7/25
As we were only able to book two days in the Degli Orafi, we transferred hotels this morning after breakfast to the Pierre. We thought that walking with our rolling luggage on the cobblestone streets might be problematic so we hired a taxi. When the cabbie found out where we were going he laughed. We soon discovered why. Because of the maze of one-way streets the cab had to travel several times the distance AND time it would have taken us to simply walk. Another lesson learned about getting around this city.
We weren't long in our new room (goodbye suite!) before we hit the streets - only now it was time to cross the Arno river on the famous Ponte Vechio (the bridge covered with shops that even the Nazi's found too beautiful to bomb) to investigate what treasures might be awaiting on this less-travelled part of the city. But first we visited the many jewelry shops on the span looking for the perfect set of earrings, which we eventually found, but which then demanded a matching pendant - which the shop keeper was unable to produce despite visiting several of his neighbors. So we left with an an assurance that he would be able to produce a match and with an understanding that we would return before closing time to get it.
In no time we were losing ourselves in among the streets, shops, piazzas, chapels, historic buildings and monuments on the south side of the river. One tiny square lined with olive trees caught our attention because there is almost no greenery in the old city center except for the flower boxes hanging below upper story windows and the occasional plants-in-pots gardened terrace. Our meanderings brought us past the Palazzo Pitti whose decorated gardens were only visible through a closed-Monday gate. As we moved along a Via heading east, a relatively steep winding passage on the right attracted Serge's attention and the next thing we knew we were climbing our way out and above the city and off the tourist map- where we found private hillside estates, walled compounds, and the requisite chapel. At one point an innocuous plaque declared that the small, three story, house we were standing in front had been used by Galileo for star-gazing! The same Galileo who used these observations to prove that the earth orbited the sun and not the other way around as was the dogma of the day. We eventually turned around and began strolling back toward town. A brief afternoon sprinkle had us seeking refuge beneath an arch in a medieval wall projecting off the side of an old fort - Forte Belvedere. Once it had stopped we chose a roadway back down the hill parallel to the wall. At the bottom we paused for refreshments at a small Ristorante that had additional seating in an arched underground chamber inside. Then it was decision time…back to town, or climbing again to try and find what had looked like an abbey that we had seen on a hilltop from the heights of our earlier walk. Exploration won out and so we turned our back on the city again and began climbing - first along roadways for a few hundred yards, but then on a wide stairway. We knew we were on the right path as the Stations of the Cross began to mark our progress up the hillside.
By the time we reached the fourteenth station, we were standing before a plain looking church, a Franciscan abbey. We entered to say our daily prayers and to discover what wonders it might hold. As in EVERY other such sanctuary, we were not disappointed. The church and accompanying abbey were dedicated to St Francis and had been operated by the Franciscans for several hundred years. The artwork included beautiful frescoes that at one time had been whitewashed over but since undergone partial restoration. One large dim-lit arched chamber off the right of the altar was covered in murals on all four walls and on each quarter section of the ceiling. Below the painted walls an arching band of beautiful deep blue tiles with gold stars ran the circumference of the room. After taking time to look over the small, altered chapels that lined both sides of the church - each with its own unique artwork and/or statuary, we stepped back out into the blinding sunlight. Time to go back? Not yet! For this wasn't the large marbled church we had been able to see from the other hills. Looking, we found a wide path that continued to climb past the side of the church and in no time we were facing the larger and more ornate, Benedictine Abbey, San Miniato al Monte.
While the Franciscan church had been simple in its appearance and relatively speaking, also in its internal decor - in keeping with the values of the Franciscans (so we had read); this Benedictine church was designed - according to the wishes of its sponsors - to impress. As we entered the broad and high structure and paused to let our eyes adjust to the darkness within, we could hear distant chanting. We approached the empty altar seeking out the source of the monkish harmonies. There we found broad stone steps leading to a pillared and arched chamber below the altar where along a semi-circular back wall a dozen-or-so monks sat in wooden seats by candle light chanting their evening vespers. We sat in the twilight above the chamber for several minutes - baptized by the waves of sound rising from the cavern…
The 500 + year old church, done in the Romanesque style, held many unique architectural and artistic features. We took our time to look through each archway, passageway, nook, side chapel and stairway, followed constantly by the echoing voices of the monks, until we were satisfied with what we had captured in our memories and our camera…
It was time to head down the hill and back to town before the jeweler closed for the day. As we had lingered - determined to take advantage of where we were first before considering what might come next, we were running late. So Joe kicked into long stride/high gear - something that hadn't hardly been necessary (except for that five-minute train transfer!) - and walked ahead back to the jeweler, while Lyn and Serge strolled in vacation stride/low gear to rendezvous several minutes later back on the bridge. Success - the jeweler had found a pendant to match the earrings! Time to celebrate, replay parts of the day, and plan a bit for tomorrow over another long, relaxing dinner - still on the south side of the river. By the time dinner was over and we were crossing back over the Ponte Vechio, the almost-night sky was a deep and dark blue with just a narrow band of pink along the distant horizon. It was time to get back to our room, and get some sleep, for tomorrow we would leave this incredible jewel behind and board a train for another Italian jewel…Venice!
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