Subject: Saluti da Firenze!
Date: Thursday, December 25, 2008, 11:26 PM
Buongiorno tutti e Buon Natale!
On Christmas Day, I was standing in the Piazza del Duomo when the bells in Giotto's tower began to ring! What a way to begin a tour of Florence! I took a long walk around the cathedral, up to the (closed) botanical gardens, down past the Piazza della Repubblica with a giant Christmas tree and carousel, down to the Arno, through the Uffizi open sculpture gallery, slowly building anticipation to see David in the Piazza della Signoria...only to find him hidden away behind a screen, under restoration!
Last night was our group orientation and first dinner at The Golden View. Just across the Ponte Vecchio, the ristorante is situated along the banks of the Arno with a stunning view of the Ponte Vecchio, and we enjoyed spaghetti with ground veal and peas, small penne with tomatoes and zucchini, chicken with truffle sauce, chocolate mousse, espresso and limoncello. Not surprisingly, I was wide awake from 3:30am on...
Our tour's itinerary has changed from the original, much to my delight, due to Christmas Day and St. Stephen's Day (Dec. 26) closures. We'll be going to Lucca (my favorite!) on our day out of Florence, and some of us may take the opportunity of a free afternoon to head over to Pisa!
Florence will slowly reveal it's delights as we begin our whirlwind art tour this morning at the Accademia Galleria, where (finally!) I'll see the magnificent David. More and more art later throughout the week, and lots of opportunities for photography.
Everyone on the group is friendly and we're all delighted to be here. I wish everyone a Buon Natale!
Ciao!
Elisabetta
