July 7th – The Absolute Best of Michelangelo – David!
Our last full day in Florence and so much yet to see and do. We start the day with breakfast and then a 10:15 reservation at the Accademia to see the spectacular Michelangelo’s David, which always takes my breath away with the grandeur.
What do his eyes show? Fear of the shepherd boy as he faces Goliath, or steadfast faith that the Lord will see him through? I think I see a little of both. How did Michelangelo do that – carve emotion and physical perfection out of a single slab of marble?
Afterward, we venture out to Via de Ginori, 23, a leather shop introduced to us by our son-in-law, Jim, when he gifted Kari a leather briefcase several years ago. Now it is Kari’s first visit and she selects a brown purse of her own.
Then it is off to one of our favorite places for lunch – Mercato Centrale – (central market) – where we take turns shopping the food vendors for our favorites – Ron, pizza, Izzy, the panini, and Kari and I, American barbecue.
This evening we return to one of our treasured restaurants – down a little alleyway across the Ponte Vecchio, in the Oltrarno District – Trattoria 4 Leone. Kari and Izzy and I cannot pass up their signature dish – the pear pasta, a masterful creation of pear wrapped in pasta pillows, covered in cream and yet, somehow maintaining a sugary crunch.
It is late as we stroll back to Pendini, crossing the Arno River, and again viewing the oldest bridge in Florence, the Ponte Vecchio.
