Setting out from the central Duomo of Florence, you head to the Ponte Vecchio, zig-zagging through the hordes of relaxed tourists and locals. The bridge seems to hum with gold, the glorious glow emanating from the gold stores that line the historical bridge.

You stop half way, to look out over the river view offered by a break in the stores. On one side, you see an almost haphazard and wondrous stack of muted citrus-coloured apartment boxes, followed by a line of incredibly impressive buildings. Steeples and towers peep out from behind museums and libraries, straining for a glimpse of the river that passes below you.

Crossing to the other side of the bridge, walking against the current of passers by, you see the opening of the Piazza Degli Uffizi. Turning your head towards the other flank of the river, you see a hill rising into the sky, lipping over the edge of the city.

You have spied Piazzale Michelangelo, perched high up and beckoning you with its promise of spectacular views over the city.

Crossing the second half of the Ponte Vecchio, turning to your left, you follow the river along. Within minutes, you are walking where there are less people, it is quieter and relaxed, and yet you can still see the people on the bridge standing where you were mere minutes ago, trying desperately to photograph and capture the nymphs of sunshine that play on the River Arno.

To your left, you see the towering Porta San Niccolò, set in front of a winding path that leads to the top of the hill. Bisected into walkable tiers zig-zagging up before you, you start your ascent, winding up streets tiled with small stones. Here, tucked underneath the cliff-face created by the next level up, is a small pond filled with large Karp swimming centrifugally.

You continue onwards and upwards. Here a road. Next a dirt path, canopied by trees that bend to shade you from the warming sun as you continue on your climb. Here you are, the final descent.

Slightly out of breath, you take the final few meters a little slowly. You find yourself facing into a large piazza. The expansive space is filled with vendors selling paintings, postcards, drinks, snacks, trinkets, t-shirts, and hats to the tourists and locals that congregate here.

But the first thing that catches your eye is David. There he is, in all his naked splendor! This is Florence’s 3^rd David, inspired by Michelangelo’s original, here perched so as to stoically guard over the piazza and beyond.

And oh, they beyond. You turn your back to the large naked marble man in the centre of the piazza, to see…. the most spectacular, wondrous sight even more breath-taking than the 10 minute climb to get here!

Here is Florence, laid out before you to explore from above. You run your eyes over the tops of buildings, over the river that licks the base of the panorama. You absorb the colours of the buildings, the contrast of the pastel blue sky that backdrops the ups and downs, the pointed towers, the boxed city portals, and the curved domes of Florence’s historical city centre.

The centrepiece of it all is the Duomo – the city’s majestic cathedral. It is only from here that one gains an understanding of the size of the Duomo in comparison to every other building and tower in the centre.

From here, in Piazzale Michelangelo, one can imagine that the skyline has barely changed since it was first designed by Giuseppe Poggi in 1865-1870, during the brief period in which Florence was Italy’s capital.

Dragging your eyes away, reluctantly, from the city and its magnificent rolling hillside in the beyond, you turn again to face into the piazza and walk away from the captivating view. You walk the winding road that leads to the right, and follow along a little way until you see a church.  

The Chiesa di San Miniato al Monte is an 11^th century church with a wondrous geometric facade that contrasts magnificently with the soft curves of the wispy clouds floating in the blue of the sky. Entering in, you feel the coolness layer over your skin as you explore the church and its frescoes, the crypt, the inlaid marble works, the choir pulpit…

After some time wandering, the draw of the fading sun draws you back to the Piazzale. But first you spy some park benches, where you can sit a while, in the shade of the trees, secluded from the world, spying the view of Florence between the trees. You watch as the day’s light dims to night.

You head back towards the Piazzale, stopping at a bar for a cool drink. By the time you finally get to the square again, the tourists have dissipated into the city below and there is a changing crowd. The vendors start to leave, the few that remain chat amongst themselves whilst listening to a radio that plays classic rock.

Sitting on a bench that provides views out of the city, your eyes oscillate from the view ahead of you and the people-watching afforded from within the piazza.

Young couples on first dates stand at respectable distances from the next couple along. Groups of locals chat in circles that buzz with merry chitter-chatter. A few children chase each other, squealing, in circles around the piazza.

Meanwhile, the city before you has become a sea of lights, some twinkling like stars fallen to ground, some beaming upwards into the dark sky that has guarded over this city throughout the ages.

Tags: florence, italy, school, tuscany cooking class, wine class

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pm and is filed under Travel Tuscany. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.