Since it was part of the Bargello pass, I went inside Orsanmichele. Most tours just wander around the outside to look at the statues as they are good copies of the originals and the originals inside don’t include all of them as Donatello’s Saint George is in the Bargello.

Going inside lets you get a lot closer. But first, you need to cross a open air bridge, which I managed to do.

For most of my visit, there was no one else inside.

In the background of the photo you can see part of a circular staircase that goes up to the second level (3rd floor). The ceilings are really high so the staircase goes up really high and the sides of the staircase are not very tall. The security guard told me there’s a great view of the city but I gave it a pass. Maybe I might try later. I mainly wanted to look at Donatello’s St Peter and St Mark.

St Peter can be identified because of the keys. Identifying St Mark was not obvious looking at the statue, but outside, the predella or base under the statue, shows a lion, one of St Mark’s attribute, which is why lions are all over Venice where St Mark is the patron saint.

After, I looked in some shops and also some hotels. Depending on the apartment I’m assigned with my language program, I might book a hotel for when Scott arrives.

Nearby where I am staying is the Horne Museum. It’s the former house of Herbert Percy Horne, a Londoner, who moved to Florence in 1905, bought a palazzo and made it his home where he studied and collected Italian art, primarily Renaissance. Its book collection and archived papers also provide materials for scholarly study. There are a lot of items including a Giotto painting.

Again, it was just me and one of the museum workers in the rooms. There only seemed to be two people working there. This is not a must see museum but was interesting for an idea what one Florence art obsessed person could amass in the early 20th century. He apparently wasn’t rich but early Renaissance pieces didn’t cost a fortune back then.

It’s been a week since I arrived and I finally felt up to a meat and potatoes dinner. Until now, I’ve been so tired I couldn’t eat much.

The half eaten plate is veal chop with sautéed spinach and roast potatoes—and a glass of wine.