9
through16
April 2002
Tuesday 9 April 2002
The flight goes without a hitch. In Bologna we take the Aerobus to the train
station. It takes about 20 minutes. From there we take the train (Eurostar Italy
, very comfortable) which us to Florence
in little less than an hour l
. We
leave our bagage at the railway station and take a stroll into the city. We lunchen
at La Lampara. Nice restaurant not far from the station and the San
Lorenzo Church. After lunch we walk through the rain to the San Lorenzo Church
(entry: €2,50). We visit the church, which is probably the oldes of Florence.
It was once the parish church of the De Medici family who ruled Florence and
Tuscany for more than 300 years (1434-1737). The renaissance church was
designed by Bruneleschi, who also designed the famous Duomo. The front of the
church was never completed. The church is attached to the Biblioteca
Medicea-Laurenziana. This is a collection of manuscripts, collected by Cosimo de
Elder and Lorenzo the Great. The library was designed by
Michelangelo in 1524. Next to the church is the Capelle Medicee, the mausoleum
of the Medici family. It was the most expensive project commissioned by the
family and radiates wealth and prominence. After the visit we stroll around the
centre along the fashionable shopping streets like via Tornabuoni and the Piazza
della Repubblica. All great Italian designers are represented. Around five we
take a Taxi to Antonio, a friend of mine. We are well received by Antonio
and his wife Stefanie..
At
night we have dinner Antonio's, be it late even for Italian standards. Around
midnight, we finally get to bet, tired but satisfied. .
Wednesday 10 April 2002
Bruneleschi took over from his rival Cambio, because he new the solution to
building the large dome, which was unique at the time. We skip the visit to the
dome, because of the long line in front, already at this hour (10 am). The
belfry, Campanile, is from 1334 and a design of Giotto. We continue our
walk along the via de Calzazuoli, Via
dell' Oche and Via Elisabeta. Here we find a tower of Etruscan origin, converted
into a hotel. We arrive at the Piazza della Signoria, with the famous
David statue by Michelangelo and the Palazzo Vechio (town hall) from 1299. The Loggia
is just across the Palazzo Vecchio. Built in the late 14th century as a location
for ceremonies and grew out to open air sculpture museum as late as the 18th
century. Famous is the Perseus van Cellini, representing the
victory of the noble rule of the De Medici's over the republicans. Then we
move on along the Uffizi.
The U-shaped building Uffizi was originally built as offices for the
administration of Florence and commissioned by Cosimo I in 1560. In the course
of the centuries the De Medici's came house the growing art collection here in
these buildings. De sculptures and antiquities have been moved to other museums,
leaving only the paintings in the Uffizi. Here too is a long line of people
waiting to get in. I've visited before so we skip this one too. We then move on
to the Santa Croce church. This church from 1294, was designed by the same
architect who started the Duomo: Arnolfo di Cambio. The church holds many
graves of famous Italians (Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli, Gallileo).
We cross the River Arno by the Ponte Vechio..The old
famous bridge is the domain of jeweler shops. We have lunch in the Santo
Spirito quarter on the other side of the Arno (Oltrarno) at Angelino's.
Tradiotional and authentic restaurant. The decorations are a sight in their own
right.
.
It is getting warm by now and we move up the mountains towards the Forte Belvedere
for the view. Unfortunately the fortress is closed because of renovations. We
move on to the Santo Miniato church. The view from here over the city is
magnificent. After a visit to the church we start the descent. We stop for a
while at the Piazzale Michelangelo, to enjoy another fine view.
We agree by phone for Antonio to pick us up on the banks
of the River Arno. He takes us to Fiesole, an old Etrusiscan town in the hills
above Florence. There are also Roman excavations here and an amphitheatre that
is still in use today. We have drinks on a nice terrace. At night we have an
excellent dinner with Antonio and Stefanie's.
