Sept 16 - Florence

 Sept 16 - Florence 

Our last full day in Florence and just two more sights to visit on our itinerary. The Basilica of the Holy Cross was the first one, the largest Franciscan church in the world and a minor basilica in the Catholic Church.  In one way it’s not too unlike Westminster Abbey in that it’s the burial place of some of the most illustrious of Italians.  With names such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Dante, Rossini, amongst others, it’s also known locally as the ‘Tempio dell’Itale Glorie’, the ‘Temple of the Italian Glories’.  

Our last visit of the week was to the ‘Palazzo Vecchio’, the ‘Old Palace’.  Built in 1299, to house the government organisations of the Florentine Republic, it wasn’t long before it became the home of the Medici.   As stunning as it probably was in its day, today it’s a bit like the curate’s egg, “Good in parts!”  To be fair though some of the rooms and halls, with their painted walls and ceilings, are absolutely magnificent, however, there are far too many plain, empty, and whitewashed rooms making the visit a bit of a disappointment.  Such a shame really because with a bit of effort this could have been a pretty spectacular experience. 



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