E hatisitsoe: 31.03.2024
On the third attempt I finally managed to see the Duomo (after a first attempt in 1999 and a second attempt on Thursday). The interior of the cathedral was fascinating due to its total lack of decoration. Completely uninspired, the canons had expended all their creative fire on the architecture and façade. Conclusion after 30 minutes of queuing: 20 minutes of viewing and two shaky pictures of the dome painting.
Other tourist highlights, such as the Uffizi and the Gallerie dell'Accademia, also fell flat due to endless queues and sold-out admission reservations. City trips are tiring, and a few postcards and souvenirs were quickly bagged.
The whole tourism business still had some strange results. There is a bizarre legal dispute about the pop culture use and alienation of David, for example (https://apnews.com/article/michelangelo-david-statue-italy-protection-heritage-3fa1b7185fea36003e064fa6e2c309fd)
With this article in mind, I was able to get two more t-shirts of the Renaissance statue. David with bubblegum bubble and David with Apreol and the inscription "Aperitif?" #Like
In the afternoon we decided on Fiesole, a village in the mountains with a view of Florence, a monastery and several hiking trails, easily accessible by bus in 30 minutes. Only the hazy weather marred the trip and obscured the view of the valley.
A creative break with beer and coffee, however, offered the opportunity to write two postcards. Trying to use AI for this turned out to be incredibly pointless. Gelatie, Michelangelo's David, long lines in front of the Uffizi, plus two stupid sayings about sore calves and Instagram in the Renaissance - stupid, stupid, stupid.
After two hours on a fitness trail and visiting a monastery and a church (what else?), we headed back to Florence.
In the evening, vino de la casa again at the Italian restaurant around the corner, with penne Bolognese.