Dad's Day 2 in Florence

Day 2 in Florence (Jean’s Walking Guide A-the Uffizi Museo)

Our itinerary for the day set, I ventured out before Maura and Rebecca for a run up Giotto’s bell tower next to the Duomo. It was a trial run for next day’s climb to the lantern that rests atop the Dome of the Duomo (463 steps high); the bell tower being 50 steps less.

The tourists had not awakened yet so the few of us walked right in and started to climb. I decided to make this a morning exercise, and took two steps at a time, only to wear myself out half-way up.

Once on top of the tower you have a grand view of the roof-tops of Florence, more beautiful than Cherburg and a really close up view of Brunelleschi’s dome. I focus next on a young woman on the opposite corner of the tower, bent over with her butt in the air, and her nose at the white marble stone. Bond beam (that’s a swimming pool term) or at the railing, with a Scripto pen, she begins to tag “Kilro, I’m here.” In what language could I or should I yell, “NO!” ? She then takes her camera and photos her “artwork.” I decided to abhor this foolishness and forgive the fool.

Picking-up Maura and Rebecca, We are off to the Uffizi
But first, we stopped for our morning cappucino at Rivoire Cafe in the Piazza Signoria (Jean’s recommendation because the view is better) for a little people watching, and to kill some time till the tourists lines dissipate from the mueso’s line. Know that when you order uno caffe and you hold up your index finger, you get duo caffes. The Italian’s finger count, begins with the thumb; thumbs up in Italian means “one of everything,” not “its okay!”

Jean’s guide laid out the floor plan of the museum, numbering each room with the art and the artist. We chose 10 and 14 for Botticelli; room 16 and 15 for da Vince, 25-28 for Raphael, and room 46 for Toilettes; we called it, “Racing the Uffizi.” I picked Botticelli for his fascination with the female form; I have to agree with him that the “S” curve is more attractive than the straight line (see = man). In his painting, “Allegory of Spring” you see the outline of the women’s bodies underneath their clothes a better fantasy than the full, plastic image of an airbrushed centerfold. Da Vinci’s “Annunciation” showed Mary facing the Angel, pointing to her pregnancy, pushing her hand palm up, as if to say, “Why me Lord?” Once can understand this reticence, since being pregnant without a husband meant, stoning to the death. I have always believed that Joseph’s act of faith was as great as Mary’s: “It’s a virgin birth, Joe.” We ended with Raphael, whose death ended the Renaissance in Florence. Now, up to the top of the Uffizi for a view of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge over the Arno; a break for water and Snicker’s Bar, and a free toilet.

It is now evening, of The Second Day. And we are off for a truly, authentic, Florentinian Meal. If you arrive before 8:30-9pm, no reservation is necessary. No Italian starts to eat before this time. We have agreed to split: the antipasta, the primo, and the secondro, which will be bistecca alla fiorentina, a 3-5 cm thick T-Bone steak. The menu outside Pallottino (thank Jean), reads 38 E for 1 kilo of bistecca. The closest I came to understand a kilo, was smoking pot and listening to the Jefferson Airplanes, in Golden Gate Park, in the 60’s. So we ask the owner for “how much steak for tres?” He said, “800 grams.” We still didn’t understand how much steak we were going to get. In the end it was just right.

Next to us sat a Chinese couple; the man spoke broken English, and Maura got to speak English now without using sign language. I really have not understood the Asian affinity to photograph everything. As their meal arrive, his bistecca and her pollo, they bowed to the food as if in prayer, and then the woman took out her camera and photographed their meal. We ended ours with less than a prayer, never mind a camera shot, with tiramisu.