#maestroonthemove - The Maestro in Florence - The Gist of Florence Tour

I was told by many not to miss out on going to Florence.   “Oh, Florence is beautiful”, “the museums are stunning”, “they have the best gelato ever”… etc etc.   Well, that’s nice.  What did I think?  

Many years ago, I started a tradition, which turned into a habit, that when I attended a musical, and if I liked it, I bought a hat.   Actually, if there was a hat for sale, I usually bought it..  I continued that tradition - or habit - when I visited a foreign country. I bought a hat in Malta and in Assisi.  However, I did not buy a hat in Florence.  Let’s see if I can explain why.

First of all, I checked out of my AirBnB in Rome, which really was a lovely experience.  Perfect location, nice and roomy, great amenities, etc.  That was my first AirBnB experience and I was grateful that it was a positive one. I took a taxi to the train station and hung out there for a few hours before I had to catch my train to Florence.  I booked a later train as my check in time at my AirBnB was at 3:00pm, and the host was adamant that I was not early.  The train ride was lovely, just 2 stops before Florence.  

When I got to Florence, I got out of the train station and on to the streets of Florence.  The AirBnB host told me that her place was 10 minutes away on foot from the train station.  So, I put the address into Maps and started off.  I can tell you know, I’m pretty tired of using Maps.  I’m always walking the wrong way, or the street signs aren’t clear, etc.  Of course, I started walking in the wrong direction.  I finally turned myself around and headed in the right direction.  Of course, wrong turns were taken, the time to my destination kept going up, etc.  When I finally got to the street, I went to what I thought was the correct address number.   Did you know that on several streets in Florence, there are two sets of numbers?  One in red and one in black.  I didn’t know what the distinction was until before I left Florence - Red is for Business and Black is for residence.  Well, I didn’t know that.  I walked up and down the street trying to figure out where this address was.  I was actually inside the wrong building at one point.  The host kept sending me the same message over and over regarding the address of the building - and that in itself was frustrating. When I finally found the address, the host was like “I don’t understand how it was so difficult for you’ and I was like “Well, I don’t live here!”  And she was like “You look very tired” and I was like, “No, I’m frustrated” and she was like “I don’t know why, it’s so simple to get here!”  And in my mind, I’m like “lady, you are on your way to getting a not-so-good-review from me for communication”  

So, about the AirBnB.  Let’s start with the keys - there were 5 keys needed to finally enter the apartment - or hovel - or whatever you want to call it.  Yes, I guess it was an apartment.  Perfect example of an apartment in a town like Florence.  Yes, it was sorta comfortable, yes it had running water, yes it sorta smelled, but not in a terribly bad way.  Anyway - yes - 5 keys.  She basically showed me things that had to be done, pointed to the flimsy binder on the table and took off - leaving me with a key chain with a re poof on it and 5 keys.  I was like… well… OK here we go.

I turned the AC on and got settled in.  It was just a place to crash, so really, it wasn’t bad.  The door to the apartment opened out of the kitchen and into an ante room.  In the ante room was another door - to another apartment.  For example, as I was trying to leave one day, I couldn’t get the door out of the ante room to the hallway open - I tried all 5 keys etc and I was starting to feel like I was never going to be able to leave this apartment.  All of a sudden, the other door opens and a lady comes out and says “Problema?”and I explained I didn’t know which key - she took the keys out of my hand and showed me.  I thanked her in Italian and she went back into her place waving her arms like any good old Italian lady would do.   

When I returned that evening, with a melting cup of gelato in my hand, I had to maneuver back to the apartment in the dark, as none of the hallways were lit.  It was really dark.  I had my backpack and a cup of gelato - which was melting everywhere - in my hands and trying to open these 5 doors for the first time, most of which was in the dark.  It was really scary, and I’m not easily freaked!   Before I move on from this experience, I noticed this sign on the door

Comune (in Italian) - noun. commune [noun] a group of people living together and sharing everything they own. municipality [noun] a town, city, or other district that has its own government.

So, it looks like the AirBnB was part of a commune.  Many people gave it 5 stars.  To each his own, I would suspect

So, enough about the AirBnB - I’m still trying to figure out what sort of rating I should give this place.  

