Mamma's Visit to Firenze (Feb 2-5)

In the very short time that Mamma came to Firenze, we did so much.
Day 1 (started around 2pm):
We walked around, had a late lunch, Mamma took a nap at somepoint so I did some work.
Day 2:
Started the day off at the San Lorenzo church and saw the inside, the Old Sacristy (designed by Brunelleschi and decorated by Donatello. Apparently Brunelleschi wasn't happy with the decoration because Donatello had painted scenes in roundels that made the roundels look like windows...so Brunelleschi, the very passionate, precise, OCD architect, got mad because the outdoor scenes in the roundels imply a void in the supports (quinches?) of the dome therefore making the structure seem unstable.) We then saw the cloister. We tried going to see the Library where Donatello's famous staircase is, but its under restoration so we couldnt..HOWEVER, my illustration class got permission for 15 minutes to go in, so i got to see it Tuesday morning (sadly, a few hours after mamma left).
After San Lorenzo we went to the Medici Palace and looked around there. I forgot I took pictures with the other digital camera so I don't have all my pics up in this post - will make another post to add what i left out.
After the Medici Palace we walked to the Duomo and the Baptistry. Spent some time in both.
We also went to the Duomo Museo and learned the history and stuff about the Duomo and about the competition held for the creation of the dome. Got to see the original bronze panels by Ghiberti from the Baptistry. Those were pretty amazing, especially the level of detail.
We went out to dinner with two of my friends, Nicole and JQ, had indian food :)
This is after dinner, we were looking for an open gelatteria but all were closed but we found this shop that was selling swimsuits and stuff...and the sign said "gone tanning" instead of "closed". We thought it was funny and took a picture...


Ponte Vecchio by night with us:



Day 3 (Sunday):
We went up to Piazzale Michaelangiolo on a hill on the southern side of the Arno River and climbed up many stairs to see San Miniato al Monte (made in the Ettruscan period).


Composite view of the church facade:


the stairs leading up to the church:


We also saw Firenze from atop a hill. It was quite the sight. All red from the terracotta roofs!


We walked back toward city center, walked along the Arno river and crossed over Ponte Vecchio. Went to Piazza Signoria and saw the fake David by Michaelangelo. We were going to try to see the real on in the Galeria Accedemia but didn't get a chance to do it. We got huge huge servings of gelato on cones, a lot larger than we were expecting...and a lot more expensive than we were expecting! Who knew, a single waffle cone could be 8euro! After eating the gelato we were done eating for the day - soooo stuffed.
Monday morning, we got a taxi to Boboli Gardens behind Palazzo Pitti BUT apparently, all state museums and such are closed on Mondays...so we walked back and went to see Santa Croce instead and did a bit of shopping.
Piazza Santa Croce:

I went to class, and Mamma made some Indian food for me to eat and freeze for later consumption :)
After class we walked around, had dinner, hung out and played cards.
Tuesday early early morning, Mamma took a taxi to the airport, ending our time together :(
But it was definately loads of fun.