Uffizi, Bisteca, Accademia

Entry to Italian institutions is governed by a system reminiscent of Vancouver's Roxy night club. There are always three lines: the regular, "forget it you're never getting in" line, winding like the Amazon down the block and out of sight, the "VIP" line, which is slightly shorter but confers only a modest benefit, and the "elite" line, which involves the transfer of considerable sums of cash and promises immediate admission. Unlike at train stations, airports, and grocery stores, Europeans respectfully defer to this line system. Depending on the nature of the institution, clip-board bearing Priests, guards, or scholars patrol and keep order.

The Uffizi museum is the most famous in Florence. It tops all 'must see' lists, and is a prime example of this tiered line system. We sprang for the "VIP" line, which was only an extra 6€ and carried a twenty minute wait. This seemed an intelligent expenditure, as the regular line featured the skeletal remains of several visitors who had arrived in the mid-70s.

The Uffizi has two main floors. The upper, second floor is devoted to Italian art and contains a grand hallway lined on both sides with ancient sculptures. This hallway branches off into numerous gallery rooms. The galleries feature mostly medieval and renaissance religious art and portraits. Botteceli's Birth of Venus is the highlight of the collection, but the list of distinguished works is long.

We were exhausted after the Uffizi and returned to the hotel to cool down and collect ourselves. Our hotel concierge had helpfully advised that the Accademia, home of the original David sculpture, was open for free on Thursdays starting at 7pm, and that it was an ideal time to visit because few people were aware of this.

You're not allowed to take photos of David, so here are some cats instead

Before the Accademia was the matter of McCormick v. Bisteca Fiorentina. For those unaware, Florentine steak is as renowned for its size as for its flavour. We went to a restaurant near the Accademia and ordered a set menu featuring Bisteca at the end. I started getting nervous when the waiter advised that the minimum portion for two was a 1.2kg steak, and that we should avoid eating any bread or supplemental entrees. The steak was comically large; something out of the Flintstones. The waiter looked on skeptically as we struggled to finish half of this thing, and was overtly disdainful when we admitted defeat at the three quarter mark.

So much meat...

After steak came the Accademia, and the David. The sculpture is the most incredible piece of art I have ever seen. We sat awestruck in the empty gallery and counted ourselves lucky to have seen such a masterpiece.

Dave

 

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