Art at every corner -- part 2 – Florence

Art at every corner -- part 2 – Florence By Shanaz Ramzi The train from Venice to Florence left on the dot but surprisingly arrived 15 minutes behind schedule. By the time we got a taxi and reached our hotel, Mio Hotel, which was not in the city centre, there was no choice but to unpack and call it a night, for, unlike in Venice, there was no nightlife a hop, skip, and jump away. Mercifully, we had spotted a shawarma kiosk, Star Kebab, close to the hotel, as we had driven passed, so my husband walked down to grab something to eat in our room, quite delighted that we could finally devour meat after a couple of days! The next morning, we woke up early as we had booked tickets for the famous Galleria Uffizi, an art museum that was a fair distance away from our hotel, in the historic centre of Florence. We walked to the tram station that was thankfully within walking distance from our hotel, from where we struggled to purchase tickets from their vending machines but with no luck, as the machines for taking cash were not working. Finally, a Good Samaritan who could speak English told us we should just take the tram anyway, get off at the next stop, and purchase the tickets there, as they were valid for a couple of hours so it didn’t matter where we got them from. Relieved, we did as we were guided, and it worked. Back on the tram, we got off at our station only to discover that it was a twenty-minute walk to the gallery! Huffing and puffing we finally made it right in time to join the queue, but not without being amazed by the beauty of our surroundings, for every building and every sculpture we passed, -- and there were plenty -- was a work of art. The Square where the Gallery is located is in itself so stunning that one had a hard time deciding what to photograph and what to skip. Spread over two floors and two corridors of a sprawling building, the Gallery has a mind-boggling collection of paintings and sculptures from the Middle Ages to Modern day, but even on its own, without any displays, the building is stunning, with its magnificent adorned ceilings and woodwork. After an exhaustive tour of the Gallery, we hung around in the Piazza della Signoria, taking photographs of the numerous sights, and shopping from its quaint outlets. Then, since we had planned to spend half a day in Sienna, we walked to the tram station from where we took a tram to the bus stop, from where we had been told we would get the bus to Sienna. However, when we reached the stop, we were informed that the last bus to Sienna had left five minutes ago, and our only hope was to go back from where we had come, and take a train to Sienna. So, back we went, as in any case all the action was in the city centre, regardless of whether we would be able to catch the train or not. Lucky for us though, we discovered by the time we reached the train station and found the counter dealing with tickets to Sienna, that there was a train leaving for Sienna in half an hour. We booked our tickets and quickly grabbed a salad and tea from one of the cafes at the station, so that we could have it on the train. We had been told that we would have to take a bus once we reached the station in Sienna, to go into the town, but weren’t quite sure which bus stop we should get off at. Again, luck was with us, for I started chatting with a young girl also waiting at the bus stop, and she advised us to take the bus she was about to take, and to get off where she would. She gave us a few names of the places we should see there. Armed with this information we did as we were bid. Getting off at the stop with her we walked toward where we saw signs of activity, and soon found ourselves walking up and down steep cobbled streets, till we reached the Piazza Del Campo, mentioned by our guide. The Piazza turned out to be a delightful place, unlike anything we had seen before. An iconic Square with a unique sloping fan shape, it was like a stadium without seats or stairs, and people were sitting on the cobbled floor of the Square as if they were in a grassy park. At the bottom of the slope was a huge tent, and we learned that Italy’s annual cycle race was scheduled to take place, and the cyclists were going to gather there the next day. On top of the slope were quaint curios and souvenir shops, and open-air eateries from where one could get a 360-degree view of the Gothic architecture all around. We shopped a bit and then had our supper in one of the cafes – it was the first time that we had cold soup that had to be eaten with a fork! Recharged, we walked around and took photographs, and then located a taxi stand so that we could take a ride back to the station. Back in Florence, we hailed another taxi to the hotel, and then busied ourselves packing, as we were booked to leave for Rome the next morning.