Florence.  A lovely little town in Italy.  For me, it seemed like an extension of Rome, but smaller and just as crowded - oh, and lots of leather.  I was in the middle the tourist area, which I guess is fine for your first time in a new city, but in this case, you’ve seen one tourist part of a new city, you’ve seen them all - and Florence was no exception.  By the time I left the apartment, it was time for dinner.  The one thing I learned from Rick Steves video on Florence was that they are know for their beef.  So, I thought that would be a good place to start.  I picked a place randomly in one of the piazzas for dinner and had a T-bone steak.  

Although I thought I order it medium rare - it was too done for my taste.  Still it was good.   After dinner I wondered around some more and then headed back to the apartment.  

After the issue with not being able to get into the Forum without a ticket in advance, before I left Rome I tried to get a ticket for the Academia Galleria if I was going to see David.  Of course, there were no tickets available, so I went to Expedia and booked a 2 hour walking tour of Florence that ended up with a “skip-the-line” ticket for the Academia Galleria.  That was a pretty good score.  

Anyhow, I slept a little longer on the first morning and then ventured out into the city.  I walked through some of the markets, down some of the less crowed streets of Florence as well as scoped out where I would have to meet my tour at 2:15pm.   

One of the bridges in Florence - the Ponte Vecchio

I passed by this sandwich shop where the line was all the way down the street.  Evidently, it’s the most famous sandwich shop in Florence.  

The tour began at 2:30pm.  We walked from the river to the Academia Galleria and saw some of the sights and listen to our very knowledgeable tour guide, Stefano.  

Bridge to connect the uffici (offices) to the Palazzo Vecchio

Palazzo Vecchio 

Baptistry at the Duomo

Bell Tower at the Duomo

Palazzo Medici Riccardi

And we finally got to the Galleria Della Accadmia.  Which is/was part of a school.  For some reason, I expected someplace that had one of the most famous statues in the world to be a little more grand to look at from the outside.  

St. Matthew

The Pieta

That was the end of the tour.  We were able to wander around the gallery as much as we liked.  So, I wandered around for a bit and then took off.  The gallery was very close to my apartment, I didn’t even realize that as I was looking for something more exciting to tell me that “there was an important piece of art there”.  

On my constant search to find a tobacco shop that wasn’t a shop for cigarettes and vaping supplies, I finally found one - on the street where my apartment was.  SCORE - finally.   The guy behind the counter was an older guy, spoke pretty decent English, and he was fun to talk to.  I ended up picking up a few cigars and some pipe tobacco for John and a new pipe.  I wanted to get a new pipe that was made in Italy.  So, I was shown a few and I chose this one

It’s a Savinelli and I think it’s made out of balsa wood, that is native to Italy.  I also asked what the rules about smoking were in Florence and I was told I could smoke anywhere that is not inside.  So, that was cool.  I actually didn’t get my nerve up to do that until the next day.  

I wandered around a little more and decided that tonight would be pizza night.  So, I stopped at a restaurant on the piazza and had a pizza.  Nothing exciting, just a pizza.  Afterward, I walked around some more, trying to avoid the peddlers trying to talk to you and sell you stuff.  I really did try to avoid the squares for this reason.  They were all over the place.  It seemed mostly they were from Africa.  One asked me if I needed a Rolex - I basically said back “Why would I want a Rolex?”  And walked away.  

I went back to the apartment and did some writing and then I went to bed.

The goal of the next day (Sunday) was to attend Mass at the Duomo.  So.I had made sure I looked up the Mass times and set my alarm accordingly.  Thinking there was a 9:30am Mass, I started out a little early to make sure I got there on time.  Well, there wasn’t a 9:30am Mass, but a 9:00am Mass.  I looked up the Mass times again and found that - as usual - I was looking at the wrong schedule. - I seem to do that a lot. However, there was a Mass at 10:30am that was done in Gregorian Chant - with organ - so I stayed for that.  I loved the organ in the Duomo as the different ranks of pipes were in different parts of the church.  Almost like in surround sound.  While I appreciate good organ music, the compositions of the 20th century (or newer) never really do it for me.  This organist seemed all about that, using big pedal sounds and very reedy-sounding registrations.  The neat thing is that there is a 10 second reverberation. 

