Rome to Florence (Firenze)

This morning we were forewarned by our tour manager to watch out for pickpockets and gypsy children in Florence. The former are quite clever, preying on tourists. The gypsy children, on the other hand, are brash, bothersome, and represent a real social problem. Routinely, a band of six or more unaccompanied children rove tourist areas, wielding pieces of newspaper. They will approach their target and shove the newspaper to your face. Meanwhile, their free hand is rummaging through your pockets. If approached, just yell back or slap them in their head. Of course, since all of us are of younger crowd, we intend to beat the hell out of them. Show no mercy!

This morning is our group photo - our souvenir to take back home, at a hilltop that offers the famous Florentine view. A replica of Michelangelo’s Statue of David stands at this hilltop.

Five hundred years ago, Florence was the center of European culture. It was here in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries that many of the most important developments in modern art and architecture took place. Today we refer to that period as the Renaissance, or "rebirth". Among Florence residents are writer Dante, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Donatello and Galileo.

Florence is also known for its extraordinary quality leather goods and 14 carat gold jewelries. Our first visit was at Leonardo leather works, where they gave us a working demonstration of Florentine leathercraft as well as how to determine a genuine one to that of fake/plastic leather. The jewelry store at Walter’s Silver and Gold was interesting. No matter what the design is, the gold is priced by its weight. I decided to buy a gold necklace with gold cross for Mica, my god-daughter whom I will see in the next couple of days in London. My birthday gift to her. The 4 oz gold was 164,400 lira (about $100.00) which was really a bargain.

At about noon, we proceeded to meet our local Florentine guide at Piazza della Signoria. The square is dominated by the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s city hall and home to duke Cosimo d Medici, Florence’s ruling family during the Renaissance era. In front of the Palazzo Vecchio is the enormous Neptune fountain. It marks the spot where the tyrant Savonarola was burned at the stake in the 14th century. Adjacent is the Uffizi Gallery which was crowded with tourist trying to see collections such as Giotto’s Madonna and some of da Vinci’s works. Then there was the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), the famous post card picture of the span on the Arno River. Our guide took us to the Piazza del Duomo, where the red-tiled dome Duomo dominates the city’s skyline. The cathedral’s stained glass was well worth seeing.

In front of the Duomo is Florence’s Baptistery (Battistero di San Giovanni), dedicated to the city’s patron saint, John the Baptist. The highlight of the Baptistery is Lorenzo Ghiberti’s bronze exterior doors known as the Gates of Paradise, on the side of the Baptistery directly opposite the Duomo. Ten bronze panels depict various scenes from the Old Testament in three-dimensional relief. The doors at the north side were Ghiberti’s " warm-up" to the Gates and the work that won him the commission for the final set. The doors on the south side are by Pisano and depicted the life of St. John. Our guided tour ended at the Basilica di Santa Croce. Here is the final resting place for many renowned figures of the Renaissance. Michelangelo’s tomb is the first on the right as we entered the church. Dante’s is right next to him. Then Machiavelli rests in the fourth. Galileo and Rossini, among others, were also laid to rest here.

The rest of the afternoon was free time. Free time for Angela and I to wander through the bustling, sprawling, open-air market at Mercato San Lorenzo and Mercato del Porcellino. Hundreds of push carts crowd together along the streets around the San Lorenzo Church and the Mercato Centrale, offering countless of leather jackets, handbags, wallets, silk scarves and an array of souvenirs. The market stretches for six blocks. A treat of gelato (ice cream) from Angela was a bribe for the company along these streets. After two hours of browsing to their merchandise and getting lost on our way to meet the rest of the tour group at the Basilica di Santa Croce, we ended not buying anything while everybody seems to have bought a leather jacket or handbag as souvenirs.

For gourmets and gourmands alike, Florence is the culinary capital of Italy. The optional dinner (52,000 lira about $36.00) was at the "La Certosa". It is a charming 16th century building set in the scenic Tuscan hills. We started of with a glass of Campari, then carry on with a typical Tuscan meal including anti-pasta and for the main course - meat! (finally) -- all washed down with the local Chianti. Entertainment was also on the menu, a pianist setting up a romantic mood and an opera singer serenading us. We waltz, tango (stepped on both Angela and Margaret’s foot), we drank (here wine is just like water, drink all you can), and sang our hearts out. O’ Solo Mio and "Hopia di Mabili" (Filipino joke!) were the favorite songs. The highlight of the evening was Colin proposing to be engaged with Lianne. They have been together for five years. Also that night, the couple from British Columbia, Wes and Janet, were celebrating their 5th year wedding anniversary.

Everybody was dancing inside the bus, on our way to Space Electronk Disco. The revelers on the disco were from another Contiki group, other tourists from the Scandinavian country and local 'bello' & 'bellas'. At this point almost everyone had one drink too many and loosely dancing to the techno-mix sound. By midnight, Angela was not feeling well anymore. So, I had to bring her home. We survived the taxi ride back to the hotel. After helping her with her shoes and socks, and tucking her under the blanket -- sweet dreams, I went down the bar at the lobby just to dispel any gossips. The bartender happened to be a Filipino, and he was just too happy to see a "kababayan". To my delight, he was preparing drinks for me on the house!