This cafe clearly had not opened but the chairs were super pretty.
Today, we ventured through Santo Spirito and Oltrano. These are neighborhoods on the opposite side of the Arno from Old Town Firenze. They contain art, fun shops, expensive shops, food galore and sites such as Piazzale Michelangelo, Pitti Palace/Boboli Gardens, Bardini Museum and Gardens, etc. The vibe is a little different, but still quintessential Italy.
Once you start walking up streets, you get a great sense of scale for Firenze. You also happen upon fun items such as Galileo's house. Just sitting here, on the street as its always been, and you might just walk past it without recognizing or paying it attention. I saw the frescos on the building and stopped to admire, then read the text - OMG Galileo!
We spent time at Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace. Both were stunning in their own right. The Gardens has a ways to go in it's blooming cycle, but there's a lot of contemplative spaces that are lovely. We were fortunate enough to be there shortly after open and there were almost no visitors. The gardens are extensive and quite hilly with fountains and statues at every turn.
And teeming with wildlife.
The Pitti Palace is, um, past explanation. The ceilings are phenomenal; everything from coffered to fresco'd. And like the Ufizzi, if there was space on the wall there was a painting to fill it.
We don't eat at the touristy places too much but I wanted to check out GustoPizza. Still relatively inexpensive (10euro for a pie and 4 for a beer) and it was tasty. The crust was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and the part holding the toppings was cooked through. JR also got some sketching in while we waited. Yes, I ate my whole pie.
Today's Street Art, doors and structures
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