I didn’t take any pictures during Mass because I didn’t think it was appropriate.  My plan was to go back later in the day and go in and explore a little more and take pictures.   After Mass, I got some lunch and then headed back.  Well, once again, Mattei didn’t read the fine print… the cathedral was closed on Sunday for walkthroughs, etc… Failed again.   

At that point, I was done with Florence, so I went back to the apartment, did some writing, booked my train to London and tickets to a show, I read a little and then I decided to go out for dinner and finally smoke that damn cigar while sitting in a cafe!

I thought for my last night in Florence, I would go for beef again and I found a lovely little restaurant called Casa Del Vin Santo and ordered a ribeye. It really was one of the best ribeyes I’ve ever had

I ordered it rare, and it came out perfectly.  I tagged the restaurant in my Facebook post saying it was the best ribeye I’d ever had - and suddenly a shot of limoncello (on the house) ended up on my table saying “Thank you for being here”.  So, that was nice.  I found a nice cafe, ordered and Aperol spritz and I smoked my cigar.  Sorta made me feel like a European, smoking outside in a cafe. 

I headed back to the apartment, finished some things and went to bed - but didn’t sleep well - don’t know why.  The next day I’d be on a plane to the Netherlands for a week or so of chilling out with family and friends.  

So, Florence.  Maybe I was jaded after having such an amazing time in Assisi and wanted Florence to be the same amazing time.  Maybe I was just tired of basically being a tourist for almost two weeks?   The tourist parts of Florence are so much like Rome that I was really done with Florence before I even got there. I’m glad I’ve been and I can check it off the list!

Maestro

#maestroonthemove - The Maestro in Rome - a 3 Part Mini-Opera

When I finally got to Rome - that’s another story for another time - I stepped into a wonderful apartment that was to be my home for 4 nights.  It was my first AirBnB experience.  It was a lovely apartment, 3 blocks away from St Peter’s etc.  The host was great and I felt right at home right away.  In fact, I took his recommendation and tried a restaurant in the area for dinner, which turned out to be good as well.  

I was last in Rome in August, 2014 - and it was a fantastic experience.  When I left, I planned right away to return. Well, as I learned over the last few days, August really is the “off season” where June definitely is not.  Especially the summer after 2 years of almost no “real” travel.  I found that out very quickly.

Part 1 - Three Coins in the Fountain - FINALLY

When I visited Rome in 2014, I was glued to my Rick Steves book.  In his book, there was a walking tour that lead from the Spanish Steps to the Piazza Navona.  I wanted to do this tour again because there were a few things that I wanted another crack at.  

But before this, I started my day off with a coffee and a croissant (chocolate) and walked to St Peter’s and took a few pics.  

Had to have a picture of a working fountain for Angela.  Anyway, I had planned to spend the bulk of my day tomorrow at the Vatican, so I moved on.  I wanted to do some recon…. But first, some pics of the Castel Sant’Angelo.  An round building that is a few blocks away from the Vatican that figures into the “Angles and Demons” story - which I am totally obsessed with.  Truth or not, I’m obsessed.

  

Now for recon…. When I was in Rome in 2014, I stayed very near the Vatican Museum.  Now the Vatican Museum is basically on the other side of Vatican City from St Peter’s Square.  If you didn’t know, there is a wall that surrounds Vatican City from the rest of Rome.  It’s kinda cool and sometimes very mysterious. Anyhow, when I was there last time, the first thing I did was the Vatican Museum.  When I was done, I wanted to go to St Peter’s.  Well, there isn’t an easy way to get from one place to another - well, that’s what I thought. In 2014 - my GPS had me walking over hill and vale to get to  St Peter’s. If I had just walked the other way - it was around the block.  Literally - 10 minutes - not the 30+ it took me the last time.  So, my recon was to figure out was it possible to get to the Vatican Museum from St Peter’s going the other way - and indeed there was and I walked it several times this trip.

In 2014, my main method of transportation was the Metro - and since I wanted to get to the Spanish Steps, this was the easiest way to get there because I know how to get there. The nearest Metro station was in my “old neighborhood” - I noticed that gelato store right away!  I mean, you never forget your first time.  

