Florence On Strike!

A couple of days before our departure from Florence, I set out in a rain storm to the far side of town, looking forward to seeing the Museo San Marco, an old monastery that had housed both the evil monk Savanarola and the Medicis (when they were in a contemplative mood). It is known for dramatic frescos by Fra Angelico, and the best examples of his work.

As I approached the piazza in front of the monastery, I had to dodge tour buses for the last couple of blocks. As I walked up to the museum, I noticed groups of people with various types of matching outfits walking along, with a few carrying flags and placards.

Hmmmm....


And then I got to the door of the museum.


Three languages, one message: closed for a strike. Occupational hazard for tourists in Italy. When I stopped a small group of marchers to ask about the museum, they told me that the demonstration about the strike was already over, but since it was almost 11 AM they were going to take the rest of the day off. (By the way, the scribbles you see on the sign were reactions from disappointed museum-goers, also in three languages.)

So no Museo San Marco. So, I took a bit of a detour, and walked through town on the way back to the apartment to finish up all my shopping.



By now the weather had resolved into sunny skies, so I loaded up the ipod for the Rick Steves walking tour, and retraced my steps through town, taking in many of the sights I had already seen, and a few I had walked right by, never dreaming of what I had missed. The Baptistry, tower and church of Santa Maria del Fiore, along with the famous Duomo; the Piazza Republique and its carousel; the Piazza del Vecchio.





One of the many statues in the Piazza del Vecchio.


And then something new -- Chiesa (church) di Orsanmichele, which was originally a grain warehouse, with a loft for storage. Because of its origins, the inside of the church is two bays next to each other, each with an altar, quite different from the cross-shaped interiors of most churches.
A della Robia medallion on the exterior.

You can compare the approach to scupture with this pre-Renaissance saint....

and a Renaissance grouping on another wall.


An interesting altar inside.



The cupid outside the Piazza Uffizi ....


And then back across the Ponte Vecchio, and a bit of packing.




Our final day in Florence it was again raining heavily. Tom and I braved the streets of Florence to return the rental car he had used to get to work. It was not a serene drive -- in addition to rush hour traffic, we also battled the GPS. The GPS was understandably unaware of the construction detours we found, but also seemed entirely unaware of the one way streets. As we ran out of patience, the unit showed us turning right while announcing we were to turn left. Fortunately Tom noticed the parking garage behind us, and we found our way.

Once the car was checked in, we walked to the Science Museum, which is undergoing renovation. It is the home of many models of Galileo's telescopes, as well as a few parts of the real thing. It also houses his real middle finger, raised in salute to the Inquisition.


Then it was back across the river, a quick lunch, a speedy taxi ride to the train station, and the long trek to California.