73. Le Vieux Port - Marseilles

We had always avoided Marseilles because it seemed as though it would be a horror trying to navigate through the suburbs of this huge city to find our way to the very heart of the original settlement - the old port.  What a surprise!  Easy - easy - easy!  Two lanes all the way and good signage. 

And this was the view from our hotel window.  That is the old fort, Fort Saint Nicholas, on the headland, guarding one side of the entrance to the harbour.  It was built by Louis XIV in 1680 as a second defence - to assist the Fort Saint Jean on the other headland, which is even older, surviving from the 12th century. 

Marseilles is old!  It is said to have been the most significant of the Mediterranean ports for 2,600 years.

I've never seen so many boats - and they are constantly moving.  It is a pleasure port these days - the commercial port of Marseilles is a little further along the coast to the west. 

Looking towards the left from our hotel window.  Marseilles claims to offer over 100 km of boat mooring.

And looking directly across the port with the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde on the hill.

Marseilles-Provence is the European Capital of Culture for 2013 and the city has certainly scrubbed up well.  

Love the art on the waterfront.

Some georgeous buildings.  This city has had a rich past and my brochure says Le Viuex Port is in its second life and hopes for a rich future.  Well - that's my limted translation anyway.  I wish it the best of luck.

What a great way to advertise.

And fun, too

Some real art,I think.

One of very many tour boats that take tourists to see the rocky coastline outside the port as well as the Chateau d'If - of Count of Monte Cristo fame.  This one was named the Henri-Jacquès.  We'll save up this excursion for our next visit.

The fiercely old fort of Saint Nicholas built on the white rock that makes up the coastline, and most of the landscape, of Provence.

This is the electric ferry that shuffles back and forwards across the harbour - for free.  
Powered entirely by solar panels on the roof, with the inverter and its readings proudly displayed in the cabin, promoting clean energy.  The readout showed that the ferry uses more power stopping before it crashes into the jetty at the other side of the harbour in front of the pink Marie, than it does to make the journey across the water.

The energy readings are up there on the panel top right.

The beautiful church of Notre Dame de la Garde that dominates the cityscape.  We took the tourist train to get up here in the early evening.  It is built of a white marble with a  colour similar to that of the Duomo in Florence.

Back at dock level - I just loved the Dali in front of the old and not so old, masted boats with the cathedral on the hill.

Twenty four hours was nowhere near enough, but bookings were difficult and we could only pick up a single Monday night - we'll come again.

72. Galleria deli Uffizi - Firenze

In our second assault on Florence, four days after the first, we were once again successful in finding a free car park in Piazza Michelangelo.

So here is the racey yellow car (now with a dint and two scratches) and Michelangelo's David - both in the same photo.

There is quite a lot of parking available for cars, as well as spots reserved for the Hop-on Hop-off bus (the red one) and the Tourist Train.  In addition, a lot of the bus tours using those gigantic coaches come up here, giving their passengers 10 minutes to see the view before moving on.  

Having booked our tickets online and waited four days for our turn to come, we are once again at the Galleria degli Uffizi.  We have to collect our tickets at least an hour prior to our allotted time, which is 3.45pm.

The front facade of the Uffizi faces the river Arno, next to the Ponte Vecchio.  It is a U shaped building, so behind this facade, which is the short side of the U, there are two long wings with a courtyard between.

Here they are, two beautifully colonnaded galeries of grey stone.  We have collected our tickets from the pre-booked ticket office - queue of three only - and now we have a bit over an hour to fill before our allotted viewing time.

It is only a few steps to the Piazza della Signoria and I jostle the other photographers on the steps of the Palazzo Vecchio, just behind David's left arm, looking out on to the square. The Loggia dei Lanzi is on the left of this photo.

Turning behind me, we step into the Palazzo Vecchio. Originally, on this exact spot, stood the ancient Roman theatre of Florence when this was but a colony of Rome.  On those Roman foundations a medieval fortress was constructed in 1299 which in turn became these highly decorative chambers of civic power in the Renaissance.

We didn't go into the museum of the palazzo where we could have seen the magnificent public rooms/chambers decorated by da Vinci, Michelangelo, Vasari and Donatello.

