We went on a 'hidden secrets' tour of the Palazzo Vecchio with a guide this morning. We saw there was a special tour when we were at the Palazzo (on our own) a couple of weeks ago and decided to try it. The tour was in English but they exist also in Italian. (We couldn’t make the Italian tour fit our schedules.) There is even a version in which an actor in costume conducts the tour in the old Florentine dialect, challenging even for native Fiorentines.
Our group was small, four adults and 2 kids. The tour was charming and we definitely recommend it. At the end we had a meeting with Eleonora di Toledo, wife of Cosimo I. We were led through a secret passage from the map room to meet her. We had to bow and ask permission to speak. Oh, even time travel is possible in the magic of Florence…
p.s. You guys look amazing in your photos. really happy, healthy. and I'm surprised at the "christmas marketplace." where the heck are the plastic reindeers, the air blowing snowman and the blinking icicle lights? Its as if Italians don't know the true meaning of Christmas! Chrimeny. You'd think with all their "religion" they'd know the proper way to celebrate the Lord's birthday. Oh ya, I get it, they actually have good taste in Europe.
ReplyDeleteThe christmas market at Santa Croce is relatively small as far as they go. The types of items are influenced by northern Europe's christmas traditions. There we lots of toys (handmade, small, and interesting) for kids and adults. There were decorations you could buy but not over-the-top. And there was food, of course.
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