Day 9 was another optional package to Florence.

 

Before that, we spent a dull morning at Barberino Designer Outlet. Shops run along the banks of river Sieve connected by two bridges.

 

We fluttered between shops and finally settled down at Borgo Café for a special buffet lunch. For €18, we could go through the buffet line once and stack as much food as we can on a single plate. We gathered a mix of pasta, meat and pizza which was just right to fill both our stomachs.

 

Borgo Café. Source: http://www.mcarthurglen.com/

 

We reached Florence in the afternoon. As we walked towards Piazza del Duomo, we passed a few houses with some interesting features.

 

Managed to spot it? Some of the windows are painted on to achieve symmetry and order.

 

At Piazza del Duomo, we were introduced to the trio of San Giovanni Baptistery, Florence Cathedral and the Campanile di Giotto.

 

 

The octagonal baptistery has three bronze doors (the east, north and south doors) decorated with panels portraying scenes from the bible. The east door, famously hailed by Michelangelo as the “Gates of Paradise” is the most striking in gold.

 

 

The sculptor, Lorenzo Ghiberti created perspective using flattened relief, a technique credited to Donatello which involves shallow chiselling into the metal surface to cast the impression of a raised foreground. The gold finish was achieved using a mix of gold dust and mercury.

 

 

The Florence cathedral is decked in gothic style, dressed in pastel colours with a matching campanile. Perched on its crown is a glamorous dome built in brick and mortar.

 

 

We walked to Piazza del Signoria which is like stepping into the pages of Roman folklore. The square, used as a civic centre, has an assortment of Roman god sculptures, most of which are housed in the Loggia del Lanzi, a chamber with three wide arches.

 

At one corner stands the Fountain of Neptune marble sculpture. Now a revered piece of art, it was once despised upon by Florentines, naming it the white giant and the fountain used as a washbasin for laundry.

 

 

Adjacent to the chamber is the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), an imposing fortress complete with merlons and openings (like the Castle de Sforza in Milan).

 

It currently serves as the town hall of Florence and also an art museum. The campanile (bell tower) bears a one-hand clock which tells the time by its exact position on the hour, half-hour and quarter hour markings.

 

 

Flanking the entrance are the statues of demi-god Hercules subduing the monster Cacus and a replica of Michelangelo’s David, a juxtaposition of physical and spiritual strength.

 

 

We walked further down to the courtyard of the Uffizi Gallery where statues of respectable figures in Florentine history line the perimeter walls. The gallery is home to the finest art pieces collected over the Medici family’s 300 years of power.

 

 

Turning right, we walked towards Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), a stone bridge with three arches in the middle. There are shops on along the bridge which were once occupied by butchers but now mostly selling jewellery and souvenirs.

 

 

Before returning to the hotel, we were brought to Piazzale Michelangelo where a bronze replica of David stands.

 

Located on a hill, the square offers a panoramic view of Florence. Unfortunately, the promised views were veiled by the thick fog that night so we settled for pictures with the unclothed bronze figure.

 

Poor David, it must have been cold.