While we have explored much of Florence, there was so much more to experience. However, this was the last day we had in Florence, so we had to make the most of it. There were a few things we really did want to see, but after the amount we had traveled around the past week, it was beginning to take a toll. We woke up that morning to Mike not feeling too great. Something had gotten to him and he was starting to feel miserable. Even with how he was feeling, he knew it was the last chance we had to do anything in Florence, so we kept to the plans we had for the day.
After leaving the apartment, it was nearing afternoon, so we stopped at a restaurant for a quick lunch near our first destination for the day. It was pretty good and it was nice to enjoy people watching in Florence. Time was getting close to our entry, so we paid and walked across the street to our destination.
Located in Basilica di San Lorenzo is the Medici Chapel. The Medici Chapel has a entrance that is separate from the main entrance to the Basilica di San Lorenzo. It is located behind the basilica. The Medici family started out as merchants and worked their way to being one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Florence, if not in Italy, during their time. Having gone from merchants to bankers that had branches as far as England, and having clients as large as the Vatican, they became a ruling family in Florence. As with most powerful families, they had many enemies, but time and time again, they prevailed. Being patrons of many artists, such as Brunelleschi, Donatello, and Michelangelo, they played an important role in the Renaissance age. The family would go on to include four Popes and a Queen of France.
I had booked our tickets through Tiqets.com so we were able to skip the line. As we entered, we exchanged our vouchers for paper tickets before we went through security, which is something that you get used to pretty quickly as you’re touring around Italy. It seems that there is security in every place you go. We were finally inside, which starts with seeing some items that once belonged to the Medici family.
As you make your way, you come to the Chapel of the Princes. This is where six of the Medici grand dukes are laid to rest. The chapel is larger than you would think. When you look at it from the exterior, it doesn’t look like such a grand chapel could exist inside such a simplistic structure, but you couldn’t be more wrong. While not every Duke has a statue in the alcoves above their plaques, the ones that are there are very detailed and truly showcase the power the Medici Family held over the city of Florence. The dome was my favorite part of the entire experience. I spent several minutes looking up and enjoying the design. It reminded me a lot of our visit to the Duomo. I only wish I could’ve gotten a closer look, but that isn’t possible here.
We continued on through the chapel and went into the other connecting rooms. We were able to marvel over some beautiful statues carved by Michelangelo. If you are a fan of Michelangelo and want to see some of his sculptures, I highly recommend visiting the chapel. When we were there, it wasn’t busy and you had time to just stand and enjoy the art. Unlike the Uffizi or the Accademia, we didn’t have crowds that made it difficult to take a few minutes and enjoy the artwork without having to worry about getting bumped or being in someone’s way. If you want to visit on a whim, you may have to wait in line, but that depends on the time of the year. I would like to visit here again and just spend more time enjoying the spaces.
We started walking down the street. Initially, I had no idea where we were going, but Mike did, so I followed. We made our way past the Duomo, which I never grew tired of seeing. We started to head towards the river and reached the road that followed the Arno River and the walk was nice as the sun was out and the street wasn’t too busy. Across from where the Westin and St. Regis hotels are located in Florence, is a church that we wanted to visit, but it wasn’t opened yet. Mike wasn’t feeling the greatest, but he continued to power through it. Since it was a nice day, we kept walking, as Mike knew there was another place we wanted to see and it was nearby.
As we continued to make our way along the streets of Florence, we passed by the oldest pharmacy in Florence, Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy, which dates back to 1221. It was established by Dominican monks from the nearby Basilica Santa Maria Novella. You can still go inside and purchase fragrances and skincare items. We didn’t go in since he wasn’t feeling well and the strong floral smells were already overwhelming from just standing across the street. Instead we continued to walk as there was still time before the church would open.
Both of us were beginning to get hot, we saw there was a small gelato shop located just up the street, so we decided to stop in. The gelato at the Gelateria Pasco looked really good and we both got bowls with different types to try. I don’t recall what we got exactly, but it was really good and definitely involved chocolate. We sat on a bench outside and enjoyed the gelato and bottle of water as we people watched. What we didn’t realize right away was where we were. Behind us was the Basilica Santa Maria Novella. We didn’t walk close to it, but it was nice to see it. I definitely want to go back and see the inside. Since it was nearing the opening time of the church we wanted to visit, we started to walk back, which wasn’t as far as we thought since we’d gone in a circle.
