I like Florence much more than Rome. More ...Milwaukee, as opposed to Chicago, I suppose. Walking tour of Florence, free 1/3-day and the Italian Opera Love Duets were today/tonight.
We meet our Florence guide, Riccardo (whose name makes me think of Riccardo Stregazza from Kushiel's Chosen), this morning and started the tour. He was a most epic guide. He almost had me in tears at the Accademia (our first stop). When someone has a passion for something, it shows. We mostly concentrated on Michelangelo's unfinished pieces and his "David." I must say, I almost prefer his "prisoners" to most of his other work - with the exception of Moses, of course. I was sad not to have spent more time at the Accademia. If the Pitti Palace and the Uffizi didn't have priority, I'd go back.
Or maybe they can just leave me here. This life option is getting a triple circle when I get home.
Back to the tour. After our guide's talk at the Accademia, I wonder how artists would view their world being in a museum. Is money/the commission worth losing creative control once you hand over a piece? There are reasons I don't like to sell. As much as I'd like my soul to live on, I think it has better uses.
Anyway. Tour. We say the Duomo (from the outside, as the line was long) along with the copies of "The Gates of Paradise" and Giotto's belltower. Again, lots of good information from our tour guide. It was all so massive from the outside, and constructed almost wholly from colored marble. Next was Signoria Square, where we said goodbye to our guide (:() and ate some lunch on our own - which was tasty (pizza with cheese & spicy sausage).
Ashley, Lyda, Casey and I then wandered for a bit before deciding on Santa Croce... which was a little underwhelming. At least as for the structure is concerned. The tombs are magnificent. ...Oh! I almost forgot Xhovalin! He was an artist working/selling in the square outside Santa Croce. Guess who's coming home with some art? That's right, it's ...a lot of us, but most importantly me! (:))
We headed back to the Duomo then, where we (Lyda and I) parted ways with Casey and Ashley, who climbed the dome. Apparently, the view is worth every step. Hmm. Lyda and I walked back )with Lyda directing, which was hard, since I'm a control freak) and I did some more laundry, showered, and rested my horrendously swollen feet. (:()
We got some dinner across the street from the hotel (Lyda, Ashley, Casey and I) before running back to change for the Italian Opera Love Duets at St. Mark's Church. It was incredible. I've discovered I like to watch people in arts-situations. This time I watched Molly, our music instructor on the trip. She looks at pianists like I look at Raphael's or Gentileschi's. It makes me respect her just a little bit more. My ankle, which got twisted up on the way there, was pretty much back to normal by the time we got back. Some silliness ensured, but now I sleep.
Why?
ARTEMISIA TOMORROW.
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