Our train journey from Naples to Florence was comfortable and fast. We made the 500km journey in just under 3 hours, travelling through farmland, past hillside villages, vineyards and olive groves. We had a brief stop in Rome before travelling through Umbria, to Florence in Tuscany where we're going to become saturated with Renaissance art.
There are Christmas decorations everywhere. The Hotel Olympia welcomed us back - it hasn't changed a bit in the 3 years since we last stayed here. The Piazza della Republica is well into Christmas with a large tree sparkling with fairy lights and a colourful carousel. There's always something going on here.
The bells from the nearby Duomo (Santa Maria del Fiore) peal every hour and today, Sunday, they seem to be almost endless. Climbing the bell tower and dome are on our list for later in our stay here.
We've walked around in the evening along with plenty of other people. The Ponte Vecchio, lined with jewellery shops was very crowded. Everyone seems to be out and about in the evening, even though it's cold.
Sunday morning dawns overcast and chilly. There's activity in the Piazza with a brass band playing Christmas carols.
We're off to do some more sightseeing with a visit to the Academia Belle Arte on our agenda. This gallery is most famous for the statue of Michelangelo's "David". This time we're able to take photos. There is also a great collection of 14th/15th century paintings and a number of Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures.
The Museum of Musical Instruments features instruments of the Medici and Leopold periods (17th/18th century). The AV facilities have a good description of the periods and have examples of the instruments being played. It's interesting to hear music by Mozart, Handel, Strauss and other famous composers being played on the actual instruments it was written for.
After the Accademia it was time for lunch and a walk back to the hotel via the Uffizi Gallery (we'll visit it later) and the River Arno with its many bridges.
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