Thursday 11 April 2002
After
breakfast we take a taxi to Avis. They give us an Opel Astra. Unfortunately
it is raining today and the temperature has dropped some 10 degrees (Celsius).
We drive through Florence towards the motorway, which is not quite that simple.
We're in Pienza around 12.30. We move into our hotel Il
Chiostro de Pienza. It is located in a former monastery and from our room we
have a fine view over the surrounding hills. We have lunch in a tiny restaurant (Latte di Luna). Pienza is
a fairly small town, or a village rather. It was "invented" by
Pope Pius II, who ordered the construction of a new town at the site of
his native village Corsignano. He decided to move his residence from Rome to
here and to construct the town entirely in renaissance style. He forced his
cardinals to follow him and have palaces built in the same style. With his death
the project came to a standstill and Pienza became a sedate town with a
remarkable architecture and some claim to fame because of its Picorino sheep
cheese. On the central square of Pienza, Piazza Pio II is the cathedral. Around
it the papal palace and the private palaces of some cardinals.
After lunch we take the car to Montepulciano. This is
fortified town about 12 km east of Pienza. We walk through the town, along the
Colonna de Marzocco, and the bell tower with a white Commedia
dell'arte figure on top. Rare sight for this region and probably imported from
Naples. We have a coffe in Café
Poliziana, a fine Art Nouveau café with a wonderful view on the Tuscan hills.
The roof of the townhall offers yet a finer view of the town and its
surroundings. Montepulciano is famous for its wine, the Vino Nobile de
Montepulciano. The town is full of wine cellars where you can taste and buy wine
of the various vinyards. We have a taste in the Palazzo Contucci (and
bought some riserva 1998). Back to the car.
We drive
back to
Pienza.
At night we have dinner near the hotel (Buca delle Fate). Good food and service and not too expensive. We get our first taste of Pinci, a Tuscan pasta variety from the Siena province.
Tonight
(our) Feyenoord of Rotterdam plays Inter Milano in the
semifinals of the UEFA-cup, but the unfortunately the matche is broadcast on a
pay-tv channel. This leaves us watching the other semifinal between Dordmund
and AC Milan. Dordmund looses 3-1, but had already won at home with 4-0 gewonnen.
After the match we see a short report of Feyenoord's match. It ends at 2-2 (2-0
at half time) which means that Feyenoord wins on agregate 3-2 and goes to the
finals for the first time in 28 years.
Friday 12 April 2002
The
weather was heavy last night with rain and heavy storms. This morning it is
overcast with some drizzle. We drive to S.
Quirico d'Orcia. A small town with a nice romanesque church,
the Collegiata. After that we set course for Montalcino.
This fortified town is
nicely
perched on a hill completely walled and can be seen from afar. We walk
trhough it. Montalcino too is famous for its
wine. It has many wine shops (enoteca) and tastings (degustazione) of
the famous Brunello de Montalcino, which quite an expensive wine. 1997 appears
to be a top year and prices start at €70. We have lunch atj Il Moro, a simple,
yet fine trattoria. We move on to Sant'Antimo. This is a beautifullly kept
abbey from the 12th century. The abbey was a prominent stop over on the pilgrim
route from France to Rome, the Via Francigena (Frenche road). After 1462
the abbey was abandoned because of scandals and political complications.
It has recently been taken into us again by a small group of French
Premonstratencian monks, an off shoot of the Cistercencian order. The celebrate
a number of Gregorian masses. At
14.45 we see and hear the None. Meanwhile the sun has come out and the
temperature rises up to 19.5 degrees! After mass we drive on to Bagno Vignoni. A
thermal spa already known in the middle ages, also on the old Via Francigena.
The original bath is in the middle of the village, but has become out of bounds
for bathers (signs in Italian and German). Next to the Marucci hotel
is a thermal swimming pool, accessible for non-resident visitors. After a drink
we drive back to Pienza.
At night we have dinner in the hotel restaurant. A delicious meal accompanied with a delightful Brunello.