There was a church in the square near said gelato stand that I neglected to photograph because it was always locked, but it was opened this time, so I took some pictures.

Wooden pipes!

I got to the familiar Metro station - donned my mask - as masks are still required on public transit.  Most people complied - and I got off at the Spanish Steps.  Here is where I needed to make up for some lost time.  I didn’t climb the steps last time -  this time, I made the climb

The bottom of the steps

And the top of the steps

There’s a church at the top of the steps as well

So, the next thing on the tour was the Trevi Fountain.  Well, if was obvious my sense of direction was not going to be in my favor, and since I neglected to bring my Rick Steve’s book along, I had to rely on my GPS - hoping that this day wasn’t going to eat up my data.   The last time I was here, the Trevi Fountain was being worked on, so it was under a tarp etc… so I had to see it in working order.  It’s a sight to behold

The Trevi Fountain is kinda cool, but I really feel sorry for it -as much as one can feel sorry for a fountain.  The fountain is surrounded by these big buildings that have sprung up over the years.  This glorious thing is now dwarfed by Rome.  Not to mention how impossible it is to move around in that area during tourist season - which I was slowly finding out that I was smack dab in the middle of.  Yeah, I wasn’t amused.

If I remembered correctly, the next major “attraction” on the tour was the Pantheon - Rome’s oldest church.   It’s a beautiful Ancient Roman structure that was complete between 126-128 AD.  It has been in continuous use since then.

Organ, probably a good electric since there were no pipe to be seen

There was this grand piano outside of the Pantheon - I think there was to be a concert there at some point.

There were a LOT of people in the Pantheon, as well as a long line to get in.  It was very difficult to concentrate on any of the descriptions of the art, etc.  I was in and out faster than I would have liked, but there really is only so much you can take. 

It was on to the Piazza Navona.  Once again, another “Angels and Demons” location that excited me.   Here it is - The Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi

Wiki says: Erected in the centre of Piazza Navona, the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) was designed by Bernini in 1651. The four statues represent the most important rivers of the continents where Christianity had spread; the Nile, Danube, the Ganges and Rio de la Plata. 

The church in the piazza is Sant'Agnese in Agone (St Agnes) I was able to go inside and take a few pictures. 

I had completed the “Rick Steves” tour, and was really hungry.  I had to pick up my ticket for the Papal audience the next day, and the place was near the Trevi Fountain, so I attempted to head back to that area.  I finally found a cafe that wasn’t crowded and ordered lunch - a cheeseburger and fries - as I wasn’t feeling very adventurous.  The crowds were starting to annoy me,  I took my time.  When I was done, I still had something like an hour and half before I had to be somewhere, so I walked around.  First, I walked to where the office was to pick up my ticket, just so I knew where I was going.   Then I walked around, and around, I turn my foot on the curb, which I’ve done several times since, and finally, I stopped for gelato.  I know what’s trying to wait for Florence for gelato, but somehow, I had to pass the time and I was tired of walking.  It was finally time to pick up my ticket.  I like how they make a big deal about having an ID. - whether it be a passport or drivers license - and a copy of the email from the office in order to pick up your ticket.  I had all of those and all they did was look up my name.  There was a quick orientation on what to expect tomorrow.  The orientation was given by an American priest.  He has a lot of enthusiasm, but I will say that many thing he said were not accurate!   Anyway, it didn’t matter, we had our tickets and were ready.

So happy that I was done in that area of Rome, I somehow got back to the Spanish Steps and on to the Metro.  I got off at a different station and the walk to my apartment was a good 20 minutes, which took me the same as if I was rounding the corner from the Vatican museum to St. Peter’s!   Anyway, I was glad to be back.  