Looking at the Palazzo Vecchio from across the Piazza della Signoria with the Loggia dei Lanzi on the right.  You can see a copy of the statue of David outside the entrance and the huge statue of Hercules on the left of the building. This piazza has been the centre of political life in Florence since the 14th century.  It has been the scene of great triumphs such as the return of the Medicis from exile in 1530 and the Bonfire of the Vanities, burnings at the stake, in the 1490s.   

The sculptures in Piazza della Signoria bristle with political connotations, many of which are fiercely contradictory. The David (the original is in the Galleria dell'Accademia) by Michelangelo was placed outside the Palazzo Vecchio as a symbol of the Republic's defiance of the tyrannical Medici. Bandinelli's Hercules and Cacus (1534) to the right of the David was appropriated by the Medici to show their physical power after their return from exile. The Nettuno (1575) by Ammannati celebrates the Medici's maritime ambitions and Giambologna's equestrian statue of Duke Cosimo I (1595) is an elegant portrait of the man who brought all of Tuscany under Medici military rule.

It cost 70 euros to ride around the city centre in this horse drawn vehicle.

A bride was running up this street as went to get ourselves a coffee.

Circling the square again, on our way back to the Uffizi, it seems that the crowd has thinned somewhat and I can actually see the statues in the Loggia dei Lanzi.  Built in 1376, this is an outdoor sculpture gallery which includes Perseo with the Head of Medusa and The Rape of the Sabines, both stark reminders of the power of the Medici.

Finally it is our turn at the Uffizi - I thought you might like this extract:

Like a very precious treasure, the Uffizi Gallery will grant itself to visitors only after some initial trials: uncertainty as to where to get tickets, lines to get tickets, varying 'official' prices for tickets, lines to get inside, lines at the metal detector, lines at the audioguides, many, many stairs before the access to the top loggia and then finally, the Gallery will unveil its stunning frescoed ceilings and a long labyrinth of amazing works of art exposed chronologically. This “U” shaped Renaissance building was actually not created as a museum. Cosimo de’ Medici had entrusted his favorite architect Giorgio Vasari to create a grandiose building to house the seats of the Florentine Guilds (the magistrates), a vast theatre and judiciary offices (hence the name “Uffizi” which means offices in Italian).

For this reason, the spaces you’ll be visiting were not meant to welcome up to 10,000 people a day in air conditioned comfort. The halls of the Uffizi were only accessible to the Grand Ducal family, servants and  a few selected guests. Guests were welcomed on the top floor of the Uffizi to admire the grandiose collection of Roman sculptures. The Medicis collected art for centuries - manuscripts, sculptures, paintings, gems, coins, cameos and more. Francesco I,commissioned the first private room dedicated to “any kind of wonder”. Buontalenti created for him an octagonal shaped Tribune to host Francesco’s favorite works of art and jewels. The Tribune is considered the most ancient and precious heart of the Uffizi, still maintaining the original shape of its 1584 construction. The concept of “museum” was developed later by Pieter Leopold of the Lorraines in 1769, when he opened the Uffizi and its treasures to the public. He would have never imagined that it would become one of the most frequented museums in the world. Serious art lovers should visit the Uffizi at least twice to see all of it!

The first of the three arms of the upper gallery

Looking down on the courtyard flanked by the two long arms of the U.

The section of gallery that faces the river Arno - looking in one direction .....

... and then in the other.  

A glipse of the Ponte Vecchio from the top floor of the Uffizi, through a less than clean window.

Looking across the U shape at top floor level.  The top floor has limited air-conditioning, and is cooled by opening the windows, as you can see here.  The whole structure seems in need of repair but given the money they are collecting from the tourists, they will have a healthy budget.

Photos were only allowed in these three long corridors of the top floor.  No photos of the art works were permitted.  But it is as much the building as the art that is the attraction.

71. A Glimpse of Firenze

We had left booking accommodation in Florence until very late and experienced some difficulty finding what we wanted; in fact we didn't get a booking until the morning of our arrival - bit of a close call really!

We found a little house on an agro-touristico on the eastern side of the city - about 27 km out and offering a surprisingly easy run into the city centre if one used the sat. nav. and drove in during siesta time (between noon and 3pm).

On both of our visits we managed to get free parking in Piazza Michelangelo, a square at the very top of a hill on the south side of the river Arno, just east of the city centre. The square offers a stunning view of the city. From here, a very large replica of Michelangelo's David looks out over the city.

