I hope everyone is surviving the winter so far. Here in Germany, we've pretty much had snow on the ground since New Year's, which is very unusual for this area... it has been quite pretty though! I also hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day last weekend... ours was relaxing and enjoyable as we had a quiet dinner here at home. Since Daniel has been traveling so much for work lately, we were both especially glad just to spend some time here together. I have been staying busy substituting almost everyday lately, but it has slowed down a bit now... which means I can finally start catching up on all the "back blogging" I've been meaning to do!
For this post, I thought I would write about our trip to Italy in December when Daniel's parents, Allen and Jan, and his aunt Anne were visiting... plus a short trip down to Pisa and Florence Daniel and I took back in October! Since this post will combine two trips, instead of the usual chronological format, I will share the highlights city by city. First up, Florence!
In Florence, one of the most famous landmarks can be found in the very center of town... the Duomo, a Gothic cathedral whose official name is the Santa Maria del Fiore. The church's facade is covered in pink, green, and white Tuscan marble, but its real claim to fame is the massive dome, an engineering feat of the Renaissance which inspired Michelangelo to build the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
While the Duomo's interior isn't as grand as its exterior, there is a certain tranquility about it. The church mainly has a subdued palette inside, but the dome features a huge painting of the Last Judgment. Just across from the cathedral is another of Florence's striking sights... the gleaming doors of the Baptistery. Together, the Duomo and the Baptistery seem to serve as the civic anchor of Florence.
Florence is also known for its top-notch museums, including the Uffizi Gallery, with its excellent collection of Italian paintings, and the Accademia, home of the magnificent David. While we enjoyed everything both museums have to offer, unfortunately pictures aren't allowed in either... thankfully, there's a replica of Michelangelo's famous statue where the original stood until 1873 in the Piazza Signoria. While Allen and Jan were able to maintain their composure in December, I couldn't help but be silly when posing with the David during our trip in October :) The town hall is also located on the piazza, widely known as the Palazzo Vecchio... its courtyard is beautiful both by day and night.
Not far from the Piazza Signoria is Florence's most famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. Most people walk the bridge window shopping its expensive jewelry stores while also taking in the Arno River below.
In addition to seeing the sights of Florence, we also enjoyed shopping at the city's markets. It seems that good bargaining skills are in the Myers' blood, as we all scored some pretty nice deals!
During our visit in October, Daniel and I were able to squeeze in a couple more sights in Florence. These included a stop at the Science Museum... while I always enjoy art museums, this one was my favorite in Florence, primarily because it houses some of Galileo's very own scientific instruments, including his telescope, compass, and compound microscope! Yes, I really am a nerd :) We also visited the Piazzale Michelangelo, which provides a stunning view of Florence.
During the December trip, while staying in Florence we took a fabulous guided tour of Tuscany. Our first stop on the tour was the charming town of Siena. There we saw the Banca Monte dei Paschi, which is the world's oldest bank in continuous existence, founded in 1472, as well as the town's cathedral. Inside the cathedral the floor is covered with beautiful marble mosaics, and the Sacristy was sealed for hundreds of years, perfectly preserving the brilliant frescos within. I also thought its distinctly striped columns were a notable feature.
Another interesting sight in Siena is the main square, the Piazza del Campo. Every year on July 2nd and August 16th, the outer ring of the shell-shaped square is covered with sand, and the "Palio" is held, a horse race in which the town's districts compete for Siena's ultimate honor. Thousands of people pack into the square to watch and cheer during the 90-second race. It sounds pretty crazy... not surprisingly, Daniel wants to go! Since the horse races are the defining moment in Siena every year, there are stables scattered throughout the town... plus it is a lovely place for just wandering and taking in its simple beauty. We all found Siena to be fascinating.
Following our time in Siena, our tour group visited an adorable wine farm, where we had a delicious lunch! Its location also provided an amazing view of the Tuscan countryside surrounding it and the town of San Gimignano, with its tower-filled skyline, in the distance.
We headed up to San Gimignano to explore after lunch. On that December day, the town was very quiet, but we still enjoyed strolling past the tower houses that have been standing since medieval times... therefore, San Gimignano is often called the "medieval Manhattan." We also appreciated the view from La Rocca, an old fortress providing a panoramic perspective of Tuscany's gorgeous terrain.
