nateniale's travels

{ May 2011 - Florence, Italy }  Piazzale Michaelangelo located on a hill just off the city centre of Florence has a lot of steps to conquer from reaching the top, and when we reached there, we realised it was just a big round parking lot. However, walking to the edge of the piazzale, the majestic panoramic view of Florence laid out before us. Built in 1869 and dedicated to the famous Renaissance sculptor and painter Michaelangelo, a replica of a large bronze David (who has now turned green) stood in the middle of square.    As of all the squares in Italy, I love to people watch! From the locals to the tourists, and the artists and buskers, the piazza was a great place to relax, have some gelato and enjoy the amazing view of that beautiful and wonderful city called Florence.    ::: Footnotes ::: { Piazzale Michaelangelo }   The square can be reached on foot, by car or by bus. However, be forewarned - walking u...

{ May 2011 - Florence, Italy }  I love markets, and Florence has so many of them that you will be spoilt for choice! From the famous leather goods, to olive oils and cheeses, you can easily spent lots of time (and money) in the Florentine markets! I only managed to go to three of them during our trip, and I found them to be very different. Mercado Centrale  An amazing indoor food market, Mercado Centrale on via dell'Ariento, would be a market that I would love to have near my home. We managed to buy cheese, olive oils and even Porcini mushrooms.    Mercato Nuovo Also known as Loggia del Porcellino (Porcellino means piglet), the market sells leather goods, hand embroidery and souvenirs. The most memorable part was the not-so-little piglet in the front of the loggia. Called the Fontana del Porcellino (fountain of the piglet), the bronze wild boar's nose was rubbed by visitors to bring fortune. Not sure about the fortune, but the piglet's nose...

{ May 2011 - Florence, Italy }  With shops seemingly overflowing and suspended on the bridge above the river, and a passageway built above the haphazard shops, Ponte Vecchio looked like no other bridges in the world. And, if it looked charming from afar, you have got to walk along the bridge early in the morning when the shops are just opening, or late evening when they are closing. Each of the shops are like giant treasure chests that opened up to reveal one jewelry shop after another. The Grand Duke of Florence ordered a corrider to be built in 1564, so that he would be able to move freely from his residence in Palazzo Pitti to the government palace in Palazzo Vecchio. Part of the Vasari Corridor was built above the bridge and the shops. When the corridor was built, butchers were prohibited from selling there due to the smell and the mess. Hence, several jewelry shops took over, where they remained until today. Ponte Vecchio, which means the "Old Bridge", cro...

{ May 2011 - Florence, Italy } The heart of the city of Florence is arguably Piazza del Duomo. It is where the Duomo is, and where, I am pretty sure, one of the most visited places in Italy. So, like many of the piazzas in Italy, it is a great place to people watch. With locals trying to make a living from the tourists that flocked the piazza, ...    and locals going about their daily routines, trying to ignore the crowd.    To tourists trying to capture a piece of the beautiful Florence as keepsakes that will last a lifetime,    and those that just needed a break from a long day of sight-seeing.  And, of course, the police of Florence, in their stylish uniform with white leather belt, holster and bags, making sure that everyone is safe and sound. { Click here for other travel tales from Italy and  a list of my travelogues }

{ May 2011 - Florence, Italy }  Staying just steps away from the Duomo in Florence on our three days there, means that we were never far away from the beautiful cathedral. It was the landmark that guided us when we first reached Florence, and ended up watching a sbandieratori  right in front of the cathedral. We walked past it everyday when we started our days in Florence and had breakfasts (espresso and croissant, of course!) in the nearby cafes. The big brick dome also helped us to orientate ourselves when seeing Florence from afar. We woke up early one day to climb the dome. The climb up the dome, or cupola in Italian, provided a close up view of the breathtaking frescoes. I would not even attempt to describe it as my level of vocabulary would not be able to give it enough credit. I mean, look at it! I fully expected one of the Roman gods (or were they mere mortals?) to jump down from the roof! Continuing the upward climb up brought us right outside the D...