This is the view from Piazza Michelangelo with the Ponte Vecchio (the old bridge) over the river on the left of the photo.  Next is the tall clock tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, the old palace, and finally the cathedral with its terracotta duomo.

The city is in a valley surrounded by hills which may explain why it always seems so hot.

The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone bridge that spans the narrowest part of the Arno.  It was built in 1350 on the foundations of a Roman bridge which had stood since 996AD.  

The Ponte Vecchio is noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common.  Butchers initially occupied these shops but now it is jewellers and souvenir sellers.

Having crossed the Ponte Vecchio, you turn into the main square, the Piazza della Signoria, a huge square that has been the centre of political life in Florence since the 14th century.  In front of you is the Palazzo Vecchio, the old palace with its tall clock tower.

A little past the Piazza della Signoria is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower) the main church of Florence. 

Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is most usually called, was begun in 1296 in the Gothic style and completed in 1436  The exterior of the basilica is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade.

The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. The three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site covering the historic centre of Florence.  The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and the dome remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

The buildings are so big and the streets so narrow, that it is very difficult to get the whole complex in a single photograph.

The beautifully elaborate facade.  It is no easy matter to gain entry - queues, tickets, long waits.  And there are three sections that are ticketed separately.  

A glimpse of the duomo from a side street.

After walking around for an hour or so, fighting the crowds and experiencing some very humid weather after a wild summer thunderstorm the previous night, we decided to retreat to our little farmhouse and book tickets on line to avoid the queues.

So we walked back up the old city walls to the Piazza Michelangelo - some climb!

70. Bagni Vagnoni Val D'Orcia

This was our last view of Montalcino as we headed off in the general direction of Florence.

But on the way we stopped off at an interesting spot - Bagni Vagnoni: the Roman Baths.  

The Romans were big into bathing so they were heavy consumers of water, and always on the lookout for natural springs to supply their settlements.  

The particular spring that flows vigourously from this particular Tuscan hill top is rich, hot mineral water.  It has been used to provide public thermal baths since Roman times and is still going strong - although these days access is restricted to paying patrons unless you are good at rock climbing.

This is the beautiful historical bath that for some strange reason has had a platform built in the middle and these ugly  floating balls let loose on top.  Typically Italian if you ask me - bad taste is only just below the surface.  I cannot understand why they they think this is attractive.  Ooooh, Viv's in a mean mood!

Anyway, you can see the spring still spurting strongly from the ground underneath the bath.

This was the very nice sign for the bath and its associated loggia called St Catherines porch, which provided seating and shade for those originlly come for the healing waters.  This is a UNESCO site.  But in typical Italian fashion, there is no further information provided. That's it!  I suspect they've stolen the UNESCO money to build a new swimming pool at the luxury hotel where you now have to pay if you want to bath in the highly chemicalised waters.  Oooohh! Viv's in an extremely mean mood!

Just a few hundred metres across the top of this stony mountain is another area that the Romans exploited. This is where the thermal spring naturally trickled over the rocky edge of the mountain.  Once the main bath was constructed over the spring itself, the overflow from the bath was allowed to continue to trickle down its original course over the top of this stony mountain top - but with a few Roman modifications.

The Romans actually sculpted narrow channels out of the rock of the mountain to move the water to additional pools before they finally allowed it to run off the mountain top to the river in the valley below.  The photo above shows only two of dozens of channels, about 40cm wide, carved into the rock, that moved the highly mineralised waters to hot baths and swimming pools.

These were a series of baths fed by the channels in the rock.  Over the years the mineral build up is obvious.  But in Roman times the hot water would have filled the four pools  and been used for bathing rituals.  Water is no longer allowed to pool in these baths although it still trickles through.  One suspects that most water still bubbling from the natural spring, is now diverted to the luxury hotel on the site.  User pays.

This photo shows a bit more perspective of how these chambers were built and how large they are - but again, it's a  UNESCO site but there is no information anywhere.

In addition, the Romans created two huge swimming pools in the mountain rock.  This mountain is apparently made of travertine marble and the Romans dug these two huge holes, one slightly higher than the other, into which they channeled the warm mineralised waters.

Great to look at and fascinating, but it would have been nice to have a bit of information.