Firenze e il Oltrarno

September 17, 2018

Us at the Boboli Gardens

After hitting the “big three” yesterday, we were largely free to explore the rest of the city today. The only must hit left on the list was the Duomo. We woke up, visited the Battistero, and then got in line for the Duomo at 9:50 - ten minutes before it opened. The line already wrapped all the way around the back of the Duomo, and it could not have been moving any slower! After 30 minutes, we ditched the line and decided to try again later, opting instead to head over the Ponte Vecchio to the Oltrarno to visit the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens.

The Pitti Palace was (mostly) built in 1458 by Luca Pitti - an ambitious Florentine banker, and one of the Medici’s rivals. The Medici, however, had the last word, buying the palace for themselves in 1549 and establishing it as the primary residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany for the next several hundred years. Napoleon also used it as a base in the late 18th century, and it briefly served as the royal palace for the Kingdom of Italy, before Victor Emmanuel III donated it to the Italian people in 1919. Unfortunately, we didn’t really take the time to explore the Palace itself, which is now the largest museum complex in Florence. Instead, we spent our time exploring the Boboli Gardens. 

Witten Exploring the Boboli Gardens

The Boboli Gardens span 11 acres and include hundreds of 16th-18th century statutes from the Medici’s personal collection. They were designed for Eleanor’s di Toledo - Cosimo I de’ Medici’s wife. There were several architects/engineers, but Giorgio Vasari had a hand in laying out the grottoes, which is also why it’s connected to the Uffizi by the Vasari Corridor. The gardens weren’t as manicured and floral as I expected, but they were still stunning. We also took a quick peek in the Medici’s porcelain museum.

After the gardens, we grabbed lunch at a small place right on the Arno, which was really pleasant. Then, my parents wanted to split up so that my dad could do some jewelry shopping. Kati, Witten, and I opted to walk around a little bit and then see Dante’s old home (which was pretty neat). When we all met back up, we finally had the chance to make it into the Duomo. Though impressive, it wasn’t quite as magnificent as I had remembered, and it definitely doesn’t compare to the Duomo in Milan. Still, a very nice afternoon. The evening, however, was to die for . . . after an afternoon rest.