We met our tour guide, Mary Grace, by the Galleria Dell'Accademia. Eighty percent chance of rain meant rain for us, but we were prepared and by the time the tour of the Galleria dell'Accademia was over, the rain stopped. Mary Grace was so passionate about her job you could not leave without wanting to learn more.
The Galleria dell'Accademia is where Michelangelo's David stands. David is a 17-foot tall symbol of victory over evil and comes from a Bible story. Michelangelo created this marble statue between 1501 and 1504. It's hard not to appreciate David. Mary Grace walked us completely around this statue so we could see the 4 sides of David. More to come on that!
Duomo - Santa Maria del Fiore
Then we headed to the Duomo, Florence's Gothic cathedral started in 1296 and constructually completed in 1436. Pink, green and white Tuscan marble - 19th Century. The Duomo is Florence's main church and one of the largest in Italy. I will NEVER forget the sight of the dome of the Duomo, just a couple blocks from our apartment. We turned the corner and saw the dome, but had no idea how magnificant this was.
I took this picture last night on our farewell to Florence walk-about around the Duomo. Hard not to like this picture taken with my iPhone 6 Plus. I swore I would NEVER take pictures on more than one camera, but sure enough I have. It will take me days to sort them chronologically, since the phone changed to the currect day/time, but the camera is on Central time. When will I learn! It's true, however, the best camera is the one you have with you!
Uffizi Gallery
We broke for lunch and said "good-bye" to Mary Grace and then hooked up with Angelo, our afternoon tour guide. I didn't think tour guides could get any better, but they can/do.
The Uffizi is the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere. Early in the tour Angelo said "we are not at a buffet, we're here for the main course" and he took us to see the best. You cannot possibly take it all in. He told us to pick 5-6 pieces and admire those. The Botticelli room with the famous Birth of Venus was one of the highlights.
Again, so much to take in. I could not even comprehend, in it's entirety, all that I saw and was told.
I just "bought the books".
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