Chapter 1l - Last Day in Florence, on our own

The Florence Leather School [warning, unpaid advertisement :) ]

After the extensive touring of the earlier part of our stay, for our last day in Florence, we had targeted only two places to visit - The Leather School and the Galileo Museum.

You may recall from an earlier chapter that picture of the leather stands near the Central Market. There are also numerous shops with aggressive salespeople reaching out for you.

Our research suggested that the place to buy a leather jacket in Florence is at The Leather School - Scuola del Cuoio - a place that teaches making leather items by hand and sells them. Check out their website to learn their fascinating history and mission - http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html.

The school is located in a church/monastery complex.

Here is Elaine at the courtyard.

The school is "guarded" by this imp.

Inside is definitely "old school".

You can watch the handwork.

We each bought a jacket and bought wallets and purses for gifts - not cheap, but you get what you pay for...so much better than the stands and shops earlier.

We then headed toward the Arno and the Galileo Museum. Along the way we took in the everyday loveliness of the city...the intricate doors.

The breathtaking building facades, both elaborate

and strikingly simple.

We also could see the countryside just beyond the other side of the river.

But we couldn't get totally away from the real world. This graffiti on a public restroom reminded us of what still waited beyond our vacation as well as the kindness of the Italian people as compared to some other European countries.

The Galileo Museum

Lester had visited this museum some 40 years ago. At that time, it was a small collection. Now it is greatly expanded and has been turned into a look at the history of all kinds of technology, and how this history has been taught. Galileo's telescope (still there) seems almost a footnote now. There are wonderful video demonstrations—museum education at its best.

The first exhibits you encounter are of early navigation instruments. they are both amazing and beautiful - some are real works of art. This is just one item from a navigation "toolkit".

  They are both amazing and beautifully crafted - some are real works of art.

There were also beautiful globes.

This one was the most complex of all, combining the earth and the heavens and filled the entire center of a gallery. Check out the elaborate base, a work of art by itself.

Peering into it is a optical circus.

There was also a fascinating circular calendar.

And clocks - from the complex...

to the simply beautiful.

There were numerous examples of other early technology. This was a data recorder, looking like a piece of living room furniture.

To us, some of the most interesting were devices used for science education, these to teach about equilibrium.

 This one to teach about electricity...

 and this early electrostatic generator - enough to make your hair stand on end!

Even a living room version of the bouncing ball thingees found on executive desks.

There was an entire room of teaching tools about biology. This is one about reproduction.

You may be wondering by now...what about telescopes? There were beautiful handmade instruments.

And these, tucked into the top of a display case, not notably marked, but the first - Galileo's.

The Last Afternoon and Evening

After the Museum, we strolled to the other side of the river for a nice lunch is a friendly wine bar.  We started with a refreshing radicchio and walnut salad.

Next came eggplant and tomato rigatoni. 

And the main was sautéed chicken with a light salad.

After lunch we got a taste of true Italian culture. The museum we wanted to visit—Mario Marini—was closed due to a strike. Something you hear about all the time. For the record, Mario Marini was a 20th Century Italian artist, particularly famous for a series of sculptures on the theme of horse and rider. Here are a couple of his works from the Internet.

To compensate we stopped for Gelato at Perche, one of the best gelato stores in Florence - gelato has many functional uses!

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped to see the Duomo chapel, not sure what to expect after seeing the Duomo Museum and the the main cathedral. OMG....such beauty...and

an artist's view of Hell that I will never forget!

After a relaxing late afternoon break, we walked over to the Four Seasons Firenze which is in a restored old palazzo with a beautiful garden. We had a glass of wine in their beautiful restored bar.

Our last dinner in Florence was at a family style trattoria - good, but hard to touch the previous fantastic ones. The meal started with a traditional antipasto tray. This is the first time we have had it here—bruschetta with tomato, grilled eggplant on radicchio, spinach and ricotta ball and some salami. Then we had fried artichoke very much like tempura, then gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. Our main was Osso Bucco, which fell off the bone, very flavorful and tender.  

We felt we had really "done" Florence. It was finally time for the Tuscan countryside and the wine tasting we came for...beginning on the morrow (and next chapter).