Firenze! I've been up and down Italy on trains a time or two
and passed by this station regretfully without stopping.
On September 16, 2018, I finally stepped off the train and into an incredible city:
Firenze! Florence!
Santa Maria Novella Railway Station
Terry read about this ancient and beautiful art-filled city,
studied its maps, and poured over its guide books
for months before we arrived in Florence.
He knew how much I wanted to visit it, and this trip was for me.
Me? I looked at a map or two and read Kim Stanley Robinson's Galileo's Dreams,
I like to walk into a new place without preconceptions,
a luxury I can enjoy because I married a trip planner extraordinaire.
from the top of the Duomo's Cupola
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
![]()
All Rights Reserved
This Tourist Looks Down
from the top of the Duomo's Cupola
from the top of the Duomo's Cupola
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Terry arrived with the best of everything tabbed in a travel book
checked out of our neighborhood library.
Me? "I wonder what's around this corner!"
Wherever we travel Terry always exclaims,
"I do all this careful planning before we go on a trip,
and you just want to throw a monkey wrench into the works!"
If I had a cruise for every time he accused me of that,
I'd have sailed the world's oceans and seas multiple times
and finally be ready to stop! Not!!! I never want to stop!
La Cantinetta Wine Bar
Near the Church of Santa Maria Novella
Near the Church of Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
But no matter how much one has prepared,
stepping into the twisting puzzle of Florence's streets
for the first time can be bewildering!
Which Way Do I Go?
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Through a Gate into an Unexpected Garden
San Miniato al Monte
San Miniato al Monte
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Firenze is famous for its churches, museums, architecture, and art,
and for being the birthplace of the Renaissance,
that expansive florescence of European intellectual life during the 14th to 17th centuries
that precipitated social and political upheaval throughout the continent.
Advances in science, mathematics, technology, and engineering,
and new thinking in philosophy, literature, music, and the arts
lifted Europe out of the Middle Ages and into the beginning of the modern world.
The Birth of Venus
by Sandro Botticelli
Uffizi Gallery
by Sandro Botticelli
Uffizi Gallery
Florence, Italy
To me, Florence is far more than its history.
I loved wandering its streets and absorbing the life of this vibrant city.
A Street Artist Taking a Break
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Horse and Carriage Move through the Traffic
Viewed from the bell tower of the Basilica of Santa Maria del FioreFlorence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Bellevue House
The Hotel We Stayed in for Four Nights Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Along the Arno River
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Roman Lion
II Century A.D.
Moved from Rome to Florence in1787
Piazza della Signoria
II Century A.D.
Moved from Rome to Florence in1787
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Fountain of Neptune
by Bartolomeo Ammannati
with the National Museum of the Bargello in the background
Piazza della Signoria
by Bartolomeo Ammannati
with the National Museum of the Bargello in the background
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
A Wedding Photographer's Perfect Shot
San Miniato al Monte
San Miniato al Monte
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
One Small Truck!
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Enjoying the Sunset Overlooking the Arno
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Terry Admires Synthetic Crystal Glass
Mario Luca Giusti's Store
Mario Luca Giusti's Store
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Florence Triumphant Over Pisa
by Giambologna
National Museum of the Bargello
by Giambologna
National Museum of the Bargello
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Why the Little Dog???
Giambologna's Florence Triumphant Over Pisa
National Museum of the Bargello
Giambologna's Florence Triumphant Over Pisa
National Museum of the Bargello
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Terry Checks His Guide Book
National Museum of the Bargello
National Museum of the Bargello
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Painted Silk Taffeta
by Giovanna Carzoni
Church of Santa Maria Novella
by Giovanna Carzoni
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
The Complete Taffeta Antependium
by Giovanna Carzoni
(A decorative piece that hangs on the front of a Christian altar)
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
Patiently Waiting
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Pigeons Enjoying the Sunshine
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Church of Santa Maria Novella
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
We had planned to stay two nights in Florence but quickly realized
this was a woefully inadequate amount of time and doubled our stay.
We deliberately avoided guides, giant lines, and gaining all the biggies,
like Michelangelo's David and the Uffizi Gallery.
We spent hours lingering over Italian spritzes in the late afternoon heat
discussing the wonders we had seen; Florence is supersaturated with wonders!
A Definite Wonder
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Giotto's Campanile
Why is the bell tower caged and the cupola not?Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
The Roof of Giotto's Campanile
Adjacent to the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry of St. John
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Climbing Down from the Campanile
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
An Oasis Among the Rooftops
Climbing Down from the Campanile
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Sunset Along the Arno
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Pinocchio in Bartolucci Florence
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
![]()
All Rights Reserved
Triumphal Arch
Piazza della Repubblica
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Backside of the Triumphal Arch
Piazza della Repubblica
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved
Florentine Sunshine
National Museum of the Bargello
National Museum of the Bargello
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Mosaic Marble Pavement
The Baptistery of St. John
The Baptistery of St. John
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
We will return to this wondrous city!
The Baptistery of St. John by Moonlight
Florence, Italy
September 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Sidewalk Cafe
Florence, Italy
September 16, 2018
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved
Personal Note: I'll be on the move shortly. I'll post and visit as I can along the way!
For Map Lovers Like Me:
Location of Italy
Location of Florence
Location of Ponte Vecchio