CHAPTER 20 ITALY CONT.

We take a wrong turn going into a sunny and warm Florence but it works well since it takes us to the Piazza Michelangelo with a view of Florence across the Arno River, and an International Iris Show under way. In Italy, “I” offices are handy to find hotel rooms; the first I office we find is closed and on the way to another we spot the Hotel Arizona. It is a little expensive, but the location is good, and we snap it up for five nights. We eat a good dinner at the nearby R. Le Campane and take it easy for the rest of the day.
The hotel has a good buffet breakfast, better than we have become used to, with fruit, cheese, and meats added to the usual bread, jam, and croissant. We walk to the Piazza del Signoria, which is all torn up and has construction fences, then to the Palazzo Vecchio, where we use the handicapped elevator and particularly note the ornate ceilings and some light and airy frescos. We find the Trattoria Il Caminetto near the Duomo and eat a good lunch of pasta, zucchini, and fried potatoes before buying snack materials and walking to the hotel.
It’s another warm and sunny day as we walk to Santa Croce church where we see the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo, then on to the Uffizi Museum where we see much art. Botticelli’s Birth of Venus is the high-light for us. We walk several more blocks and eat a delicious fish and fruit salad lunch at the Tr. Marione; a very pleasant and interesting professor at the university sits at our table. We have walked more than usual by time we return to the hotel, so we rest and read and do crossword puzzles for the remaining afternoon.
There is a national one day strike today and a big parade downtown with lots of red flags. All the museums are closed so we see several churches.