It may be my last visit to Florence, Italy. The city was so crowded that it took a lot of the joy out of walking through its historical streets. Fortunately, our tour of the Ufitzi Galleries and an enjoyable lunch made the effort worthwhile.
Just getting to Florence was an error-prone challenge. Our ship docked in Livorno, a working class port lacking the charm of most of Italy’s major cities. Our plan was simple – take a train to Florence. What could go wrong?
We used Google Maps to find the Livorno train station. A 10-minute walk, we discovered. Easy. We set out and arrived at our destination. But there were no trains, no tracks, no passengers, no station. We never did learn why Google called the massive concrete building in front of us the Train Station.
Another Google search and I found the real station, Estacion Centrale, over two miles away. Difficult. I tried Uber but it couldn’t find a driver. We looked for cabs. Nada. So we began walking, realizing we might miss our train and our tour.
Time for plan C. Thankfully the travel gods smiled. Where we stopped to reconnoiter was a bus stop. I looked up at the sign – Estacion Central. A few minutes later our ride appeared and we made it to the train station with 30 minutes to spare.
Now about Florence. It was busy, very busy, on what was a national holiday and a bright Indian summer day. We settled into a popular restaurant steps from the Ufitzi, and marvelled at the folks around us eating the gigantic Bistecca alla Florentina, 1.5 kilos of grilled t-bone. We opted for a favorite pasta and some wine to erase the day’s earlier trauma.
After lunch we found our very tall and knowldegeble guide for a personal tour of Uffizi’s Gallery vast collection that includes paintings by masters who shaped Western art history – Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci.
One of its most celebrated pieces is Michelangelo’s Doni Tondo, a striking circular painting that vividly captures the Holy Family with his characteristic mastery of anatomy and vibrant color. Visitors are also captivated by Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Primavera, each showcasing exquisite detail and mythological themes that celebrate beauty and nature.
Our other favorite was an unfinished painting by Leonardo da Vinci, The Adoration of the Magi. This intriguing work, left incomplete, reveals da Vinci’s initial sketches and underdrawings, providing a rare glimpse into his creative process. The painting, with its dynamic composition and expressive figures, expresses the energy and complexity of his vision, allowing viewers to see how his ideas take shape on the canvas.
We spent nearly four hours in the gallery, and despite the incredible art, doing the museum shuffle on top of race to the train station took its toll. We braved the crowds to walk back to the train station, and must have walked another half mile in it trying to find poorly signed restrooms and refreshments. The train was on time and zipped us back to Livorno, where we share a cab ride back to the ship.
What a day – inspiring and exhausting. I’m just not sure I could do it again.
