Hi friends, welcome back to the final post of our time in Florence. It was downpouring at this point, but we had some time to kill before our wine tour so we headed to Piazza della Signoria to see Palazzo Vecchio. This fortress looking building was the town hall in renaissance times. In 1540, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici I turned the building into his luxurious palace and hired Michelangelo and Donatello to beautify the place. Cosimo later bought Pitti Palace and moved the royal residence there. To make his commute easier, he commissioned the construction of the Vasari corridor, the walkway from the Uffizi Gallery over the Ponte Vecchio, and up to Pitti Palace. (pictures in this post are taken over multiple days)
Palazzo Vecchio is currently a Town Hall and museum to see Cosimo’s apartments. We didn’t have extra time for the museum, but I’d go through if we’re ever back in Florence. The courtyard is free to visit and everyone seemed to have the same idea as us to avoid the rain.
Until 1873 the original David statue stood here outside Palazzo Vecchio.
The Loggia dei Lanzi was once a forum but is now a sculpture gallery. Some notable pieces include The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna and Perseus by Cellini. Perseus is possibly the most famous piece in the gallery depicting Perseus with Medusa’s decapitated head. The artist put his name across the sash and even included a self-portrait on the back proving he was not the humblest.
You can’t miss the Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria.
I feel like it would be sacrilegious to go to Florence without visiting some wineries, so I booked this half-day Tuscan wine tour through Viator. Jon and I aren’t big wine connoisseurs, but we were looking forward to the relaxing afternoon. We were a little nervous because of the downpour earlier, but the sun came out as we made our way to the bus. There were 24 people in the group and we enjoyed meeting new people and trying wine from the Chianti region.
At both wineries we got to have four tastings of wine paired with some cheese, bread, and olive oil. We had such a great afternoon in the countryside. The tour was a bit touristy and not as informative as I thought it’d be, but it was a lot of fun and the wine tasted great!
Our last morning in Florence was beautiful and we took one last stroll around town before we had to leave. I really loved Florence and wish we had one more day there to try more of the restaurants, take a cooking class, or visit the Bargello Museum and Palazzo Vechhio. Florence wasn’t on our original itinerary, we were going to Ischia instead, but I’m so glad we changed it up and went to Florence. I didn’t really have many expectations of Florence, but I really loved the city and am glad we started our trip in such a charming place.
Posts in this series:
Florence
- Where to Stay & Eat
- Piazza Michelangelo & Ponte Vecchio
- Uffizi Gallery
- Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Accademia
- Climbing the Duomo
- Duomo Museum, Bell Tower, & Baptistry
