Florence – Week 2

I got up this morning and headed over to the church of Santa Croce, or Sacred Cross, the one that was the final resting place of the luminaries of Florence including a statue of Dante outside. I arrived and paid for my ticket which they accidentally charged me four times what it was worth. I brought it to their attention and they corrected their mistake. I went inside and began walking around. I passed the tombs of Michaelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli as well as cenotaphs for other Italians of note, like the man credited with inventing the radio, Marconi, and nuclear fission Fermi. I walked around making sure to note all the names on the walls while dodging the gravestones on the floor as I made my way to the Medici Chappel.

There was a large, wooden crucifix that for some reason was mesmerizing. So much so that I decided to do a sketch of it. I made my way to a little alcove where they were more art exhibits and was overcome by the awesomeness of Christ’s Descent Into Limbo by Bronzino. Apparently, the piece was damaged due to flooding that occurred in Florence in 1966 but was painstakingly restored. It went from floor to ceiling and the light and shadow use were sublime as well as the detail work; you could see the holes in Christ’s feet.

I walked around some more, then took a seat at one of the pews and came to a realization: With the works of the great men I was seeing, in the end, that was all that was left. Death came for each one; as it will for us all. One day they drew breath, created things, loved, ate, and lived. Then, suddenly, they stopped all those things. Time is infinite, but our time is not. Death is coming and that is all the more reason to live the lives that we want.

After rubbing shoulders with the men of note of Florence, I got some supplies for the afternoon, including some coconut water. My plan was to mix up some rum with it and make my famous Muka Laka Piki U Mao Mao drink as I lounged by the pool. I changed into my suit, went down and listened to my book. 

I guess it was just the hot summer, the free-flowing drinks, or just being away from home, but the young ladies lounging with me around the pool started removing their tops. I just drank my drink, listened to my book, and cast a few glances every now and then. What can I say? 

I changed my clothes after having some dinner then headed out to see what was billed as the best club of Florence, the Red Garter. I went in, had a look, and realized it was exactly what I was expecting: a bunch of drunk 20-year-olds grinding against each other to shitty techno music. I immediately left and found a small Irish pub and had a cider next to some young Americans. After, I headed back to the hostel to go to bed.

I slept in the next day as I did not have any real plans. I did not have the energy to do anything as my shitty new roommate in the upper bunk was rolling around all night after getting in super late. I went down and had breakfast. I then went to do some work after buying some toothpaste and attempting to buy some stamps. I say attempt because the post office I noticed on one of my excursions out was closed by the time I arrived. At 11:30 am. 

I took my laptop and headed to the roof and under the Tuscan sun, I did some work on a few projects as well as left a lot of reviews on Viator as well as some on Trip Advisor for tours I had taken and places I stayed. I figured it was the least I could do for people like me looking to get honest opinions of places and things to do. I also saw that Rutger Hauer had died. I met him in LA once at my job and he was very nice but very weird. 

I walked over to the central market to get some lunch which would be comprised of two small sandwiches and some cheese. I then headed to a kiosk that said they had stamps, but it appeared they were from a private agency. I asked the guy selling them if they would be honored in getting my cards to America. He shrugged his shoulders. Since the post office hours were erratic, I figured this would be my best shot. Definitely the most expensive postcards I had ever sent at 5€ per.  

I went back to the hostel to finish up my work. In Europe and other parts of the world, in order to cut down on energy waste, some places have a small device usually next to the door where one puts their room key. This completed a circuit and allowed electricity and air conditioning to function. The same guy that was rolling around all night stole my room key from the device while I was working. Another roommate was drinking booze in his bed. These people kind of suck, but that is OK. They will be gone soon enough

The next day, I woke up in kind of a funk. I really didn’t know why. After packing up my day pack, I headed to the train station and hopped on a train to Siena.

Siena was interesting. It was like Tallinn and I guess a lot of other parts of the world where it was originally a fortified city with all the historic parts behind high walls. There were winding paths and streets that lead to the more interesting parts. I found my way to the Piazza del Campo. 

The Piazza del Campo is the main “square” of the city. It is actually more of a half-circle. The reason for this is that every year in July and August there are horse races called the Palio. Unfortunately, I arrived a few days before there would be races, but I guess it was just as good as the city would be much more crowded. 

I continued walking around the city and made my way to their Duomo. I sat down and just marveled at it as tourists did the same. Always sensing a good opportunity, performers congregated around there and played their music.

