Had to leave Peruzzi Residenza to move to Hotel Pitti Palace, which was provided by the language study program. It’s right at the end of the Ponte Vecchio so I headed there at 9:30 am hoping the area would not yet be too crowded. I took a taxi because my luggage had become too unwieldy to walk even though it is not quite a kilometre away (if I cross Ponte Vecchio). The white bag is particularly heavy with books and food.

This was the view of the hotel from Corridoio Vasariano. It’s the door with B&B:

I had almost four hours before I could check in. I went to Palazzo Pitti where my pass would get me into the Galleria Palatina (the old masters art (for lack of a better description)), the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (Modern Art Gallery), Museo della Moda (Fashion Museum), Treasures of the Medici Dukes, and Russian Icons. I went to the first three.

I have been to the Galleria Palatina before but this was the first time I noted there is no where to sit unless you take one of the security guards’ chairs. I thought about sketching a Salvator Rosa seascape but decided I didn’t want to stand and sketch since I had a number of hours to keep moving before I could check in.

The Arte Moderna museum does not have anything particularly noteworthy. Most of the works are post-1800 Italian and had quite a number of rooms of donated works from different collectors. This dog statue was cute.

The Museo Moda had some interesting displays of art, clothing and sometimes video. I did not realize that catwalks were being used in the 1950s. Videos of fashion shows in the 1930s just had the models walking around a room full of seated women.

I needed to sit so went to Santa Spirito church where you can’t take photos. The church was designed by Brunelleschi but he died before it was finished and some changes were made to his plan, mainly to save money. I sketched one of the corner pillars. I noticed they are now charging an entrance fee to the chapel where a wooden crucifix possibly carved by a very young Michelangelo is hanging. If it is by him, it is the only work that he carved in wood. When I last saw it, there was no fee.

I did some gelato hunting and tried Sbrino Gelatificio Contadino which was very good, up at the top for both the cioccolato Modica which was intense (Modica is in Sicily) and the nocciola was also among my top.

It is quite close to the hotel so I’ll try to go back and try some of the other flavours before we leave.

I stopped for lunch at a small place that I thought would be good because it seemed full of people speaking Italian but the pasta was way over sauced although the pasta itself was good. I like how many people had dogs under their table.

I checked into the hotel after finishing lunch. The room is pretty basic but has a mini fridge to keep my butter, cheese and mayo.

The program orientation meeting was also at the hotel. Twenty-three people, which is larger than usual because this will be the last year it is run in Florence.

After our meeting and drinks and food, I went for a walk with a few of the other students. The Florence marathon is tomorrow. That’s going to make tomorrow morning’s walking orientation interesting.