Today was a relatively easy and uneventful travel day with a not-too-early flight from Rome and a home arrival in the early evening. I enjoyed everything I saw and experienced on this week-long Classic Italy tour, and it’s one I’ll never forget.
Our day started with a visit to the Uffizi Gallery for a guided tour. There were many, many people, so it was challenging to take decent photos, but the beautiful sculptures and paintings, especially the famous ones, were definitely worth seeing in person. After the tour, since our afternoon was free, I chose to stay at the Uffizi and spent additional time touring the portrait galleries and (of course) shopping at the gift shop.
‘Primavera’, Botticelli
‘The Birth of Venus’, Botticelli
‘Baptism of Christ’, Verrocchio and Da Vinci
‘The Holy Family’, Michelangelo
‘Portrait of Galileo Galilei’, SustermansIn the evening, we had a private tour of the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo.
‘Penitent Magdalene’, Donatello
‘Bandini Pieta’, Michelangelo
View of the Duomo from the museum rooftopSee more photos:
After an early breakfast, we took a high-speed train ride to Florence where we attended an art history lecture, “Florence: A Profile of the City”, at our hotel (Bernini Palace). Founded in 59 BC as a Roman colony, Florence emerged as an independent city state and became the cradle of the Renaissance under the patronage of the wealthy and powerful Medici family.
After a buffet lunch, we took an orientation walking tour of Florence, which included a visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia, the home of Michelangelo’s famous “David” sculpture. Our day ended with dinner at Frescobaldi.
Neptune’s Fountain
Cosimo de Medici Equestrian Monument
Duomo and Baptistry
‘David’, Michelangelo, Galleria dell’AccademiaSee more photos: