Trip to Florence

Today we said hello to a rainy day. But we were full of energy again. Our route today is Florence, the art city of Italy. Florence is the capital of art and the Renaissance and many world famous people have lived in Florence.

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Rafael, Sandro Botticelli and many other great artists lived in this magical city.

We left our hotel early in the morning in the rain and travelled by bus over the river Arno to Florence. Our bus had left us on the river bank. We went to the city on foot by the Arno River. Our first stop was the Uffizi Museum. While walking towards the Museum we saw the oldest bridge of Florence "Ponte Vecchio". According to our guide, when Hitler besieged Italy, he destroyed many bridges in Florence and left only this bridge behind. According to the rumours, Adolf Hitler liked this bridge very much and did not allow it to be demolished. When the bridge was built in the 14th century, there were fishermen and so on. Later, gold shops were opened in their place, so the rich and nobles started to settle in the neighbourhood.

Ponte Vecchio Bridge

We came to Italy's most visited Uffizi museum. When you enter the museum, you get your fill of art with the valuable works of early Renaissance artists such as Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. The most important work here is the original of the Statue of David, which Michelangelo carved from a single piece of unused marble column at the age of 26 and whose copy is exhibited in Signoria Square. There is a statue of each of them outside the museum. According to our guide, the religious building, which was used for the baptisms of Catholics in the city until the 19th century, was built on an old Roman temple.

Uffizi Museum

After the historical information we received from Mrs Arzu, whom we met at the Uffizi Museum, we started to walk towards the square where the statue of David, the work of Michelangelo, is located and the Duomo Cathedral.

As we learnt from our guide, the Medici family, who lived here in the past, supported the development of art in the city and left great traces. The Medicis, who were bankers, attracted the talented painters and architects of the time to Florence, sponsored them and forced them to make art.

When we arrived at the Duomo square, we came across magnificent works of art that left people open-mouthed. First of all, let me tell you about the Florence cathedral (The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore) whose dome was built by Brunelleschi. According to what we learned from Mrs Arzu, the construction of the cathedral started in the 13th century. One of the most famous parts of the cathedral is the clock at the entrance. One of the reasons that makes the cathedral so famous is that Giorgio Vasari's "Doomsday" work is located here. Its exterior and dome are quite magnificent.

Mrs Arzu also gave us information about the doors of the Cathedral. All of the four doors have square areas, marvellous craftsmanship and religious stories. Just opposite the cathedral is the baptistery in the same square. This place is also made with marvellous hand workmanship.

Statue of David

Duoma square is also called Piazza della Signoria, the square of the senators. Besides the statue of David, there are many other statues. Mrs Arzu told us one by one what these statues meant in history.

After taking a few more photos, we went to the famous Gilli pastry shop and ate tiramisu in our free time. Later, while walking around the streets, you will see that art flows whichever street you dive into. It was very enjoyable to walk in the rain in Florence. Finally, after taking a few photos on the Ponte Vecchio bridge, we started our way back

On the way back, we stopped by the Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the most important and famous basilicas in Florence. The mausoleums of many important people such as Galileo, Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli are located here.

The magnificent exterior of the basilica was built in the 19th century by the British philanthropist Francis Sloane with marble inlays. There are Bardi and Peruzzi Chapels in this basilica built by the Franciscan sect. These chapels are famous for the frescoes depicting St Francis and St John. Inside the church there is also the entrance to the Cappella Pazzi by Brunelleschi. This leads to a courtyard where a small museum with works of art can be seen. The Cappella Pazzi is one of the first and most important religious interiors of the Renaissance. Some of the other important parts and artefacts that can be seen in the Basilica of Santa Croce are Gaddi's 1380 work telling the story of the Holy Cross, the crucifix by Cimabue in the museum section and other important artefacts from the Renaissance period.

Since we did not have much time, we could not enter the basilica, and after seeing the basilica only from the outside, we set off towards our bus. Since we didn't have time, we couldn't go to Michelangelo Hill, but I would have loved to go there.

Travelling to Rome

On the fourth day of our tour, we came to Rome, the capital of Italy, where we were excitedly waiting. With its nightlife, history and shopping places, Rome is a beautiful city to fall in love with. Although our hotel was close to the airport, it was quite far from the city centre. As we learnt from our guide on the bus, Rome was built on 7 hills around the Tiber River. Istanbul is also a city built on 7 hills. When the Roman emperor Constantine came to Istanbul, he wanted a new city with 7 hills and made Istanbul the new capital of the Roman Empire. For this reason, the other name of Istanbul is also referred to as the new Rome.

Colosseum

Our first stop was the Colosseum, the giant arena of Rome. Before taking photos, our guide gave information about the Colosseum, also known as the Amphitheatre. The construction of the Colosseum started in 72 AD. I think 5000 animals were slaughtered when it was first opened. In the world's largest arena, there were theatre plays, various shows, gladiator battles and executions in later times. With the arrival of Christianity in the Roman period, these fights were banned. Since the entrance to the Colosseum was very crowded, we only took photos and then headed towards the Vatican.

When we arrived at Vatican Square, which is the smallest country in the world, our guide gave us information about the Vatican first. When entering the Vatican, clothes should not be open.

Swiss guards protect the Vatican. These guards have been selected according to special criteria and trained with special training for centuries since 1506. Why Swiss guards, you ask? Since Switzerland has never fought against the Pope throughout history, it has been a country that has proven its loyalty. The clothes they wear were designed by Michelangelo.

Vatican Guard

According to our guide, the Vatican has a very strong economy. In addition to the donations made to the Vatican, all the shops around it belong to him. He also secretly has shares in many companies. The country's income is estimated to be 500 billion euros. It makes you want to join the smallest country in the world... 🙂

San Pietro Square is an extremely splendid square in Rome designed by Bernini. It has the largest basilica in the world. It is useful to go to the Vatican very early to enter St Peter's Basilica, every corner of which is a separate wonder of art. Because there is an incredible queue. We could not enter in the 2 days we stayed in Rome. The most valuable work of art you should see inside is Michelangelo's Pieta. The statue depicting Jesus lying in the arms of his mother Mary after he was crucified is located here.

Pope elections are held in the Sistin chapel in the Vatican. Cardinals stay in the building reserved for them during this retreat. White smoke from the chimney announces to the 1 billion 200 million Catholics worldwide that the new Pope has been elected. Black smoke means he has not been elected yet.

As we left the Vatican and walked towards Navona (Piazza Navonna), the most magnificent square of the city, we came across Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte Sant'Angelo, the most beautiful bridge right next to the Tiber River.

We went to Navona Square, one of the most beautiful and lively squares in Rome. It is possible to see cafes, restaurants, stalls selling paintings, and street performers besides the 4 Rivers sculpture designed by Bernini in Navona Square. It is worth mentioning that the restaurant prices surrounding the square are quite high.

This square was built 2000 years ago as Domitian Stadium with a capacity of 30.000 people. Of course, the stadium was demolished over time and is now used as a square.

Then we passed through the narrow streets of beautiful Rome and came to the Pantheon square. The reason why this place is called the Pantheon Square is because there is the Pantheon, the temple of the gods. It was built by Emperor Hadrian between 118-125. The reason for the construction of the temple dedicated to the pagan Roman gods was the revitalisation of the old one that burnt down in 80 AD. There is even an inscription and two statues in front of the building dedicated to Marcus Agrippa, who built the burnt temple. The part that impressed me the most is that the centre is designed to let the sunlight in. There are many tombs of kings, artists and architects inside the building.

After the Pantheon square, we started walking to one of the busiest squares of Rome, Piazza Venezia. It was built by King Victor Emmanuel II as a monument to Victory.

The palace is now home to the Museo del Palazzo Venezia (Museum of the Venetian Palace). Inside the museum; there are first-class early Renaissance paintings and tree sculptures. Since we had little time, we took some photos outside and continued on our way.

Then we walked towards the Trevi fountain, also known as the fountain of love. Our guide told us that the Trevi fountain was shaped like a seashell and decorated with sculptures. It was built by Nicola Salvi, one of the best architects of the period, in 1732. According to our guide, while it was an ordinary fountain at the time, it suddenly became the most famous fountain in Italy thanks to the Hollywood cinema films such as "La Dolce Vita" and "Three Coins in The Fountain" being shot here. Nowadays, tourists throw lucky coins into the fountain to find true love. It is also believed that you will come to Rome again.

On the Trevi Fountain, Poseidon is flanked on his left by Ceres (Demeter) and on his right by Salus (Hygieia) and the kind-hearted maiden who gave her name to the fountain. Poseidon is driving a chariot drawn by winged horses emerging from the sea.

Finally, we went to the Spanish Steps, which is said to be named after the Spanish Consulate. At the top of the 138 steps, there is an obelisk from the ancient Romans and the Trinita Dei Montia Church. I think this is the most crowded and suffocating place in Rome, it is hard to understand why it is so popular. On the opposite street of the stairs, you will see the street with the most famous shops. The first Gucci store was opened there. We could only look at the clothes in the shop windows.

