Florence & Pisa
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Florence was some 3 hours away from La Spezia where the Marco Polo docked, so we decided on a ship excursion
to get full value of the day. We crossed the Arno River and were ready to explore. Our guide was very informative and we gained a local tour guide on arrival as well.
We started in the Piazza del Duomo where we observed the Cathedral called Saint Mary of the Flower, the Baptistry, dedicated to John the Baptist and Santa Croce Church.
Incredible as it seems the Dome was built using no scaffolding at all and was created by laying a double row of
bricks laid herringbone style reinforced with stone chains. These were laid smaller towards the top and there was even space for a stairwell between the walls.
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We listened intently as our guide explained the history of the many wonderful buildings along the way,
such as the Piazza della Repubblica, The Uffizi and then we stopped for a photo stop at Ponte Vecchio. It was good to see it on such a lovely day and there was a fellow using a fixed exercise bike just in front of us while he read the daily news.
The Ponte Vecchio is the only one of Florence's bridges to have survived WWII. In 1966 a massive flood wiped out the shops on the bridge
and they have been rebuilt to house mostly gold shops.
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The statues in front of the facade of Palazzo Vecchio include the Fountain of Neptune,
the Equestrian statue of Cosimo, The Rape of the Sabines and many others. Its impossible to show them all here so its
just to wet your appetite for more information. The brilliant marble work of the Fountain of Neptune (1565-75) was
sculptured by Bartolomeo Ammannati. This magnificent fountain was created to celebrate the wedding between Francesco
de' Medici and Joan of Austria.
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The skyline of Florence is highlighted by the Duomo Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore. Arnolfo di Cambio began the
building in 1296 but many others continued to work on it for a century and a half. Giotto designed the bell tower in 1334.
The massive cupola was added in 1420 - 36 by Filippo Brunelleschi. The famous bronze doors of the Baptistery were so beautiful
that Michelangelo called them the "Gates of Paradise". Santa Croce, the church of the Franciscans in Florence, is one of the best examples of Italian Gothic Architecture.
It began in 1294 and was completed in 1442 with many masterpieces hung inside along with the frescoes by Giotti. This church houses
the tombs of many famous people such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Leon Battista Alberti, Vittorio Alfieri, Leonardo Bruni and Gioacchino Rossini.
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After a wonderful lunch here in Florence we motored off to Pisa. The first building you see in the complex at Pisa is the Cathedral built in 1173. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
is actually the bell tower of the Cathedral and was originally designed to be vertical. Since its inception the tower began to lean and has needed special attention to ensure
it remains intact. It is said that even if it did not lean it still would have been one of the most remarkable bell towers in Europe.
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