Florence, Day 1, Sept 1, 2023

The Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio bridge.

We got tickets to the Uffizi Gallery, which included the Musical Instrument Museum. Right away, I want to tell you that I found myself really appreciating the Schubert Club's early keyboard museum back in St. Paul. It is very extensive. I have seen similar pieces very close to my home, which is amazing. But the real reason to stop by is because the "first piano" is here. Here's my synopsis of the story. It is historical fiction for sure.

Bartholomeo Christofori, considered the inventor of the piano, was born not too far from Florence, in Padua. We don't know much about him before 1688, when he moved to Florence to work in the service of Grand Prince Ferdinando de Medici, who hired him as court instrument maker. Why did the Grand Prince hire him? We think that Bartholomeo was an engineer/inventor/carpenter, and Ferdinando was intriqued by his creations. We're not sure. But they met somehow. We know that Bartholomeo was 33, and that Ferdinando traveled through Padua that year. Bart's job was to supervise the transport, maintenance and construction of Ferdinando's musical instruments. We question whether he was also asked to invent things, and because we never see any payments for these new creations, we believe Ferdinando may have simply kept the ideas and instruments as part of the agreement.

We think Bart had connections and had worked with instrument makers in Padua and Venice. The earliest surviving work is a small rectangular spinet from 1690, and by 1700 the inventory of the Grand Prince's musical instruments mentions 7 pieces by Christofori. At the time the harpsichord was the most common keyboard instrument. The strings are plucked by quills attached to the sides of jacks. The piano has a keyboard like a harpsichord, but the strings are struck by small hammers instead of being plucked. In this way if you use greater or lesser force you can make loud or quiet changes. This was a new idea!

Only 3 original 1720s pianos survive today. None of them are at the Uffizi, but this is the prototype. The goat gut strings have rotted away, but you can see the concept is already in place. The rest of the instrument museum contained cellos, hurdy gurdys, and paintings of the instruments played at the time. It was fascinating.

Florence, August 2023

It is only 2 1/2 hours between two very unique and different cities. It is not through the mountains and we had just finished a nice break from driving. We were soon to realize and remember that the roads get narrower the further south you go, and that this Mercedes is a huge car. We were entering another controlled city where cars are not permitted in some areas, and not at all in others. Our next room was in the middle of a no car zone (ZTL).

We were allowed to park long enough to unload luggage and then we moved it to a garage where we left it for duration of Florence (Firenze in Italian).

The Palazzo Mannaioni Suite was great and had air conditioning which was a huge bonus as it was very hot here. The lobby retained its renaissance brick wall and original doors. We were allowed into our room early which was also a bonus.

Here is a view of the room.

I opened the shutters and oh my, look at this view!

We're in the birthplace of my world of music; this area supported incredible artists, genius scientists, and innovative thinkers. I am looking forward to getting a history lesson. We took a rest and then went to a little market where we bought picnic supplies. We had the hotel get us a taxi to the Piazza Michelangelo, to watch the sunset. Guess what? We were not the only ones with this great idea.

This is the view in one direction. this famous statue was behind us. There are 3 Michelangelo statues in Florence. We saw all three. This first one was this bronze replica, I think it was made for this scenic overlook in the 1800s.

I also think you can see in our faces that we're getting a little vacation tired. We've been on the go for 10 days straight. We decided not to push it the next day. But we're in Florence!

Arrivederci, Venice

I had always said I wanted to see Venice before it "sank into the sea" and there was evidence that they are trying hard not to let that happen. For example, the Caffe Florian was highly touted as a tourist must stop. We walked by the Oldest Italian Coffeehouse, but we didn't actually go in. It's gorgeous even from the sidewalk. People from Charles Dickens, Nietzsche, Casanova, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, to Andy Warhol had drinks here. Rumor says that Claude Monet would charm the flock of pigeons to stand on his head.

Looking closer, there are supports and braces for the roof everywhere. After seeing all the platforms disruptions of the rain, I was concerned. But I also see construction and work being done everywhere. The art and the history are too important. I hope that it will survive forever. The contemporary art scene appears to thrive right next to the renaissance pieces.

It was a magical experience. I'm so lucky I got to go.

Venice Day 2, the rain continues

We watched it get dark in Venice, and then went back to Treviso exhausted and so happy. (The train is a great way to get back and forth and took about 25 minutes.) One moment to nod to the superb breakfasts at the Bed and Breakfast.

We sat across German cyclers who has ridden through the mountains (!) and were going as far as Venice, then taking the train home. There was a family from Croatia with a little one, a mother and daughter from San Francisco, and a couple who had already left to catch a plane. We all try to talk in our broken languages. It was great. The orange juice became a topic for the mom from San Fran and me. It's such an orange color. We had this juice in Lujen too and I didn't know why it was so bright. So the host went to the fridge and called it Vitamin Juice, like the host in Austria. Aaaah, it's mixed with carrot! Well, it was delicious.

We repeated the train, the train station, and were ready to hop on a different canal "bus" route. We waited almost an hour with more than 50 others, and it was finally translated that many of the tours, exhibits and even bus routes were canceled for the day because they were flooded. Overnight, they had positioned platforms and ramps across low areas of the city, including San Marco square. They were selling plastic bag/boot things to go over your shoes and pants, up to your knees. So we hailed a regular taxi, rather than wait for a bus. It was a beautiful boat.

The views from the taxi were equally wonderful. Who would like to paint a fresco on the OUTSIDE of the building??

We took an accidental wrong turn on foot, and poof, there was the Bridge of Sighs! The limestone windows are fitted with bars because this small tunnel took prisoners from the interrogation rooms on one side to their prison cells on the other. The windows were the last fleeting glimpse of their beloved Venice before a long prison term. Poetically, Lord Byron gave it the title, imagining the heaviness of the prisoner's last free breath. (Are there any real wrong turns in this city? A thought for another day)

The day seemed a little scattered since there were detours and unexpected delays. I had my first lasagna.

Water was served in Murano glass.

Here are some of my favorite photos of the gondolas.

We climbed back in the water bus, and the clouds parted.

Lions of Venice

There are lions all over Venice. It has come to symbolize the city. This is perhaps the most ancient of all the statues, it is made of bronze and on top of a very tall pillar in San Marco square. I think it was once a griffin, given that it has wings, and Google says it was erected in around 1177.

There is also a Lion of Saint Mark

When you start to look, you can see them everywhere. (If you can zoom in, they are under the cut-out crosses).

Last tidbit for this post, the rain water goes down slit-like holes, cut into the city square, the sidewalks and alleys. I made a video of the rain, which has the slit drain on the ground. It all goes into the canal. This will play a part in the next day's post. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J1uPeUIgZX8