Siena and San gimignano Excursion

Our route today is Siena, a city built on three hills and surrounded by medieval cathedrals. It is one of the most touristic cities of the region. Siena, which is considered the heart of the Toscana region, is unique in its architectural texture with its long narrow streets paved with medieval cobblestones and brown and red coloured stone buildings. After arriving in the city, we passed by the shopping street (Bonchi di Sopri) and arrived at the Siena cathedral.

We can say that it is the most beautiful cathedral of Siena. According to our guide

The city of Siena lost almost half of its population to the plague at the time, and it was believed that St Catherine, who gave the cathedral its name, cured the plague. Since the skull and finger of St Catherine are kept here, it is forbidden to take photos inside... The entrance is paid, we did not enter the cathedral because we had limited time and went to the Campo square, which is the heart of Siena. It is impossible not to be fascinated by this square. As soon as you enter the square, you come across a medieval palace. It is possible to see the symbol of the Medici family on it. One of the other reasons that make the square important is that Palio games are played here. Palio is a game played with flag horses according to our guide. It is played twice a year.

We filled our water from the Fonte Gaia fountain, which took 8 years to build, located in the Campo square. In the 1300s, Sienans were getting water from pipes 25 kilometres away with pipes. This fountain was built in 1419.

Then we drank our coffee in a cafe called Nannini, which is very famous in Siena... There are different kinds of cookies and cakes unique to Siena in the cafe. While we were drinking our coffee, other friends came and we all sat together. Then we walked through the narrow streets to the meeting place and walked towards the bus.

Nannini Cafe

After half an hour of travelling, we arrived in San Gimignano, also known as the city of towers surrounded by walls, also known as the Manhattan of the Middle Ages. There were many olive trees here. According to our guide, the history of the city dates back to the third century BC. St Geminianus, who founded the city, built it in the most beautiful place in the Toscana region to protect it from enemies. This city, which had over a hundred towers at one time, was destroyed by Napoleon and only seven towers remained.

As soon as we entered the city, we ate pizza in the pizzeria. According to our guide, it was famous. Then we walked towards the square. There we ate ice cream from the ice cream parlour which was the first in the world. There is a 13th-century water cistern in the square where we ate ice cream. We had only photographed it from a distance. But it turned out that tourists would throw money into it and make a wish.

It is known that there were very cruel tortures in San Gimignano in the Middle Ages. There are two torture museums from that period in the city and they are open to visitors. There is a fee.

Tour of Sirmione and Verona

Our Motto Italy Tour started with our landing at Bergamo Airport near Milan. Our first stop was the town of Sirmione on the shores of Lake Garda in the Lombardy region in the north of Italy. After a 40-minute journey, we arrived in Sirmione. Since our bus could not enter the city centre, we parked in the car park and slowly started to walk towards the city centre in a group with our guide.

We passed the Scaligero Castle, which dates back to the 13th century, and the small bridge to the city centre. In the centre, Sirmione, the pearl of Lake Garda, is surrounded by bougainvillea-covered buildings and houses, the scent of lemon trees and medieval streets.

Scaliger Castle

There are many ice cream shops in Sirmione. After wandering around two small squares whose names I don't remember, we visited the church on the right side of the square. After taking photos in front of the kissing sign, we returned to the city and ate ice cream with big cones and plenty of varieties on the lakeshore.

After eating our ice creams, our next route was the charming city of Verona. There are many things to tell about Verona, known as the city of lovers. One of the most special features of the city is that Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona. Another one is that Leonardo Dicaprio's house is located in this city. According to our guide, hundreds of tourists come to Verona just to see this house.

Erbe Square in the city behind Leonardo Dicaprio's house is quite magnificent. In the centre of the square is a marketplace where vegetables and fruits are sold. There are also tourist and souvenir shops and local food. There are two towers in Erbe Square.

Lamberti Tower and Market

We passed under the shark bone hanging in the square and reached Dante Square. It is said that the shark bone is believed to bring good luck. There are different government buildings and courthouses in Dante Square. In the centre, there is a statue of Dante.

Statue of Dante

We went to Verona Cathedral (Duomo di Verona), just a little further from Dante Square. The most powerful man in the history of Verona, who died around 1300 "

Cangrande della Scala" In 2004, Farnaciari's team exhumed the body from the richly decorated tomb in the Church of Santa Maria Antica in Verona and began to analyse it. The natural mummy was still dressed in its flamboyant clothes and, according to our guide, was very well preserved.

