Pisa

Our trip to Pisa was short and sweet. The town of Pisa is about an hour drive from Florence so we stopped there for lunch and a photo op on the way home. The tower is located in a town kind of in the middle of nowhere close to the coast. There are a few things to do and see there- a small museum, the cathedral and baptistry dating from the 1100s- but being tired and ashamedly uninterested we did the lazy tourist thing and skipped all of it.

Parking is about a 15 minute walk away from the church complex which is inside the old walled city limits of Pisa. Being a walled city there are only a few ways in and out and (naturally) we walked the wrong way around through the car entrance. Here there were few vendors and a few eateries. 

Here's a pic of the cathedral, baptistry with the tower being all like, "Hey guys, I'm over here!"

The reason for the pit stop was not our personal interest but at the request of my niece for her Flat Stanley project. My expectations were low because honestly, I thought the whole idea was boring and lame. Whoopdie do, a leaning tower! But if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll let you in on a little secret: it's actually kind of cool. Once you get up close to it the 11 feet of lean to the building looks like a whole lot more and more than once I looked up wondering if it was going to fall over on me.

Contruction began on this freestanding bell tower in 1173 and within a few years it began leaning. The architects did not realize the ground here, close to the coast, was soft unlike further inland where the ground was hard and rocky.

I will say the weather was beautiful, even if HB was tired and cranky and having none of the pictures we were trying to take except this one:

He enjoyed people watching from a cafe across the street but once he was done eating he started freaking out for his nap. Yes, I am blessed with a child who freaks out if he can't nap on time. While we never have to fight him to go to bed, this also means we can't ever skip a nap for convenience's sake.

On our way out of the city we left from the main tourist entrance. Walking this way was like stepping through a minefield. There were tons of carts full off nick-knacks, which was fine, but the solo peddlers were the worst. They stood in groups, mostly comprised of large African men taller than Zack who is 6'4" but some sorter men and a few women and kids as well. They stood a few feet apart from each other so we literally had to zig zag between them. They didn't move except when would step into our path more than once I felt like we were being assessed and targeted. We moved quickly and made it out unmolested, spending less than two hours at this iconic locale.

Firenze Part 2

In contrast to the panic attack-inducing experience of shopping in Milan, shopping in Florence was like getting a professional massage. There are stores everywhere filled with leather goods, shoes, and clothing. Fashion ignoramus me was unaware that Florence is the birthplace of Gucci. If interested there is even a Gucci museum!

If planning to shop in Florence, there are some important things to know. First, "Made in Florence" or "Made in Italy" means something different than the "made in" moniker does in 'Murica. To earn that title, only 10% of production must take place in the given area. Buyer beware, many cheap and knock-off items here will still say "Made in Florence" and they are garbage. Be especially careful about the handbags. Now, I'm not a someone who cares about designer crap but I do like something that's well made and will last through a few years of abuse. I almost got tricked into buying a purse that, upon further inspection, had a rip in the seam and was dyed after assembly. That might not be a problem if the shop wasn't charging almost 200 Euro for it!

While wandering up a small alley in the shopping district we happened upon a shop called Infinity Firenze. Zack, who dabbles in leather work as one of his many hobbies, ended up in the back talking at length with the owner of the shop. He told us all about his process and how he chooses pieces of leather. Well, he told Zack. Most of the time I was chasing HB around the shop trying to make sure he didn't crack his head on the stairs. A few times a year there is a big sale of leather where artisans go to buy. The hides come professionally tanned or dyed in that season's styles and he only chooses the best. When they design and hand make the bags, only one is made in each color they choose. Same with belts and wallets. Despite the beautiful handbags, I couldn't justify paying that much for something I wasn't totally in love with but I WILL have one of their bags someday!

