No Plans = No Disappointments

As we sat at dinner on our first night in Firenze, Chris and I were commenting on the fact that we had a clear slate ahead of us. "No plans, means no disappointments," said my very wise husband. We totally get it that not everyone  travels this way. We've passed by hundreds of tour groups with their whispersync head phones being led by their tour guide on their perfectly planned day and sat next to many a family at quaint trattorias and listened to them spew out the agenda for the remainder of the afternoon and week. But, Chris and I only had one agenda, experience Florence to the fullest.  

That being said, one of the very few pre-plan arrangements we made was the purchase of our "Firenze Cards." They are basically 3 day passes to get you into nearly any museum in Florence. It is also very much akin to the Disney Fast Pass, as the handy little red card also allows you to bypass any ticket lines.  This has turned out to be one of our best purchases - worth it's weight in gold. 

So on our first full day in Florence we set out to activate our Firenze card and let the consumption of amazing world renown art begin. We decided to do the biggy first - the Uffizi.  We spent all of 2 minutes in line to get in (thanks to our handy red card) and set out on a nearly 4 hour exploration of one of the worlds best art museums.  I was so thankful to Signora Mercedes Carrara (my Florentine Art History Teacher) for giving me insights into many of the pieces housed in this amazing gallery. I surprisingly remembered a great deal and was able to give Chris little tidbits of information along the way.  

After hours of admiring paintings and works, most of which were painted before the inception of our country, we felt a little numb at the awesomeness of it all. Seeing Master works from the likes of Michelangelo, Botticelli, Raffaello, Donatello,  Fillipo Lippi, and not to mention other non-Florentine artists such as Rembrandt, Rubens and Goya was humbling to say the least. It was hard not to feel as thought we rushed through it and yet, as Chris said, we did it at a pace that was respectful to the art and to our feet! 

 

As if we hadn't seen enough greatness we went on to Santa Croce, the church that boasts, among other treasures, the burial sites of some of the worlds most recognizable historic figures including, Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo and Rossini, just to name a few. It seems arrogant to even write all their names and almost incomprehensible to digest that all of this amazing talent was centered here in this city at various points in history. So what makes greatness? What classifies these people and their work as historic jewels? Partly, I believe, we have to attribute it not only to the sheer excellence of their work, but also the willingness of the culture around them (both at the time of their practicing and today) to not only recognize their talent, but to embrace it, lift it up and use it as a means to better themselves, their culture and the world around them.  We Americans could take a lesson in that. When was the last time we celebrated such accomplishments  of our kids or co-workers for handiwork of theirs that is not based in monetary reward or sports ability but in creativity and diligence of craft?  Hmmm - just a thought. 

As we let our minds wind down from the heaviness of the treasures we were blessed to gaze upon, I convinced Chris to do one more exploration before we called it a day and readied ourselves for dinner. So we set out on a brisk walk up to Piazza Michelangelo. It's a beautifully romantic piazza across the Arno that rests on a hill and gives the most amazing views of the city. More climbing? Yes, but after we got to the top Chris agreed it was worth the workout.  For what seemed like the 100th time already this trip, we held hands, took deep breaths, stole a sweet kiss and rendered ourselves speechless at the beauty before us and the good fortune we have to be amidst it all. 

Our first day of unplanned exploration in Florence was anything but disappointing.