Day 4

We were, at first, a little hesitant to accept Skip's invitation to join his family in celebrating Ann's retirement from teaching by going to Italy in August. Retirees are fortunate to be able to travel when everyone else is working and the cautions against traveling in Italy in August were posted everywhere. Long lines, sweltering heat, tourists everywhere, crushing crowds, etc. etc. Because Ann wanted her children to join her and because her daughter and son-in-law teach high school, August was the choice for the Harsy family! Today, July 30, we awoke to 63 degree, clear weather with the promise of some showers later in the afternoon. Most every day has been weather-perfect and the crowds have been no greater than those we experienced in October when we went on our Rick Steves Tour. So life from Florence is good and we are looking forward to seeing Ann and Skip later this afternoon upon their arrival from Rome. They have been joined by those two high school teachers, Kathleen and John, and are headed our way on the Eurostar bullet train.

This morning Debbie and I wanted to enhance our study of the Medici family and their influence on the Renaissance and the people of Florence. These guys started out as physicians by trade. However, there was no single-payer health insurance at that time so they didn't make a lot of money. They got into money-changing and, basically, rose to power by running the banks and influencing commerce in Italy. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected institutions in Europe. There are some estimates that the Medici family were the wealthiest family in Europe for a period of time. From this base, they acquired political power initially in Florence and later in Italy. The Medici produced four Popes of the Catholic Church and in 1531 the family became hereditary Dukes of Florence.

We chose to visit the Medici Palace and the Medici Chapels. The palace featured some of the splendor associated with this rich, influential Italian family. The "Chapels" were really mausoleums built by the Medici family to honor themselves in death as well as life. Once again, the focus was on opulence and gold and marble put together to bring glory and honor to God (and the Medici family). In addition to the final resting places for the Medici famous fathers there were extremely ornate containers that housed relics of saints. Relics like bones and teeth and leftovers from saints that were held with reverence in hopes those saints would bless the people who honored those relics/remains.

Pictures were not allowed so we only have our memory to serve as data collections.

It should be pointed out that visitors to Florence come to see the jaw-dropping splendor of art, sculptures and architecture. Visitors wait for hours to enter the Duomo; to cross the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge); to walk through the Boboli Gardens and enter the Pitti Palace; and to visit the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell' Academia which holds important paintings and sculptures from the 13th-16th centuries. Michelangelo's David, probably the most famous sculpture in the world is on display at the Academia.

Debbie and I have seen many of these sites and, of course, if you've seen one David what more is there to say? So I took Debbie by a little-known spot in Florence that most visitors never see. Besides, have any of YOUR friends come back from visiting Florence and said they had shopped at the David Outlet Store?




After picking up a bottle of wine and a pizza we went back to our hotel and at our lunch outside on the patio. With our energy refueled we headed over to Basilica San Croce. This Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. It is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini. We visited each burial place of these famous Italians.


We joined Ann & Skip Along with the new arrivals from America for dinner at a very authentic dinner place and then strolled over for all of them to view the beautiful Basilica. It was gelato all around before everyone headed back to their hotels.