Caio!
Sorry it's been about a week, we've been adjusting to our third country – Italy! I actually do have one more wrap up post for Martinique, but true to Martinique form, it was a bit squirrely getting out of there – including more protests closing bus lines, having to hire a taxi instead, and whatnot.
It has definitely been a bit of a surreal week to arrive in Italy. We flew in the Saturday before Easter and were able to attend a traditional Florentine Easter Tradition (more on this later), and that night, as y'alls know, Pope Francis passed. It's feels surreal to be in Italy during this historic event, to say the least.
Oh and Friday was Liberation Day (celebrating freedom from Nazi Occupation & Fascism) and we were witness to protests (I'm going to do a video post for Italy & will include that). We also watched the Communist Party recruiting comrades, & heard a very boisterous patriotic concert from our little room that night.
That's all just been week one!
So now, some photos in and around the city.
One thing I especially love about Italy, is that you turn the corner and there's breath-taking architecture and art everywhere. Gareth articulated it best when he said it's like you're walking through layers, and the closer you get, the more you see of another layer.
This was a painting at Dante's Pizzaria where we ate our first night.
Here’s one of the beautiful bridges across and the lovely weir in the Arno River.
Rooftop views at sunset:
A bookstore and movie theatre with gallery for viewings (they were showing Disney's Pinocchio this day). The little guy is extremely popular here as his original story author was born, lived and wrote, and was eventually laid to rest here in Florence.
We also discovered the Wine Doors! Some of you have seen how these work, they're all across the city, and were established during the Black Death to avoid contact. Some are no longer serving, but many still are (again, I have video footage I'll show y'alls later from ordering at one).
Speaking of wine, a discussion of Italy would not be complete without mentioning the absolutely divine food and drink. The Italians pride themselves on amazing food and it literally never disappoints. While I've loved each place we've been, Italian food is far and away my favorite, thus far.
Last, but certainly not least, I need to mention the Easter Tradition we were privileged The Santa Maria del Fiore Church (Duomo of Florence) hosts a 900 year old tradition known as “Burning of The Cart”. At one point, during morning mass, the priest lights a mechanical dove which flies out into the car which explodes as fireworks, a joyous Easter Celebration (we did get video footage I'll post later)!
Next Post — the Uffitzi Gallery!