Up and Down and all around Florence

Walking tour of Florence*Metal Workers shop*Baptistry*Bell Tower*Market*Fancy Dinner

7.84 miles, 46 flights of stairs

This morning we met up with Eric's entire family that happens to also be traveling in Italy right now - 14 of us! We hired a fabulous American guide who has lived in Italy for the past 17 years to give us a walking tour of some of the lesser known sites of the city. We started out in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and had a history lesson on the Medici Family, we visit Orsanmichele and the Financial District of medieval Florence. I have been to Orsanmichele a couple of times and had no ideas that it was first a granary and then it was converted into a church and the granery moved upstairs. People could come get their grain and it would fall down a shoot from upstairs into baskets below in the church. After that we crossed the Ponte Vecchio to visit the Oltrarno neighborhood and the Santo Spirit Church which houses an early sculpture of Michelangelo - a crucifix in wood. It was at Santo Spirit where Michelangelo probably got his first anatomy lessons watching surgeries and dissections.

After Santo Spirit we visit a Metal artisan in his shop doing his trade that he began at the age of 15. He is probably in his 60s now. He designs metal sheets of brass and copper that he then makes into boxes, compacts, cuff links, napkin rings, charms, etc. His clients include Cristain Dior, Gucci, Nieman Marcus he even made a pill box for Bill Clinton - he sells things all over the world! He pressed one of his designs (the Lilly of Florence) into a Euro coin the kids gave him (like the machines we have in the states). The kids got to watch the big wheel press the coin flat onto the steel plate with the design imprinted on the now flat coin.

After our morning walk we visited the Brancacci Chapel and walked back to the Duomo to climb the Bell Tower (so that we could actually admire Brunelleschi's Dome) and visit The Gates of Paradies at the baptistery (copper doors by Ghiberti). We needed a nap today! So we did just that and read and relaxed until just before dinner.

On our way to dinner we did some shopping in the San Lorenzo market that is just a block away from our apartment. Prices are soft and bartering is expected. The kids got bracelets and necklaces and Charlie got a soccer jersey.

We decided to splurge on dinner tonight and eat out with Maxfields and have a typical florentine steak. It's about 2" thick (no lie) and as big as a plate. We split it between all 6 of us and couldn't even finish it. The waiter brought us the raw cut of meat for us to inspect before preparing it for us. After the steak was cooked the meat was so red on the inside it was cool - hot on the outside and cool on the inside. It reminded of sushi Tuna that is barely seared before serving. It was a bit too raw for the kids to handle, but they did their best. It meant we had to get gelato after dinner (we'd already had one after lunch). Heck, it was a 2 gelato day - we walked almost 8 miles today and climbed 47 flights of stairs!