Soon we continued on to Pisa, which Daniel and I had also visited in October. The first time you see the Leaning Tower in person, you really are quite shocked at how much it's leaning! After staring at the tower from different angles for a few minutes, we made our way into the cathedral right next to it.... the Leaning Tower is in fact the cathedral's bell tower. The huge church is a very good example of Pisan Romanesque.
We did a a brief lap through the cathedral and then went back outside to take more photos of the tower before the sun went down... of course, we took turns "holding it up" :) Here are some pictures of Daniel and me from back in October too.
Following our time in Florence and the tour of Tuscany in December, the five of us headed down to Rome for a few days. Since I had just been there with my parents in the spring, I was excited to show everyone around the Eternal City. For the sake of not being too redundant, please see my post from June 2009 (Bella Italia) for all the history of the Roman sights we visited... but for photos from the most recent trip, keep reading!
On Wednesday, December 16th, we arrived on the afternoon train and after getting settled in, we headed towards the center of Rome... with the short winter days, we got to the Pantheon just as the sun was going down. This ancient temple, now a Catholic church, is so well-preserved it's amazing... pictures really don't do it justice! Just outside the Pantheon, we also had some fun taking photos by the fountain :)
Actually, fountains seemed to be theme of the rest of the evening... a short walk away is the Piazza Navona, home to Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers. The dark blue sky provided a dramatic backdrop to its stark white marble. We also took a peek into St. Agnes before heading toward another one of Rome's famous fountains, the Trevi Fountain, which I think is so lovely at night. Then it was on to dinner and a good night's rest before lots more sightseeing the next day.
Thursday morning was dedicated to the Vatican Museum. While the museum is full of masterpieces, my favorite part was a special exhibition they were having for the "Year of Astronomy"... like I said before, I'm a nerd! Of course, the sculptures, the Sistine Chapel and even the view of St. Peter's were really neat too.
When we finished visiting the museum, we went to see St. Peter's Basilica, but unfortunately it was closed for some unknown reason. So we started walking and enjoying the afternoon sun, eventually making our way up the hill by the Piazza del Popolo and then onto the Spanish Steps. Since we were meeting some of Daniel's work colleagues for dinner, we decided to called it a day at that point.
Our focus on Friday was to see the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the historical backbone of the once great Roman civilization. Considering the age of the ruins, the sheer size of the Colosseum is always humbling... it is one of those places that is always neat to see again and again.
Right next to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill overlooks the Roman Forum, so we hiked up there to enjoy the view. Then we wander down the hill and over the ancient cobblestones, taking in the relics of the temples and palaces that once symbolized the grandeur of Rome.
Before the sun completely set, Daniel and his dad went to check out the Victor Emmanuel Monument, which is also home to Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, while the three of us ladies headed to the Church of St. Peter-in-Chains, where Michelangelo's statue of Moses can be found. Soon we met back up and decided to rest up for the next day, our last in Rome.
Saturday we made our way back to St. Peter's Basilica, and thankfully it had been opened up to the public again. This was my third trip to the world's largest church, and third time must be a charm because I was in awe of this amazing structure! The sunlight seemed to be pouring in, beautifully lighting up the place. We all enjoyed the many statues, including Michelangelo's Pieta, the massive arches, and the intricate mosaics... I didn't realize until this visit that there isn't a single painting in the entire place; they are all mosaics! It's really quite unbelievable. There was also a large, lovely nativity... it was all fantastic.
After wandering around the basilica for quite a while, Daniel, his dad, and I decided to make the climb up to the top of the dome. About half way up, you have a chance to get a closer look at the dome's interior as well as a look down into the basilica below. We continued upward and soon had a panoramic view of Rome. Seeing St. Peter's square below and the city extend out in all directions is really stunning!
During our last evening in Rome, we took a stroll past the Colosseum to see it lit up at night, and then we headed over to the Victor Emmanuel Monument, which had a very pretty Christmas tree on display in front. Then it was on to one final delicious dinner in Italy... and the next morning we were all back on a plane to Frankfurt. Both of our trips in October and December were great... my experience is that any trip to Italy is wonderful!
Well, I hope you've enjoyed this extra long post... it takes a while to cover two different trips! Come back and check out the blog again soon... Daniel and I just returned from a trip to Portugal, so I will be posting about that any day now! Thanks for reading... take care!
