10. The Ponte Vecchio is the only original bridge not destroyed by the Germans in WWII. It was built by the Medicisto connect their palaces on both sides of the river. It has a covered second story so that the Mediciswould not have to associate with the unwashed peasantry.
31. A copy of David –the original is in a museum where pictures are not allowed.
32. Between the Palace and the river, the Galleria degli Uffizi is located. One could get lost in this museum for days. It is surrounded by statuary in every nook and cranny. A sampling follows of persons whose names you might recognize. The work was done in their lifetimes. Most of the statuary are copies with the originals in museums in a protected environment.
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42. There are so many magnificent churches and piazzas that, as a novice, they all begin to look alike. They are done in white and green marble which sometimes appears to be black and white. Ditto the magnificent piazzas surrounded by impressive buildings. All construction is in stone. Florence was a merchant city and very wealthy starting in the 12th century through the middle ages almost to modern times. To protect against fire, wood construction was forbidden. Hence the city remains much as it was in terms of the streets and exterior facades.
60. We will now embark on a random walk through the streets and Piazzas of Firenze. After the walk, we will visit Sienna followed by a stop in a 13th century town and return to Florence from whence we embark to Roma. Incidentally, Firenze was originally Florenze (same root as Florida) but the “L” got lost in Italian and stayed in the English version.
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65. The top of the building was used for hanging dyed fabrics out to dry.
89. On to Sienna Sienna, like Florence, is all stone. It was a rival to Florence in 12th & 13th centuries until Florence conquered Sienna. By law, the exteriors cannot be modernized but the interiors can be changed to the owners liking and convenience. Its population has been a constant 50,000 except after WWII when it dropped to 30,000.
90. Sienna was a very wealthy town and, in its heyday, had 300 churches until the Pope reduced the number to 30. The wealthy families built churches to show off their wealth. The main Piazza is a scene of an annual horse race where the neighborhoods compete against each other with the winner having bragging rights for the next year. Tourism is their principle industry today.
109. The family that built this church bought several Papacies for their family. (Corruption was rife in those days.) Sienna was their summer home away from Rome. They built a separate chapel for themselves so they would not have to associate with the common folk.