May 4, 2007
The train ride from Venezia to Firenza was almost entirely in rain but we found it to be quite enjoyable nonetheless. We arrive in Florence at 9:23 AM anxious for this leg to begin as we will soon see our son. We were booked at the Hotel River on the banks of the Arno River. Bonnie had wanted “A Room With A View” so I arranged for a 4th floor room and the roof top balcony. It was a great room but after our experience in Venice it was only going to rank a 2nd place rating.

We quickly dropped our bags and headed out to find the Accademia Galleria for an 11:30AM reservation. I had at the onset only one reason to come to Florence, well two if you count seeing our son, but aside from that my main objective in Florence was to see Michelangelo’s “David” in the Accademia. It was exquisite! There was a good crowd but still we were able to get quite close and thoroughly appreciate the beauty of the piece. I even got a couple of bootleg photos. Probably nearly as compelling as the “David” were a series of in progress sculptures in the main entry corridor. I was awestruck to see the actual chisel marks of the master. I couldn’t accomplish this with Play Dough and to think this man did it in marble. It was truly amazing!

We then headed back to the train station to meet up with our son. What a wonderful reunion as I am sure all parents can imagine. We had some time to kill so we headed out to find a place to visit. Aaron took us to a great little coffee shop for an espresso or latte… name your poison. We then jumped on board for our first experience on the “Regionale”. Now these are quite different then the 1st class tourist rides we’d been experiencing. These were the overcrowded cattle cars we’d always envisioned, or feared as it were.

If I may be so bold, allow me an aside to give my theory on the European Union and its effects on life in Europe. In our travels we saw many, many young people of every nationality and culture. And I wondered why there were so many Europeans and Americans traveling. My theory, tested upon many experienced travelers we encountered, is that the EU has opened up the world to them because of two primary reasons: First there is no need to show your passport as they are essentially one common border. Secondly there is no currency exchange with the introduction of the Euro. Thus I believe the Europeans can travel quite freely from country to country and all indications are that they do so quite often. These cattle cars are their primary source of transportation and quite honestly, if it weren’t for the questionable stains on nearly every seat, would have been be quite sufficient. They do however stop at every little town or hamlet along the way so be prepared to spend a little extra time.

After a short 45 minute ride we arrived at the small town of Castiglion Fiorentino where our son was attending school. Castiglion was a wonderful town and filled every dream we held of a Tuscan hillside village. We walked into the interior of the walled city and quickly met three of Aaron’s classmates from K-State that were on their way out to travel through Europe before heading back to the States. Classes had ended only three days prior and they were all in a melancholy mood. Having said his goodbyes Aaron took us to his favorite hangout on the piazza. A small café called Ignorante. After a few soothing refreshments we headed out for our guided tour of the town in general and the school specific. There is a lot of history here, and I’ll spare the casual reader, but I will point out briefly the big picture. Castiglion Fiorentino is an ancient medieval walled city of about 20,000. Having said that, only about 1,200 actually live inside the walls as did Aaron. The remainder live in the “suburbs” at the foot of this beautiful hillside village. I could go into every descriptive detail imaginable and yet it would not suffice to describe the beauty of this quaint Tuscan village. Suffice to say, at the conclusion of our travels, this was our absolute favorite, hands down, no questions asked. It was the one place that Bonnie and I both reflected we could quite happily spend all our post retirement years.

We had a great meal with Aaron and several of his friends from school. We met Allasandro, a young engineering student that he had befriended from town. After the meal and some great conversation, we enjoyed the requisite gelato and Bonnie and I caught the 9:36 back to Florence. Arriving at 10:45 we had a short wait for bus #13 to take us back to the Hotel River. We fall quickly to sleep. It was a busy, but wonderfully fulfilling day. It was good to be with our son again.

May 5, 2007
The day started with a great breakfast in the hotel’s breakfast room. Simple and basic, but quite good. The offering was far better than the standard continental fare in most domestic hotels we are accustomed to. Again we head out early, amidst intermittent showers, to an early morning reservation at the Ufizzi Museum. We had reservations for 8:30, and while we did have to wait in line, it was much shorter than the line for the unfortunate souls who had not prepared in advance.

After touring the museum, we headed over to window shop along the Ponte Vecchio. Nothing but gold, silver, and jewelry as far as the eye can see. Seeing as Deepti and DK Gems were nowhere in sight we moved on, wallet still intact! We then strolled through the Porcellino Market. The leather work was beautiful and reasonably priced. It was the one thing that upon our return we wished we had purchased.

By now the rain is starting to lift and we headed over to the Palazzo Vecchio to see the original site of David. After stopping for a drink in a quaint café, we headed over to the Duomo where we are to meet our young tour guide, Aaron, at about 12:30. By now the rain has stopped and the clouds are starting to lift. We met Aaron right on schedule and immediately go inside to see the Basilica and to climb to the top of the Duomo. This church was one of Aaron’s favorites and he wanted to share it with us. We climbed the 463 steps to the top of the dome and were richly rewarded for our efforts. The view of Florence and the surrounding Tuscan countryside from the top is nothing less than stunningly breathtaking.

After grabbing sandwiches which we munched on the steps of the Palazzo Vecchio, we headed back across the Ponte Vecchio to climb to the Palazzo Pitti, and even further up to the Piazza Michelangelo. Again with the fantastic views. To those who have never been to Florence the names of these sites might seem insignificant, but I assure you they are not. And to those readers who have shared these steps, you will no doubt realize I am recounting a very full day indeed.

It began to look as if a storm were brewing in the horizon so we descended back into town for cover should it be warranted. After a brief layover at our room to recharge our batteries, we headed off to the Piazza Santa Croce, the Palazzo Vecchio, and the Piazza Republica. This time having Aaron’s commentary along the way added greatly to our understanding of the history and significance of many of the monuments. Finally at Piazza Republica we were in desperate need of rest and sustenance so we stopped for dinner. After a great dinner, pizzas and tortellini, we said our goodbyes to our son until we meet again back in the states. Aaron will leave tomorrow afternoon for London, Berlin, and Paris. Bonnie and I will catch an early morning train to Nice, France, and finally to Paris.

Conclusion and some casual observations about Firenza:

We loved Florence and will definitely return. The birthplace of the Renaissance is still very much alive and vibrant.

There is so much art and history that it seems almost too much for a single city.

The best tip I received before going was to go to the Piazza Michelangelo and take in the sun rising over Florence. It was beautiful.

Tuscany is all you imagine it might be. I haven’t read Under The Tuscan Sun yet, but it is now high on my list.

There were so many ambulance sirens that we began joking “If those are sirens, we must be in Florence”.

Again this may seem redundant, but Florence was fabulous. I feel desperately inept and my vocabulary severely stunted in my attempt to put into words our feelings and findings of Florence. It was a totally exhilarating experience and upon leaving I found myself wanting more time to explore all this city has to offer.

To be continued...