Wandering amongst Pisa’s famed sights, I found myself eased culturally
back into Italy and following the big, rounded taste of the evenings Rosso
Di Montepulciano I felt readied (or should be that steadied?) for the
imminent return. The year that had passed seemed all too long to be away
from such a good friend as Firenze…
No alarm call was needed to wake me from the darkened Sunday slumber
of Pensione Rinascente – the bright, cool morning had already been
disturbed by medieval equivalents! Whilst masses filed through splendid
church facades, my own calling came from Pisa Centrale and as I found
myself being drawn across the Arno a thought occurred – would the famed
Italian trains be on time? My answer was forthcoming as the 9.18 was only
a couple of minutes late and was already busy transporting people going
about their Sunday lives. Moving away from the platform a certain sensation
I had felt when travelling on warm, early morning trains across India
flitted through my consciousness once again – a good omen for the
journey I smiled!
Stops such as Pontedera disappeared behind the train as a hazy sun opened
up a landscape of smallholdings, allotments and vine trails. Surrounded
by the languid Italian chatter of our fellow passengers, I felt suitably
drawn away from everything of the previous working week – a fleeting
travel moment to be cherished. Further along the journey, the archetypal
Italian station of Empoli and the ever changing faces of fellow passengers
also reminded me of previous travels – this time of Inter-rail journeys.
Playing that old game of guessing people’s destinations, I wondered
whether the young Scandinavians were heading south or and whether the
Africans were heading business like to northern destinations. Our route
to Firenze narrowed through a rising valley as it progressed and as in
many photos and films, I glimpsed some of the traditional Tuscan imagery
– hill top villages connected by winding roads that twisted through lush
green countryside and trees stretching skywards. Almost as the quickly
as the track had risen did we descend down through the last few suburban
stops and onto the final destination…Firenze!
I hadn’t thought what I’d wanted to see of my old friend
again, but first thoughts were drawn along a slow loop through the heart
of the city, across the Arno and up to the panorama of Piazzale Michelangelo.
Familiar sites greeted me as Kate and I sped across the expanse of the
rather unvisited Piazza Dell’ Unita Italia– the still petitioning
HIV charity, the market where I purchased a most expensive wallet and
then onto a renewing glimpse of the Duomo’s bell tower and Battistero.
What struck me this time about the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria
del Fiore (to give the Duomo its consecrated name) was not the beautiful
façade but how the turret like bastions sat atop, allowing all comers
to be seen. Being a Sunday we couldn’t undertake the winding climb
to dome’s top (thankfully appreciated by my apprehension of heights)
and the slower start to the day allowed us more space and time to enjoy
the walk across Piazza del Duomo and onwards.
For those that cherish Firenze, Via De’ Calzaiuoli’s opening
up on to
Piazza della Signora grandly displays much of what should be seen –
the splendid Palazzo Vecchio with its dominating tower, the near perfectly
copied statues of David or the beheading of Medusa by Perseus and the
Uffizi’s columned walk ways sheltering its snaking queues! Though
much of this grandeur owes its origins to the power of the Medici and
their egos, its subsequent evolution into a marvel of civic planning underscores
what the renaissance is depicted as representing. Even the mounted police
seemed proud to be part of this elegant cityscape. We had little desire
to enjoy the Uffizi’s always crowded galleries and somewhat cramped
displays and instead Kate diverted us off to the quiet of Santa Croce.
Previously I had strolled around this intriguing church with its incomplete
facade and had found that many of two hundred plus monuments commemorated
famous past lives – Michelangelo, Galileo and Dante I believe are
of the many. The adjoining convent turned museum and its cloisters echo
this silence and is a relatively unknown yet worthy destination for its
visitors.
As the climb upwards began, I noticed another of those travelling oddities
that catch my imagination – certain cities feature a building or
place that my wandering always seems to take me through or past! In London
it is the Embankment underground station, with Dublin it is O’Connell
Bridge and with Firenze it is the Biblioteca Nazionale! Whatever view
or late night revelry I have been party to, these buildings always seem
found themselves within view and I have no idea why! As we swiftly crossed
the modern Ponte Santa Niccolo we again had to pass this squared jawed
building before moving over to the quieter side of the Arno.
The steep route up through the steps and gardens of Guiseppe Poggi lifts
the walker onto a supreme vantage point! This perspective offers an unbeatable
right to left panorama – the view sweeps back across the trail I’ve
just described, over the Arno hunched Ponte Vecchio and through to the
old Forte Di Belvedere. From here I could imagine no better way to present
the city to visitors. Like many I sat awhile, allowing the warm breezes
to brush across my face and savour my return to this wonderful city. Somewhat
later our thirsts were indulgently quenched before moving on by visiting
one of the hilltop gelateria and selecting a double-portioned cone. Here
less cream and more ice is definitely better, with my favourite being
strawberry overlain with pistachio! Whether any sports dietician would
approve of such recharging remains to be seen but we were certainly ready
to move on…
If you’d like to contact Matthew about his time in Firenze or any
of his other travels, please e-mail him on: matthewdoughty@totalise.co.uk
