Pity us at the Pitti Palace.

Kayaks on the Arno

Today, Saturday, we walked over to the Pitti Palazzo.  As much else in Florence, it was used by the Medici.  It's a huge old barracks of a place which houses four museums.  We only went to two.  The Palantine Museum is up four very long flights of stairs (puff, puff) and covers at least 3 acres with art, literally from floor to ceiling.  Pictures are hung in the old pile-them-on-the-wall-wherever-they-fit fashion so sometimes the one you really want to see is 8 to 12 feet off the ground.  (Crick in the neck - the ceiling is also painted) You never know when you are going to trip over a Raphael or a Rueben (well, that's not quite true, they are mostly in the same rooms.)  Anyway, lots of famous painters and a ton by people I've never heard of--some of them deservedly so.   I must say, some of those Medicis must have just flung money at anyone claiming they had a piece of art.  We were just lucky some of them were amazing. (And the last Medici bequeathed them on the condition that they were not to be sold.)  Would you expect Van Dykes?

Neptune fountain as high as we made it. see the hills above the town

While in search of a restroom we did wander through the ducal apartments, which were used by Napoleon's crew, and then by the duke (not a Medici--they'd died out, but by a Hapsburg).  They had some excellent wall coverings of brocaded looking satin.  The poor duchess had to look at a pretty grim picture of some martyr when she first got out of bed every morning.

Pitti Place is built into a hill.  the door you see is off the 4th floor.
 the town tower is accross the river 

We left the Palace and wandered into the Boboli Gardens just behind the palace.  We only managed to struggle part way up the hill.  Those Medici must have had great legs.  We slowly wandered down in search of the coffeehouse.  Never did find it, but finally found an exit on the back side.  We stopped at a fruit stand and picked up some cherries, crossed the street to the gelato shop (4 stars all around).

DJA

Boboli Garden

Up hill garden

The Maze - wall behind the green would we ever get out?