Hello! It’s 7pm and we’re 14,629 steps later than we were this morning. I currently have my feet propped up and am sitting on the couch waiting for room service to be delivered. So much fun, but I’m tired! Today was an all-day trip to Florence. The morning was a walking tour of the city, then a few hours to explore on your own. Everything was new to me, so it was a great opportunity to get my bearings then see some of the sights on my own.
This excursion reminded me of what I always say on trips - they’re great for getting a new perspective on the definition of “normal”. What’s daily life in Charlotte is definitely not daily life here. Walking from place to place, a good, functioning transportation system, and buildings that are older than 20 or so years (and aren’t torn down after they are past their prime) are all part of the differences.
You’ll see from the pictures, but Florence was an absolutely beautiful city. Originally built along the waterway, the city quickly expanded outwards. You’ll see the history in some of the pictures below. You’ll also see statues and art. Lots of statues and art. I’m consistently amazed by how seriously Europe treats the idea of art and culture. There’s beautiful pieces everywhere, and they’re treated seriously. We walked past the Duomo (the line to get inside was several hours long, so we didn’t try) and it was just as beautiful.
After the walking tour, we got free time to explore on our own. I had read that Florence specialized in leather production, so I went looking for a small business that made its own product. There is a leather market, but to use the words of my tour guide - “It’s crap”. Lots of product not made in the region, using cheap materials. The tour guide recommended a small shop called Katina, and it did not disappoint. Professionally trained designer who designed and made all his own products, custom. I walked out with a woven bag and an order for a jacket fitted to my measurements. Both are absolutely beautiful. The store owner also gifted me a bottle of wine from his family vineyard. Don’t know if that means he appreciated my business or I paid way too much, but it was a great experience.
And now, the pictures!
Had breakfast in the room this morning, since the call time for the excursion was 8:15am. No joke, that waffle was GOOD. I’ll be ordering that again.
OOTD: Ann Taylor top (Goodwill) with Old Navy pants. I get a perverse kick out of wearing thrift store clothing during cruises like this. I know others have spent more on their outfits, and I like showing it can be done for a lot less.
Approaching the old city section of Florence.
Can you see the hooks between the windows? The building was occupied by fabric merchants many years ago. They would hang rods outside the windows, then hang the fabric on it. If you were interested, you could come inside and buy.
The Ponte Vecchio bridge. Now home to lots and lots of gold and jewelry merchants.
One of the leaders of the Medici family (rulers of Florence for a long while). Per the tour guide, he’s pointing his finger to say “Be good” and “Be intimidated”
The Medici family didn’t like mixing with the regular folk, and they really didn’t like walking through the meat and fish markets everyday. So they built walkways above the street so they could walk around freely from building to building.
The “fake David” located outside the museum where the real David is housed. Several details are different, such as what’s in his hand and the direction his head is turned.
King Neptune
The Duomo. Absolutely massive. And gorgeous. It’s almost 500 stairs to the top of the dome. Would’ve been a beautiful view, but no.
……and, because I can have all the maturity of an 8yr old, Neptune’s backside. The high school girls making a big show of covering their eyes and running away made me laugh even harder.
An unexpected surprise was the Ferragamo museum. I didn’t know much about the brand, so it was a fascinating chance to see how it’s evolved.
Ferragamo was determined to make the shoes as well-fitting as possible, and created models of feet so that the shoes would fit exactly. You can see the models for Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich, and Lauren Bacall, among others.
Zoom in on the beading on this shoe base. Absolutely gorgeous.
My bag adventure. Daniel (the shop owner), myself and Flavia (the tour guide that recommended him)
Random nerd moment. My ship is on the right, a ferry that takes cars is on the left. Many people live on the surrounding islands and use the ferry as transport to work each day. They just drive their car on in. The sheer size (it’s as big as the cruise ship) amazed me.
My bag (the coat is created and shipped in about 7 days) and the wine. Many bags are printed with the weave already complete. This shop hand completes everything. Can’t imagine the work it took to do this….so pretty!
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