Going to Florence from Lucca was easy and comfortable with a 1 hr 20 minute train ride. The Florence train station is very close to all the usual tourist sights and was more relaxing than trying to drive a car there. Trains were on time, comfortable, and ran about once an hour. Taking a train also offers flexibility if some in a group want to return earlier or later than others.
Arriving midday, it seemed a good idea to eat before braving the crowds. Yes, it was crowded, even in this "off-season." As has been typical on this entire Italy trip, good food was always available even in close proximity to tourist destinations. Italians seem to have a passion for food and its preparation that translates into good food everywhere. Many of the menus have English translations to help those with a limited grasp of the Italian language. And yes, the waiter is delivering a tiny cup to a customer - espresso! - and that cup is only half filled - a concentrated blast of power!
Fed and happy, it was time to wander. Even in the "off season" there were long waits for the most revered attractions: Michelangelo's sculpture of David, the Uffizzi Museum, climbing the steps to the top of the Cathedral's dome, and perhaps others. Il Duomo, the Cathedral, was begun in the late 1200's and completed in the 1400's. It is the main church of Florence and one of the largest in Italy. I assure you these images do not do justice to the feeling of being there.
The scale is impossibly large and grand when viewed in the context of the four-story regular city buildings that are adjacent to it.
All those people lined up along the side of the building are waiting to climb the stairs to the top of the dome. It is not a short wait.
On the other side of the building complex, the umbrella stands are local artisans selling watercolors, sketches, and oil paintings mostly of the church itself but also other popular Florence/Italy/Tuscany scenes as well.
The distortion in this and the other images is caused by trying to get the entire building into the impossibly narrow camera view in a confined space. (And I'm not very good at correcting it in post-processing).
I kept running into these women as I wandered around town. They didn't look very calm to me either.
I opted for the short and free line to visit the inside of the cathedral. The majesty speaks for itself.
A closer view.
Ceiling detail.
The following three images are random exterior images. Everywhere I looked, the intricacy and painstaking construction was fascinating to see.
Seeing the range, size, and number of beautiful churches in the very small slice of Italy I have visited is strong testimony of the power and commitment of the Catholic faithful over the centuries. Each is a work of art by itself.
As I was leaving I caught ear of this classical guitar player sitting on the sidewalk playing to the passing crowds. I stopped to listen and drop a Euro in his hat. Anywhere in the world I see and hear extraordinarily talented musicians playing on the street, it always brings to mind the classic Joni Mitchell tune from the late 60's/ early 70's ...."he played real good for free."
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