Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Please Excuse Us, Our Brains are Full... of Art!

We got up relatively early to get our reserved tickets for the Uffizi, the main gallery, though by no means the only one, in Florence. Last time we faded after one wing; while we didn't see everything in the Uffizi, we did spend 3 hours there!

Unfortunately in many Florentine museums one cannot take pictures (fair enough) so all I can offer is a shot of the main corridor...all the famous pictures are in rooms off to the side. Most famous are Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Spring, which I leave to you to find on the internet.

We did get great views of Florence from the windows of the Uffizi, including of the Arno River and the Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio).





We took lunch and the afternoon easy, and then had dinner at a local restaurant we've grown to like (Terra Terra). After dinner we went forth and headed to the Galleria Accademia, which is open late on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And there was no line.



There we saw the famed David of Michelangelo. Again, no photos allowed; here is a copy of that statue, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio.

Along side many of these classic painting were some modern art. I feel sorry for these poor artists, who have to go up against some of the most famous, and arguably best, art of the past 25 centuries. And what they produced looked like a disassembled refrigerator. I value modern art, but when going up against David you'd best bring your very best.

I can't offer you many photos, but here is another shot of the Duomo, well-lit even at night.
Tomorrow won't be any easier on our brains, as we are doing a quick day trip to Rome!