Part 2 - Wednesdays with the Pope

One of things I wanted to do when I was in Rome was attend a Papal audience. So I asked my Pastor, Fr. Michael what I had to do to get a ticket.  He told me who to write to at the archdiocese and I did and I ended up sending an email inquiring about getting a ticket.  A few weeks later, I got an email saying that I had a reservation - not a guarantee - as one does not know whether or not the Pope will be available on the date you requested.  Turns out, that a few days before, I got an email saying that there would be an audience for the day that I requested and the email gave the instructions on how to get my ticket and so on.  So I got up early, and per instructions, it was suggest we get in line at 7:00am (the event was at 9:00am) I walked to St Peter’s and there was a line forming on the OTHER side of St Peter’s Square - not the side the little priest told us it would be.  After I confirmed that it was indeed the line, I stood there.  Not sure how long etc….  Here’s a picture of the line - evidently there were 2 lines - one on the right of the square and one on the let

These nuns were cute so I took a picture 

The audience took place in St Peter’s Square.  There were many chairs set up, and not all of them were filled, there were even some non-ticket holders standing behind where the chairs were.  Anyway, the line finally moved and we had to go through metal detectors before entering the square.  Funny, they didn’t even take the tickets.  Anyway, I found a decent seat and read a book on my phone until it started.   Now, the little priest said that there would not be a procession in the Pope mobile, that they would just lead him out and he’d sit down.  Well, wrong again, little priest.  The Pope took a good 25 minutes in the Pope mobile and went through the crowd - stopping to kiss a few babies.  Here’s a video that I was able to get.  People were crowding, standing on chairs, etc - I just did my best. 

During all this, we were all welcomed in our own language.  There were about 7 or more interpreters on hand to guide us through this event.  They were calling out groups from the USA - and Our Lady of Angels was not mentioned!  How dare they….   Anyway, the Pope mobile ascended the steps outside St Peter’s, yes - drove up the steps

There was a reading, which was read in all the languages represented. John 21 “Peter do you love me, feed my sheep” etc.. One of my favorites.  Then the Pope gave a little homily about the reading - in Italian of course.  Afterward, each of the interpreters gave a little summary of what the Pope said, basically saying we need to take care of our children and our elderly - like Jesus asked Peter to do.  The interpretations took a while.  Then there was a blessing, which we were told to bring anything we wanted to be blessed by the Pope and during that blessing, those things would have the Papal blessing (even if they never left our backpacks). Then we sang the Our Father in Italian, which of course, I don’t know, with a melody that I didn’t know, so I mumble along in English.  Then it was over.   I was glad I did that.  I had seen Pope John Paul II in Denver in 1993 during World Youth Day - with thousands of people.  This seemed very intimate compared to that.  

I then headed around the block, the easy way, to the Vatican Museum.  I didn’t think ahead to get my ticket online, so I had to stand in a long line to get in.  I read my book and eventually I made it in and I was allowed to buy a ticket - with about a million other people.  Anyhow, I soldiered on and entered the museum.  Now, I made a huge mistake before I got in line and waited all this time to get in to the museum - I didn’t eat.  In fact, I hadn’t eaten all day - and that wasn’t a good idea.  No food and no caffeine, a museum with wall to wall people, I was not in the mood to look at pictures of the same biblical scenes as painted by 100 different people that I really didn’t know or care about.   Which, I’m sorry, is all the Vatican Museum is.  Let’s face it, the museum is only at catalyst to get you to the Sistine Chapel- don’t believe it if anyone tells you that there’s a short cut!   Before I began that journey, I got some lunch in the Food Court and just sat there for a while before I continued.   At this point, the muscles in my right foot were not happy from the little “turn” they took yesterday, so I was sorta limping around the museum.  Anyhow, I got on my feet and followed the signs to “Capella Sistina” - which took us up and around, ignoring most of the relics and artifacts on the way.  Many people and tours stopped in the middle of the aisle to do their thing and take pictures, so it was like a video game to try and navigate.  Not to mention, it was WARM, like sweaty warm.  We won’t even talk about what a covid risk that was!!!   Anyway, we finally got to the chapel and it was PACKED with people, there were priests trying to hear confessions, it was just a madhouse.  A madhouse in a very sacred place.  Guards telling everyone to be quiet and not take pictures…. Yeah right.  I took some because at that point I really didn’t care.  I really don’t know why I thought it would be quiet enough to think and maybe pray, because maybe it wasn’t this crazy last time.  

I took a pictures of these as well

And the obligatory picture of the exit stairs - everyone takes this picture

I was a little disappointed that the Vatican Museum didn’t quite have their gift shop together.  Not sure why but there was just a corner of the room with stuff.  I skipped it.  Not many pictures over all of the Vatican Museum.  Kind of a bust with the heat and the crowds.  But I was glad to go.   