The Ognissanti Church looks like most churches you would walk by while in Italy, however, it is what is inside that makes this church different. Actually, it is more of who is buried here that really makes it different. Most people don’t know the name Amergo Vespucci, I can admit that I wasn’t familiar with it until Mike told me who he was before our trip. He was an Italian merchant, explorer and navigator. If his name does seem familiar, it could be due to the fact that the name America is derived from his name. While he may not have discovered North and South America, he was the one who realized they were a new world. Also buried in this church is Sandro Botticelli, the artist that painted the famous Birth of Venus, and Simonetta Vespucci, who was said to have been Botticelli’s muse. Legend has it that Botticelli was in love with her and when he died in 1510 he was buried at her feet. His grave is right below hers, right at her feet, which does make you wonder about how he felt about her.
When I first entered the church, I was surprised by how bright it was. The windows along the top let in more light than you would realize, which made the church not feel as dark as some of the others we’d visited. I took a moment to enjoy the ceiling. I’ve come to find that when traveling around Italy, or most places in Europe, it’s important to look up. Some of the ceilings are incredible in churches, castles, or even just old buildings. This church didn’t disappoint. The ceiling was light and depicted the heavens. The architecture of the church was very light and angelic. The small dome above the altar was also very nice and complemented the design of the ceiling.
Once we had seen everything we wanted to in the church, we decided to head to the Ponte Vecchio since, during the entire time we’d been in Florence, we’d yet to walk across it and check out the shops. Ponte Vecchio means Old Bridge, which is a good name for it as it was the only crossing over the Arno until 1218. The current bridge was rebuilt in 1345 and has withstood time and war. It was the only bridge that was not destroyed by the Germans in World War II. The bridge isn’t like most, as this is one of few that has shops on it. The shops have been there since the 13th century. There were once all kinds of shops, ranging from butchers, fishmongers, and tanners, which didn’t make for the best smell. It was in 1593 that Ferdinand I decreed that only goldsmiths and jewelers could only have shops on the bridge. To this day, the bridge’s shops are filled with various jewelers with many beautiful pieces.
The walk from the church to the bridge wasn’t bad, but the bridge was very crowded with people. Mike and I ended up stopping around the center of the bridge where there is a space unoccupied by shops that has a few vendors selling the usual touristy trinkets. We spent a few minutes just looking out onto the Arno and taking in the fact that we were actually there. It had been something I’d always wanted to see, but never thought I would. When you study art and architecture, there are so many things in the books and the images online that you are amazed by and you hope to one day see, but you know the chances are unlikely. The whole trip so far had been filled with seeing things I never expected to.
We took photos of a family on the bridge and they offered to take some photos of us in exchange. Once that was done, we started to make our way over the rest of the bridge. Somehow, we ended up separated on our way to the other end. It didn’t surprise me since the bridge was pretty crowded. I stopped once at the other end and tried to text him, but it would be a few minutes before we would be reunited.
Once we found our way back to each other, Mike shared that someone tried to pickpocket him while we were crossing the bridge. Fortunately, his shorts had pockets with buttons that helped keep his wallet safe. This was the only time we’d experienced any issues like this while in Florence, but it wasn’t surprising. Before we left for our trip, I’d done some research and found that buses, trains, and high traffic areas in Italy are often areas that pickpockets will target. I even read that people will go into museums and target people there since they are often crowded and people frequently bump into each other, making it easy to get away undetected.
While it was still early evening, Mike was really not feeling well, so we started to make our way back to the apartment. In the morning we had to check out and take the train to our next destination in Italy, and we still had to pack for the early departure. Passing the Uffizi, the Piazza Vecchio, and the Duomo for the last time during this trip did make me a little sad. It was difficult saying goodbye to everything. Seeing all of the history and living in the center for eight days was amazing and I hope to do it again some day. From the food, architecture, and art, Florence was truly amazing.
This was the day we finally had gelato. Now to see what we can get in to when in Rome.
