Can This Be Only the Second Day in Florence?

I got out early and hopped a cab for the Pitti Palace.  I was actually the second person in the door at 8:15 and the first to the galleries.  It took a little while to warm up, but what a collection, in what a fabulous setting!  I'd bet they've got more Raphaels than any other collection in the world, and a plethora of Tintorettos, Titans and Veroneses (not to mention other artists).  But my number one goal was the three Caravaggios, and I found them all:  The Tooth Puller (although I'm not sure all experts agree that this is a genuine Caravaggio), Sleeping Cupid (weird and sepulchral) and the spectacular Portrait of Fra Antonio Martelli.  All three could use some heavy-duty restoration work (as could so many of the paintings in the Pitti) but they were a thrill nonetheless.

After two hours in the Pitti I decided to try to Uffizi.  Imagine the subway in Tokyo at rush hour.  It must have been an hour line to get in.  Since I have tickets for tomorrow at 8:30 I passed it by to go to the city museum with Donatello's "David" and so many other art masterpieces.  The rusticated stone one, with the big tower.  So I headed over to the Palazzo Vecchio, bought my ticket, went through security, and started on my tour.  Not quite what I remembered from last time, but last time was so long ago my memory isn't quite clear.   Saw the one Michaelangelo sculpture, all the Vasari and figured that the Donatello must be in the last room.  Oops!  What I wanted to see is actually in the OTHER rusticated city museum with the big tower -- the Bargello.  That's what happens when you don't get enough sleep, I suppose.

Walked around Piazza del Signoria (scene of the stabbing in "Room with a View") and enjoyed the fabulous outdoor sculpture display:  Gianbologna's Rape of, Cellini's Perseus and Medea, and a very good copy of the David.  Met up with Louise and the kids and we headed off for a round of churches -- Santo Spirito, Santa Maria Novella and San Lorenzo.  All beautiful, all tend to to blur together a little.  By the end of the day we were more than a little silly. Sitting in the beautiful Cloister of San Lorenzo, Annie threw herself across Louise's lap and we thought "Pieta!"  We then re-enacted about a dozen works of art we'd seen so far:  Adam receives the spark of life, the Calling of Matthew, Judith and Holofernes ... at times it felt a little sacriligious, but hey, it was all good clean fun.

After a little late-afternoon chilling at home/hotel we got a great back-stage tour of the new organ in the church; Annie even got to play a little.  Then another lovely dinner at the Rectory.  

Tomorrow we split up.  Louise and Daniel decided that a trip to Pisa would be a great alternative to a trip to Pompeii (and not involve a 6 am wake-up call) so she and the kids are heading to see the Leaning Tower.  I'm staying in Florence to see the Uffizi, Santa Croce, San Marco (if I can get in) and the Bargelo.

We'll meet up back in Rome late afternoon, and then it's cocktails and dinner at the American Academy with the director and her husband.