Pisa e Firenze
Day 20-21 (May 23-24, 2006)
Pisa.
We left Roma on the first train to Pisa, and arrived around 11am. Although the only thing to see in Pisa is the tower, it is definitely still worth making a quick stop there on the way to your next destination. It is quite amazing to see how much the tower leans in person. For lunch, I ate a delicious sandwich of Focaccia, prosciutto cotto, pomodoro (tomatoe). Basically we arrived, saw the tower, took pictures, ate lunch, and left.
Firenze.
We arrived in Florence late afternoon. Our accomodation was a spacious room in a large residential flat. The charming room had its own bathroom, three single beds, an old dresser and table, and a large window. We wandered the streets for the remainder of the evening. Immediately, I felt the relief from cacophonic Rome, replaced by the laid-back ambience of Florence. It is no wonder why so many renowned artists chose here to be there home. For dinner, we bought take-away pizza (Prosciutto e Funghi) and ate it on the steps of the Duomo as we people-watched, although most people had already retired to their homes. Supposedly, the famous form of Italian ice cream that non-Italian-speakers know as "gelato" (it just means "ice cream" in general) was invented in Florence. So I declared a mission to hit up every recommended gelateria (total of five) that was listed in my travel book (Lets Go)! On our way back to our room, we conquered our first gelateria. Here I had the best Tiramisu flavor ever! They layer the ice cream with espresso-soaked cake like the actual dessert, and it had strong hints of rum!
On the next day, we started with an "Italian breakfast" (pastry and cappuccino). And then went to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. There was already a line at 8:30am, and it was raining. The queue hardly moved, and there was a second queue for groups, which had priority. The museum was not big, and not much to see other than "David". Before this trip, I dismissed "David" as just a sculpture of a naked man. Oh how I was wrong! The amount of detail and realism from the entire pose down to the veins and knuckles was awe-inspiring! And then you factor in the fact that he also sculpted the Pieta and painted the Sistine Chapel! Michelangelo is truly a wonder.
Then, we went to the Uffizi, which displayed many paintings by famous artists (i.e. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael). The highlight was the exhibit "Mind of da Vinci", which displayed Leonardo's notes and sketches of diagrams and gadgets in his own cryptic handwriting (forward and backward!). Da Vinci is a genius in all aspects. He utilized science to advance his artwork, and represented a perfect harmony between science and art. A man of symmetry and math, elaborated with imagination. In this respect, similarities can be drawn between him and Antoni Gaudi. Da Vinci's mind must have never slept; constantly analyzing, calculating, hypothesizing, and formulating.
For dinner, we ate at a trattoria, which are usually smaller than other restaurants. It was small and full with customers, and had an intimate vibe, quaint decor, and great food. I ordered Trippa alla Florentina (tripe in a red sauce, topped with mozarella). I actually thought I ordered something else. It was definitely a local dish though, which was the objective. It was good, but too much tripe for a single person. We also shared Bruschetta, which is also a local specialty. Then we concluded the night with more gelato! We failed our gelateria mission (one no longer existed), but we did go to most that were on our list.
Florence is a mecca of art. It's history is rich with artistic creativity. Thus, it is natural that today it is populated with countless museums as homage.
...
"All the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are from Florence." -- me
more photos: pisa e firenze
--
next: Nice and Monaco
Pisa.
We left Roma on the first train to Pisa, and arrived around 11am. Although the only thing to see in Pisa is the tower, it is definitely still worth making a quick stop there on the way to your next destination. It is quite amazing to see how much the tower leans in person. For lunch, I ate a delicious sandwich of Focaccia, prosciutto cotto, pomodoro (tomatoe). Basically we arrived, saw the tower, took pictures, ate lunch, and left.
Firenze.
We arrived in Florence late afternoon. Our accomodation was a spacious room in a large residential flat. The charming room had its own bathroom, three single beds, an old dresser and table, and a large window. We wandered the streets for the remainder of the evening. Immediately, I felt the relief from cacophonic Rome, replaced by the laid-back ambience of Florence. It is no wonder why so many renowned artists chose here to be there home. For dinner, we bought take-away pizza (Prosciutto e Funghi) and ate it on the steps of the Duomo as we people-watched, although most people had already retired to their homes. Supposedly, the famous form of Italian ice cream that non-Italian-speakers know as "gelato" (it just means "ice cream" in general) was invented in Florence. So I declared a mission to hit up every recommended gelateria (total of five) that was listed in my travel book (Lets Go)! On our way back to our room, we conquered our first gelateria. Here I had the best Tiramisu flavor ever! They layer the ice cream with espresso-soaked cake like the actual dessert, and it had strong hints of rum!
On the next day, we started with an "Italian breakfast" (pastry and cappuccino). And then went to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. There was already a line at 8:30am, and it was raining. The queue hardly moved, and there was a second queue for groups, which had priority. The museum was not big, and not much to see other than "David". Before this trip, I dismissed "David" as just a sculpture of a naked man. Oh how I was wrong! The amount of detail and realism from the entire pose down to the veins and knuckles was awe-inspiring! And then you factor in the fact that he also sculpted the Pieta and painted the Sistine Chapel! Michelangelo is truly a wonder.
Then, we went to the Uffizi, which displayed many paintings by famous artists (i.e. Michelangelo, da Vinci, Raphael). The highlight was the exhibit "Mind of da Vinci", which displayed Leonardo's notes and sketches of diagrams and gadgets in his own cryptic handwriting (forward and backward!). Da Vinci is a genius in all aspects. He utilized science to advance his artwork, and represented a perfect harmony between science and art. A man of symmetry and math, elaborated with imagination. In this respect, similarities can be drawn between him and Antoni Gaudi. Da Vinci's mind must have never slept; constantly analyzing, calculating, hypothesizing, and formulating.
For dinner, we ate at a trattoria, which are usually smaller than other restaurants. It was small and full with customers, and had an intimate vibe, quaint decor, and great food. I ordered Trippa alla Florentina (tripe in a red sauce, topped with mozarella). I actually thought I ordered something else. It was definitely a local dish though, which was the objective. It was good, but too much tripe for a single person. We also shared Bruschetta, which is also a local specialty. Then we concluded the night with more gelato! We failed our gelateria mission (one no longer existed), but we did go to most that were on our list.
Florence is a mecca of art. It's history is rich with artistic creativity. Thus, it is natural that today it is populated with countless museums as homage.
...
"All the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are from Florence." -- me
more photos: pisa e firenze
--
next: Nice and Monaco
posted by a(-_-)c at 6:22 PM
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