I walked back around the block - the short way - and got in line to go into St Peter’s Basilica.  I felt that I should because I was there.  The area near the sanctuary was roped off, more than usual, so I was bummed about that.  I did duck into an adoration chapel for a while, which was a little cooler and quiet.  Here is the one picture I took

After that, I was done for the day.  I walked back to the apartment and rested for a bit and then went out for some dinner, came back and watched TV.  Watching TV in Italy is a crap shoot… everything is in Italian - imagine that.  If you’re lucky, you’ll find some things in English.  I was lucky enough to catch a few episodes of “Schitts Creek” as well as and episode of “CHiPs” - yes “CHiPs” - crazy - and a few episodes of “Little House on the Prairie” - not to mention the re-make of “Miracle on 34th Street” - in the middle of June.  I watched it anyway, I love that story - even the re-make.  

Part 3 - I’m Calm, I’m Calm, I’m Perfectly Calm…..

Today was my last day in Rome.  I had a few things I wanted to do, the first was to visit St John Lateran Church, the Forum and to find a pipe shop.  I hoped an Uber and took off. 

Well, one out of three ain’t bad.  I did visit St. John Lateran, the Pope’s Church - he is the Bishop of Rome so he has his own church.  I took some pictures and attending Daily Mass.  (which was in Italian and I mumbled along in English) 

I was glad to have some quiet time and also the opportunity to go to Mass.  Just what I wanted at the end of a fast paced few days in Rome.  So I thought…

Across the street was the Sancta Sanctorum.  According to the Wiki -

“ The Sancta Sanctorum (Italian: Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum) is a Roman Catholic chapel entered via the Scala Sancta (Holy Staircase) of the Lateran Palace in Rome. It was the original private chapel of the papacy before it moved to Avignon, and later to the Vatican Palace. The chapel is the only building from the old Lateran Palace that was not destroyed during its reconstruction”

Here is the link to the Wiki page

I wasn’t about to climb the stairs on my knees, but some did….

I took the other staircase and spent some time in the chapel at the top

Here is the outside of the building as well

My next stop was the Forum.  I wanted to go to the Forum as I missed it last time I was in Rome.  I guess I didn’t realize that it was right near the Colosseum - which was right next door. - and I did visit the last time I was in Rome.  Well, turns out, I needed to buy and ticket online to enter.  So, I looked it up online and the soonest I could buy a ticket to get in would be 5:30pm.  Well, no Forum for me this time after all.

Next was trying to find a pipe shop. I had a few names that my friend John had looked up for me and I chose the closest one and put the address in Maps and took off.  I really bad at following GPS on foot, especially since roads are not well marked in Rome and the end of one road might be the start of another.  So, I did my best to try and find this shop and to follow the GPS the best I could.  All of a sudden, I turn a corner and what do I see?  The Trevi Fountain - and the crowds of tourists.  Wonderful - the place I wanted to avoid was BACK.   So, I ended up following GPS and it took me by the Pantheon, which didn’t seem as crowded as last time, and then I hit the wall.  I needed lunch - or just food because I don’t think I had eaten yet- bad habits when on vacation.  So, I stopped at a cafe and had a bacon cheeseburger and finished it off with a cappuccino.  I was then on my way - and I was getting close.  As I was walking, I had this feeling of DejaVu that I had been on this street before.  Not this time, but last time.  I don’t know why, I just did.  I ended up crossing the river into the Trastevere neighborhood, which is kinda artsy.  Really neat area.  

Well, the place I was looking for ended up being a place that sold cigarettes, a few pot pipes, and vaping stuff, as did the other one I looked into that was close by.   I was done.  I grabbed an Uber and headed back to the apartment.

So, that was my time in Rome.  Definitely spent most of my time Rome-ing around the city, which I do like doing.  However, dodging rude tourists, having to yield to a car in the middle of the road that really is the size of an alley - after all, cars can go anywhere people can - including sidewalks.  I had enough of touristy Rome and was looking forward to moving on to Florence the next day.  All in all, it was a decent experience, I know now if I wish to return, it will be in the off-season.  But I believe lightning can only strike once and my first time in Rome was magical, which this time was a little jaded.  

Maestro