
by the religious paintings and statues
that are kept in this museum. But most of the people come here to see the paintings of Botticelli
with the birth of Venus and the Spring. The painting of the annunciation and the visit by the
three kings to Jesus painted by Leonardo da Vinci are also a highlight of this visit. To close the
visit you will also see one of the rare paintings of Michelangelo on a wooden panel called “Tondo
Toni” that is still in his original wooden frame. To close our visit in Tuscany, we needed to visit
Pisa and the famous tower, The place is well preserved and so clean that you could easily imagine
that it is cleaned with soap every day.
Around the tower you also have a few other remarkable buildings such as the cathedral of the
Baptistry and a convent. If you visit the place, spend some time looking at the richly decorated
doors, all very impressive.
