Uffizi Museum, Duoma & Mercado

Well up bright and early for our date at the Uffizi Museum. We booked our reservation time before we left Canada so this morning we just had to turn up and pay for our tickets. We walked right in which was a great delight when you saw the length of the other lineups. We had to time ourselves when viewing the different rooms as there are hoards of tours racing through and they can sweep you along if you are not careful. Only 600 people are allowed in at one time. We downloaded Rick Steve’s pod casts for the Uffizi and were able to get a good understanding of the finer points of the many masterpieces we were able to view. The palace is a very interesting and if you visit don’t forget to look up. Many of the ceilings are works of art in their own right.

Not too far away is the Duoma church. Everytime we try to go visit we are out of sync with their openings and closings. This time Lyn called me as I was wandering way because they had just opened the doors. Success! In we went. We were a bit surprised at the difference between the ornate exterior and modest interior. It is very large and we watched all the tiny people walking around the interior of the dome. I cannot imagine how many stairs they climbed to get up there.

Back to the Mercado to look at the fresh produce and foods. This time we made it before the 2:00 closing. Like a Granville Island market but the smells were bewitching. You can smell the melons and then you smell fresh truffles and hams. There are fresh pasta merchants and many varieties of pestos and sauces. We try a little Limoncello at one shop and walk away with a bottle for after dinner.

Then we see the fresh produce and have to stock up on fruit and salad. Need a bit of olive oil and balsamic to go with that. We decide that we will have fresh pasta tonight so choose a spinach and ricotta stuffed ravioli with a walnut pesto to go with our salad. Can’t wait for dinner tonight! You will not find much junk food here. Everything is made fresh. You don't see counters full of junk food or pre made factory food. Very healthy.

Lyn is busy plotting our day tomorrow and it is difficult without wifi. We can’t make reservations until we go down to the internet café and then we may be too late. They close between lunch at 1:00 and 4:00. The mysteries of the transit system are slowly unraveling and we are going to see if we can use the bus more as we are a good 15-20 minute walk to the core of downtown. Can’t have it all. Noisy neighbourhood and close to everything or quieter but a bit of a hike.

The Cat just came for a quick visit through the bathroom window. Good thing I wasn’t on the toilet or I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. He is lovely and a bit lonely I think. He just wants to be on Lyn’s lap being cuddled.

Travel Tip:
Book your tickets for the Uffizi Museum before arriving in Florence. We phoned & it was very easy. You avoid the long lineups.
Rick Steves has an excellant podcast of the museum.