After driving through the south of France, we finally got to Italy, a country that I had never visited before!
the leaning tower of Bologne
Our first stop was Genova; although I didn't see much of it, I can say it's a huge city with an enormous port!
From there we drove to Bologne. I had no expectations about that city as I had never heard much about it. However, it surprised me so very much! The centre of the city was closed to traffic, so it was much easier to explore it. There were lots of bikes and people living their normal lives, because there isn't as much tourism there as in Florence or other Italian cities. I saw an amazing band play the cello in the streets, and I visited the two towers and the two beautiful cathedrals, the Cathedral of Bologne and St. Petronio Cathedral.
There is also one of the oldest and most well-known universities of Europe, the University of Bologne; that spirit is visible everywhere in the city. There are also many monuments to honor the victims of World War II and of the Italian dictatorship!
Bologne is a beautiful city, and while I was there, I felt like I wouldn't even mind living there!
After Bologne, we visited Florence - our ultimate destination, that city where the Renaissance began and where the great geniuses and artists lived!
We stayed in a bungalow at a camping park, next to a very nice Dutch family that played guitar in their porch under the sunset. Everyone was super friendly in there, including the staff, and their restaurant had so much yummy food!
The first thing we saw in the city was a march celebrating the 70th anniversary of Florence being freed from World War II.
Then we wandered around the city: its streets are full of tourists and joy, people selling fake art, souvenirs and scarves; when the sun goes down, its light invades them in a breathtaking way. Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge) is a very unique bridge, because it has little houses and shops on it, that sell very very expensive jewellery!
We visited the Duomo (the BIGGEST cathedral I've ever seen, with a beautiful dome), St. Lorenzo church (built by the Medici, the family that sponsored all of the Florentine art production of the Renaissance), and the Santa Croce church (my favourite; it had beautiful stained glass and there were the graves of Galileo, Michelangelo, Donatello and others!).
We also visited their enormous palaces: Palazzo Vecchio, Palazzo Medici Ricciardi, Palazzo Pitti (the biggest of them all: it was built by a rich man who went bankrupt because of the construction costs!). Each one of them had a story to tell and it was fascinating to hear those stories!
There was also the Uffizi gallery, where I saw beautiful sculptures and paintings such as The Birth of Venus by Botticelli and some by Leonardo da Vinci. I love art and art history so I found that museum enormously fascinating!
I really think that visiting Florence was a great experience in terms of my knowledge of culture and art, and I recommend a visit to everyone!
love,
Mariana
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