With just a few hours left of our last day in Florence, we decided to leave the famous Uffizi until last. I knew that many hours could be wasted there, trying to get from one gallery to the next as it’s always crowded. Giotto’s frescoes and
Donatello’s crucifix
Donatello’s amazing crucifix in Santa Croce would be easy to find (I thought) and without the crowds.
On the way we stepped into the Museo Galileo, called the Science Museum on some maps, for a quick look at the ancient clocks.
Planetary clock
My sister, Susanne, had this museum on her list of ‘must sees’ so she found The Planetary 
Clock particularly interesting. I was lucky enough to get a photo of the information in English so I hope it is clear enough to read here. Most of the other photos in this museum were taken by Susanne. Of particular interest were Galileo’s telescopes and some of his geometrical instruments.
As with Da Vinci, we were amazed at the scientific
Galileo telescopes
knowledge and inventions made by this man so long ago. The Christian Church disapproved of anyone outside religious orders having access to and knowledge of anything to do with learning, especially the newly discovered sciences. Galileo was ex-communicated for proclaiming that the earth revolved around 
the sun, not the other way round as was the belief and teaching of the church at the time. Later that day we found his tomb in Santa Croce. Of course Christianity had to ultimately accept the scientific truth but I hadn’t realised that he was forgiven to this extent and now honoured in a sacred place.
Santa Croce (1294) – the facade clad in marble in 1863
I am surprised at the number of tourists who claim to love Florence but don’t even know about places like Santa Croce and its beautiful frescoes painted by Giotto in the 14th century. These tourists probably don’t know that four of Italy’s most famous sons are buried in this church; Michelangelo, Galileo, Danti Aligherio and Marconni. Each has an elaborate tomb, or maybe some are just edifices built into the walls to honour the great men.
Michelangelo’s tomb
As my sister was now a fan of Donatello’s work, I hurried her in through the main door of the church and down the aisle to the alcove on the left near the altar, to show her that soul stirring crucifix.
‘It’s gone. It’s supposed to be here. Where has it gone?’ My astonished plea must have been heard throughout the building. Our last chance to see it and again the Florentines had moved something I had set my heart on showing to my sister. Disappointment, frustration and anger boiled up inside me. An assistant responded to my question, telling us that it had been moved temporarily to the Uffizi and we could see it there. Of course that meant we really had to hurry, although, fortunately it was late night closing for that museum.
Donatello’s Annunciation
He did point out that we could see Donatello’s wall sculpture of The Annunciation, though. It must have undergone restoration recently as the gold highlights are clear and bright. I had difficulty determining which figure was the angel and which Mary. I’m not sure why, but this Donatello didn’t inspire me the way most of his work does.
St Francis Burial Preparation by Giotto
Meanwhile, the frescoes were still on the walls at the front of the church; impossible to move them for temporary exhibitions. Because the alcoves are narrow and the
St Francis Receiving the Stigmata by Giotto
frescoes are painted up the side walls, it wasn’t possible to photograph all of them and although they are in amazingly good condition for their age, painted from around 1317, they have faded. I found the preparation of St Francis for burial and the one of him receiving the stigmata (wounds to the hands, feet and chest, copying Christ’s wounds on the crucifix) particularly moving. Considering that all of them have been on these walls for close to seven hundred years, we felt privileged to see and admire them.
Ponte Vecchio
Heading back to the Uffizi, we walked close to the famous Ponte Vecchio, regretting that we wouldn’t have time to walk across and visit its enticing stores as I have done on previous visits. On the opposite side of the river are the homes of wealthy Florentines. One of the things I love about travelling is the opportunity to appreciate different architectural styles, even within the same region of a country. In the city, the older buildings often featured arches in various shapes and the colours tended to be neutral. On the hillside and in other parts of the countryside, we saw more colours and houses that appeared to be built in square blocks, although arches still feature strongly in the shape of windows. The other thing that is obvious is the amount of greenery, which of course is hard to find within the narrow streets of the city, although courtyards like the one at our B&B are fairly common.
As usual, Susanne wanted to stop and take photos of everything. We were lucky to reach the Uffizi before the time for last entry. It’s an impressive building, like all of the museums and former palaces, but that heavy, powerful style of architecture doesn’t appeal to me. I insisted that we ignore the long balconies that connect many of the galleries and headed for paintings by Filippo Lippi and Botticelli. We also had to find Donatello’s crucifix before closing time.
The Uffizi is like the L’Ouvre in Paris or the National Gallery in London in that the old masters have been donated to or purchased by these galleries so they are known all over the world for their famous collections. They also display masses of other works which don’t particularly appeal to me, but groups of tourists are lead from one gallery to another, trying to see just about everything in a couple of hours. Local guides must be employed to do the talking, often with such a strong local accent that understanding them is difficult.
Botticelli’s Spring
Hence, we ducked through group after group, heading to Spring (very popular, well known, and almost impossible to photograph without crowds in the way.) His use of bold blocks of colour appeals to me, and considering that this was painted in 1478 and is still has such a huge success, I am obviously one of millions of Botticelli admirers.
Botticelli’s Birth of Venu
We also found The Birth of Venus, standing almost naked on her famous shell and again surrounded by crowds. By accident we came across the heart warming Madonna and Child with Angels, which for some unknown reason was not quite so popular. The
Madonna and Child with Two Angels – Filippo Lippi
overhead lights shone too brightly, directly onto the painting, but Susanne managed to capture this one as well as the previous two.
Back on the long balcony,
Florence city roof tops
the crowds had thinned out and my sister was able to take a photo of neighbouring buildings with their many levels of terracotta tiled roofs. It strikes me as typical of the architecture in much of Florence, and the blue sky makes this city so inviting.
Donatello’s Crucifix
We couldn’t linger though—a sign at the end of the balcony indicated that we could find Donatello’s crucifix in a gallery that in fact was several staircases and numerous galleries away, but I was determined to include this in our tour. It wasn’t nearly as impressive when removed from its proper place in Santa Croce. A beautiful crucifix, which shows the agony of the dying Christ, needs to be in a place of prayer, a place where the faithful can kneel in front of it without feeling stupid. This space, with its harsh lighting and sterile surroundings did nothing to enhance the emotions and lifelike presence that Donatello had created. To add to my disappointment, I couldn’t find the right angle for a photograph. Fortunately Susanne is a better photographer and has the right camera to do so.
With such a full day almost over and our journey to Venice planned for the next day, we wandered back to our Diva and Actor suites for our last supper in Florence. We didn’t get to see everything, and I’m not likely to return, but I like to keep in mind the idea that there is something more for me to discover if I do get to revisit this fabulous city.