If you are prepared to drop some serious coin on an Italian/ Florentine handbag, try to remember the following:

1. Inspect all the seam work around the entire bag, make sure it is even and there are no threads poking out.
2. Pull apart at the seams. If you see any white then the bag was dyed after assembly which is a sign of poor quality.
3. Ask the sales person about their shop. How long has it been there? Where is the salesperson from? Where are the bags made? If you are in a shop that doesn't have a big designer name, like Gucci or Louis Vuitton you can still get a great, authentic bag but the crap dealers will not be from Florence. They will say their bags are made "in Florence" where a good dealer will say, "in the back of the shop" or give you a real location "on such and such a street."
4. Shop around before you make a purchase. You will find there are many of the exact same bags in every store. If you've seen it somewhere else it's probably crap.
5. Price is not necessarily indicative of quality. You will pay a lot for a quality bag however they charge a lot of junk too. As I said before, I almost got duped into spending close to $400 on a bag that upon further inspection was junk! The crap dealers all speak English well enough to tell you a tale, so beware.

All that said, I didn't end up buying a bag. I did, however get me some shoes!! Buying shoes is easy :) If you want real Italian shoes, ask the same kinds of questions, look for quality details and leather. Your handmade leather shoes will have a smooth sole and should fit snugly but not cramp your foot. Happy shopping!!

   

I can't stress enough how easy it is to navigate around Florence. We spent most of the day just walking around. 

Markedly less crowded is the square outside of the Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross), the largest Franciscan church in the world. It was built in 1294 but the marble facade you see was erected in the 18^th century by Jewish architect Nicolò Matas.

He is credited as the reason for these:

The Star of David, also known as the hexagram, was sometimes used as a messianic symbol in Medieval churches in Italy. It is said to be the symbol on the magical shield called the Magen David, which protected King David. Kind David is purported to be Jesus’ ancestor by the authors of the New Testament. The Jewish community did not officially adopt the Star of David as an official symbol until about 200 years ago. The timeline for Jewish use and the erection of the facade does overlap. What did Matas intend? We can only speculate.

In contrast, here is the Great Synagogue of Florence with no star of David but a beautiful structure, nonetheless. It was constructed in 1874 and was used as a garage by the Nazis during WWII. The Nazis attempted to blow it up during the retreat from the city but members of the Italian resistance disarmed most of the bombs before they were detonated. 

This structure is also a modern religious oxymoron as it's design is Moorish and closely resembles a Mosque. Florence is all about bending the rules! Right next to the synogogue is a little Kosher restaurant. We ate there and it really wasn't great. I did enjoy the fried artichoke and hummus tho. 

That afternoon we went to the The National Archaeological Museum of Florence. We saw a lot of Etruscan artifacts, which was expected. The Etruscans were an ancient polytheistic civilization that inhabited the Tuscan area of Italy from about 700 BCE. At their height they were a powerful society that lived in harmony with the Romans before their assimilation in the 4 BCE. Etruscans, unlike the neighboring Romans and Greeks, were an egalitarian society in which women held equal status with men as did their lineage.

A huge surprise was the Egyptian Exhibit. While the museum itself is rather small, I thought the little exhibit was quite comprehensive. The museum is off the beaten path and although had school children inside, few few tourists accompanied us. A hidden gem! Do stop by and see it if you have time.

Not a "hidden" gem but a big, gaudy and gleaming diamond is Michelangelo's David. Located just around the corner from our apartment and also quite close to the archaeological museum, it is inside the Gallerie dell'Accademia.  While I had very high hopes for the Birth of Venus, I wasn't expecting much from the David. He's a big naked dude whose junk is disproportionately small to his body and the hands are just the opposite, what could be so exciting about one statue? 

I don't know what it is about the dude, but in person, He is absolutely breathtaking. Maybe it's because he was carved from a single slab of marble. 

Maybe it's because two other sculptors gave up on the job before Michelangelo got a hold of it. 

Maybe it's because after looking at other statues, the quality of this one was unparalleled. 

Maybe it's because he's a fine specimen of man meat.

Maybe it's how you can see the realistic detail of veins in his arms and legs.

Maybe it's because as you move around him, his expression seems to change. 

Maybe it's the long, sloping back that cascades into perfectly rounded butt cheeks.

Maybe it's the fact that he his expression(s) evoke empathy and understanding. 

Or maybe it's because he's got abs that make one inclined to eat breakfast off of them...

Any way you slice it, the David is a must see.