Florence – Castellina Chianti
Parked our little Ruby in 24 hour free parking on the Piazza de Michelangelo square very early. Went straight into to town directly to the Accademia to try get in and see the Great “David”. Arrived at around 9am and were in by 9.30. There was a queue already but it really wasn't too stressful. Hung out in the gallery for about 2 hours. David is stunning – you need to see him for yourself. It is said that he became the symbol of Florence as he has oversized hands and the sling is the only thing he is wearing. The hands showed the symbol of strength but the sling showed a simple tool could achieve great things. This, was all overheard by a tour guide close by. TIP: stick close to tour groups. Yes, become a professional eaves dropper.
Headed off to the Uffizi and were bewowed by all the art. An entire room devoted to Botticelli, then there was Michaelangeo, Leonardo da Vinci and so many more of the Greats. Nick says we saw all of the Ninja Turtle except for Splinter, BeeBop and RockSteady! It was really a fulfilling day. TIP: when reserving tickets for the Uffizi, please note that you have to go collect your tickets at another collection point – not the entry point for reserved tickets. Also note that there is an additional charge to the 10 Euro ticket of 4 Euro per ticket for reserving. Needless to stay – although you want to avoid the queue, hence your reservation – you need to queue to get your reserved ticket. It is faster than waiting in the non-reserveds.
Ruby awaited us (after yet another gelati) at 15h30 and we headed for Chianti. Found an awesome freecamp in Castellina in Chianti for only 5 Euro's. TIP: Always remember to keep loads of small change as the Italians don't seem to be big on giving it and most freecamps do not take notes. No showers or loo's here but has access to water. On a steep hill, so put your walking boots on. After din's we went into town for a coffee. Stunning little Medieval streets. The night lights create even a more beautiful setting against the old walls and buildings.
We returned back to camp where we saw fireflies twinkling like Christmas lights over the grasses in front of us. So many of them – it was spectacular. Night night and firefly dreams.
No comments:
Post a Comment