I decided after walking in the hot sun for most of the day, it was time for some wine. I found a nice little place and had a glass before I headed back to Florence.  

The next day, I got breakfast and decided to take another walking tour, only this one would be rather unique as it was one hosted by Rick Steves via Podcast. For the unfamiliar, Rick Steves hosts a travel show, usually shown on PBS. The only reason I knew he existed at all was that one of my friends had a serious lady boner for him when we were all living in Spain. 

Although the tour was a little cheesy at times and showed me a lot of the same things I had seen before, he really knew his stuff and shared it with unabashed glee. One of the more interesting things that I learned was about a plaque in the center of the Piazza della Signoria.

Apparently, back during the middle of one of the most important ages of man, some people did not like the progress we were making. They saw these nude statues and works from mythology as pornographic and pagan. So a priest, Fra Girolamo Savonarola, filled with fiery rhetoric against the age in which he was living, in a rather large and backward protest, decided to burn a lot of Renaissance art with his followers looking on and adding to the pyre of human achievement. Now, granted there were a lot of other things going on, such as the decadence of the age, the rising difference in classes, and political intrigues starting at the local magistrates to the Medicis all the way up to the Vatican, but he chose the art of the era as a symbol worthy of destruction. However, he did not know how far the other side would go in the game he was playing. He was kidnapped and tortured along with two other friars. On May 23rd, 1498, after being executed, it was he who was burned in the square with his ashes thrown into the Arno. The plaque was to indicate and warn others of what would happen if this kind of behavior continued, and is subsequently celebrated every year hence. 

The tour continued to the Church of Orsanmichele, an ancient church on the street leading from the Piazza Della Signoria to the Duomo. It is a small church that was converted from a grain marketplace. Inside there are still grain spouts. Miracles were attributed to the Virgin painted on one of the pillars. From there, walls were added and it became enclosed and converted to a church. It was small but lovely. What was more interesting was what was outside. Ringing the church were 14 priceless sculptures of saints done by the greats, including Donatello.  

Continuing on to the Duomo, another interesting fact that Mr. Steves shared was that even the most amazing buildings were still subject to the forces of nature. On January 27th, 1601, after a rather vicious thunder and lightning storm, the very pinnacle of the Duomo, a gilded ball weighing over 2000kg was loosened from its perch and fell to the ground with an enormous thud. To this day, behind the Duomo, there is a white circle on the ground indicating where the ball fell. It was very cool to learn this little fact that I am certain many a tourist and perhaps even locals do not know. 

I headed back to the hostel and took a little nap. After, I continued the fantastic series on Netflix called Medici: Masters of Florence. A lot of it was filmed in Florence in the very same spots where all that history happened centuries ago. It was very good.    

The next day I got up and met some new people at the hostel; Christian from Austria and Anush from Jacksonville. I attempted to do some work for some clients but a few things that were out of my control prevented me from doing my tasks. I then headed out to the Sancta Spiritu neighborhood across the Arno to try another pizza place that was recommended to me. Again, it was not the best. I think I have written off having pizza in Florence. However, the gelato at another nearby place was both fantastic and cheap. I walked around with my scoops as I headed back to the hostel, taking in the sites.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I was sidetracked by a few bars after my dinner and ended up sleeping in until noon. I did some more work but ended up watching Hannibal. Again, Florence was a big player in that movie. But the more interesting part as to why I would not find out until a little later. 

My next day started doing a few more client projects. Really, when it rains it pours with my type of work. I then got a message from an old college friend saying that we should get the old gang together. Then it dawned on me that it would be very difficult as most of them were married with kids and careers. I began thinking about other people in my peer group and how only two I knew of were similar to me. Did that make us outliers or behind the curve? On the other side, I knew people that were already divorced. Others that hated their careers and struggled. People that decided to go with the flow and do what their families told them they were supposed to do. I also knew a few people that should have been divorced as they confided that they could never leave the security. However, I knew traveling like this was something I always wanted to do. I had the time, the money, and the lifestyle. It would be hard to find someone that would not only want to do it with me but have built the necessary financial structure to do it. I then realized that in life, the only real person you need to listen to is yourself. People will try to tell you what is good and what is bad, how you should live your life, but in reality, they may be projecting their own insecurities onto you and the real answer is what you discover for yourself.