Day 5: Bologna - Firenze

Bologna  

It’s pretty late in the morning, and we hurry and make our way to Bologna Centrale. After trying to make our way around we reached the station at 12! We had to hurry as museums close early. However we did indulge in a little sightseeing on a local bus in Bologna. Then we travelled on the local trains to Firenze, and their second classes are luxury when compared to the sad train network in India. It took about an hour and half to reach and the ride to and fro costs us 10.20 Euros.

Firenze (Florence)

What a beautiful city – Firenze. The birth place of Michaelangelo, Botticelli, Dante and many renowned renaissance artists, the city itself is a masterpiece. From Piazzas filled with sculptures to homes with intricate architecture and carving, every street and corner offers something to see.

Using my Lonely Planet guide once again to navigate, making my way around this city was pretty easy. You could see the dome of the Duomo so this

was easy. We took a bus to Galleria degli Uffizi. The galleria houses paintings and sculptures from the renaissance period. It’s one of the oldest and most famous museums. The hallways house the sculptures while in the galleries you will find some of the famous paintings - The Birth of Venus (Botticelli) by Botticelli, Madonna del cardellino by Raphael, The Doni Tondo by Michelangelo and many more. Each painting like all renaissance art is perfection in detail.

We were dying to see David. Not just any David but Michaelangelos’s masterpiece in Renaissance sculptures. Well we got late exploring Uffizi Gallery, so we had to make do with the copy of David standing in the original, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The copy is as impressive as the original. I fell in love with David. I fell in love with a sculpture.
Palazzo Vecchio is an impressive palace. It is also the town hall of Flroence and has some statues from the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi on display.

We made our way back to the train station. What an interesting name for a train station - Firenze Santa Maria Novella. Anyway our route back has us passing by the Duomo or The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore . It is known to have the largest ever brick dome to be constructed and influences of gothic architecture. The façade of the church is astounding!

It’s time to head back, but before we leave we decide we have to come here tomorrow to see the real David. Anything is worth it.

Bologna
So we are back to Bologna, digging it at McDonalds as once again we reached super late and this was the only place open. Stuffed we had to take a taxi back to our hotel.