Florence - May 21

We headed to breakfast, only to find that there were no free tables. Didn't have long to wait, but very frustrating. I just stuck with my Vegemite on toast and some yoghurt as the offerings were really basic. Not a fan of the NH hotel chain which is clearly what Travelmarvel are using in Italy. The group head off to meet with Rubina who will be our guide for the morning. It is overcast and threatening rain. The hotel is one block from the river so there are some pretty views of the bridges.

On the Ponte Vecchio bridge we see all the jewellery stores, one after the other. Those that aren't open yet are closed up to look like a treasure chest. The Medici's were the richest family of the time and as they had built their home along the river by the bridge, they removed all the butchers and the like because of the smell and untidiness! They then had a secret passage that went from their home across the top of the bridge to the other side. Any homes that they owned had their shield/emblem on the facade.

None of the streets run in one direction for very long so it will be very easy to get lost (which is exactly what happened later in the day), but the saving grace is that there are some really interesting buildings along the way to our next point of interest.

The Piazza della Signoria has been the center of political life in Florence since the 14th century with the prominent Palazzo Vecchio overlooking the square. It was the scene of great triumphs, such as the return of the Medici in 1530 as well as the Bonfire of the Vanities instigated by Savonarola, who was then himself burned at the stake in 1498 after he was denounced by the Inquisition as a heretic. The David (the original is in the Galleria dell'Accademia) by Michelangelo was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the Republic's defiance of the tyrannical Medici.

Bandinelli's Hercules and Cacus (1534) to the right of the David was appropriated by the Medici to show their physical power after their return from exile. The Loggia dei Lanzi, which sits to the right of Palazzo Vecchio and functions as an open-air sculpture gallery, was designed by Orcagna in 1376. Its curved arches foretell Renaissance classicism. The statue of Perseo holding Medusa's head, by Benvenuto Cellini (1554), is a stark reminder of what happened to those who crossed the Medici.

Giambologna's equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I (1595) is of the man who brought all of Tuscany under Medici military rule, but he clearly thought very highly of himself to commission the statue himself! We then headed to Piazza di San Giovanni which is deemed amongst the most important squares in Rome. It is a real journey through the history of the Church, which includes the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the Baptistery, the Holy Stairs and the Sancta Sanctorum, the Obelisk and the Lateran Palace. The combination of such different era buildings is almost too much to take in.

We then head to the Gallery Academia. We have 11.30 entry tickets but there is a lengthy delay as a government minister has made a surprise visit to the Gallery and everybody simply has to wait! We eventually go in and initially spend time seeing various paintings that have been restored (we are told that the only restoration involved was cleaning them to remove the layer of wax which would have accumulated from candle light). The colours were so vibrant!

There are a number of unfinished sculptures created by Michelangelo who was initally commissioned to make a number of them, but was told to stop by the pope of the time. He was however able to complete David. David is a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance sculpture, created from 1501 to 1504. With a height of 5.17 metres, David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of twelve prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral (Duomo di Firenze), but was instead placed in the public square in front of the Palazzo della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. In 1873, the statue was moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence, and in 1910 replaced at the original location by a replica. It is an amazing piece of sculpture, but do I want one in my front yard, I think not.

There are 2 floors to the building and a lot more to see but we do a quick wander through and then head out to find somewhere for lunch.

Julie is determined that she wants steak for lunch so we find a lovely little restaurant where she gets her wish and I am very happy with my spaghetti carbonara.

Julie wants to go to a leather shop that Rafael recommended, Misuri. He has let her take a photograph of a google map which is supposed to show us where to go. The map doesn't have a direction marker or any street names so was the equivalent of totally useless. There is meant to be free wifi in and around Florence but even when we faff about sufficiently enough to connect, it won't download maps! There is not a tourist information area in sight, nor any carabinieri or city police so we wander in what we hope is the general direction but after more than an hour we are no closer to finding Piazza Santa Croce. In utter dismay we wend our way back to the hotel. No shopping happening other than to a mini mart to get more Brie for our supper tonight. Back at the hotel I suggest we go up to the top floor to check out the swimming pool which might be a pleasant end to our day. The views are good, but no sooner do we step into the pool bar area, than we are told there is a private party so we can't stay! Back to our room to jointly complain about NH hotels. We have walked more than 8km today and decided that we don't need to come back to Florence again. Nice hot showers and the Brie, crackers and wine for supper. Looks like being an early night as we have an early morning ahead of us when we leave Florence to head to Venice.