In our free time, we went to one of the restaurants in the square and had pasta with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. I recommend it. After eating our meals

After having photos taken in front of the only part of the second largest amphitheatre in Italy after the Colosseum, we continued on our way to see Juliet's house.

Amphitheatre

On our way, we saw a sign saying "Ghetto" on the ground. We learnt from our guide that it was the neighbourhood where Jews living under the Venetian Republic were forced to live in Venice. Following the crowd we came to Juliet's house 🙂 There were many tourists inside. Tourists queuing up to visit the balcony where Juliet was waiting for Romeo was paying 10 euros per person. There was a bronze statue of Juliet on her towel. It was believed that touching her right breast brought luck and opened fortune. But I didn't do anything like that, I just stood next to him and had him take a photo and then we walked back to our bus.

Venice and Bologna

After breakfast at the Best Western Titian Hotel in Venice, we set off early in the morning for Venice, where the famous carnivals are held. According to what our guide told us on the bus, Venice was the capital of the Veneto region. Venice was an island city built on 118 islets and more than 400 bridges. Especially the fact that the region is completely underwater and that transport can be done through canals has given Venice a very distinctive feature. According to our guide, Venice has been one of the most important and powerful maritime trade cities in Europe throughout history.

After we arrived in Venice, we walked to the place where we were going to board the boat. We arrived at San Marco Square, the heart of Venice, after half an hour's boat journey.

Napoleon once described San Marco Square as the "hall of Europe". We walked towards the Basilica of San Marco and the Palace of the Dukes, which are very important buildings for tourists in San Marco Square. Our guide told us that the building right next to the palace was the "palace prison" and the prisoners who were imprisoned in the palace were taken to their cells from this bridge, which was closed on 4 sides, and the prisoners passing here would look at the view of Venice and sigh, so this bridge was called the bridge of sighs.

When we crossed the bridge and came to the square, a very big tower welcomed us.

According to our guide, it was built as a lighthouse, it was destroyed in the earthquake and rebuilt, and there is the church of San Marco opposite it. According to our guide, the four bronze horse statues on the church of San Marco were brought from Turkey and placed there as a victory monument during the Roman period. On the side of the church, there are 2 columns and four statues of soldiers hugging each other in the corner, which were also smuggled from Turkey.

Right next to the church of St. Marco is the palace of the dukes and there is a museum in front of it. Since we didn't have much time, we couldn't pay money and go inside. In our free time, we started to visit the beautiful old narrow streets with my mum. There were very beautiful glass embroidered shops left and right. Then we joined the gondola tour for half an hour. According to what we learnt from our guide, gondolas were first used to transport nobles. Now they are especially used on important days such as weddings, entertainment and funerals. Although there are many different theories about the colour of the gondolas, our guide told us one of them. Venice is an island city that has experienced two plague epidemics in history. There is a theory that people were carried in these gondolas when they were brought to churches for treatment. Some even died in these gondolas. Later, with a decision taken by the duke of the period, all gondolas were painted black.

Gondola Tour

After the Gondola Tour, we went to the meeting place again and got on the boat and after a half-hour boat journey, we got on the buses and set off towards Bologna.

On the way, our guide started to tell us how Italians named the colours of the Italian flag. They liken the green colour of their flag to basil, the red to tomato and the white to mozzarella cheese 🙂

We crossed the Po River and arrived in Bologna, the red city. We got off the bus and started to walk under the porticoes passing by the park. Most of the historical buildings consisted of porticoes called "portico" and were connected in this way. It is a pleasure to explore the city under the porticoes built to protect it from the heat in summer and snow and rain in winter.

First of all, we went to the canals and the window of Venice. There was no water in the canal, but after taking a few photos, we continued walking towards the square. In the square, we took photos in front of the Neptune fountain with the eagle statue of the two famous families in the Neptune fountain and walked towards the Basilica of San Petronio.

According to our guide, the construction of San Petronio Basilica took centuries. Since it was Sunday, the entrance was free. As far as we learnt, there was a work in which the Prophet was painted in a bad way. Since it costs money to see the artefact, we could take a picture of it from a distance. Al Qaida organised two attacks there in the past.

The square was closed to traffic because it was Sunday and the streets and the square were full of people because of the festival that day. We walked towards the two big towers and took photos there. According to our guide, there were about 200 towers in Bologna in the past, but only a few of them survived the earthquakes.

Then they took us to a place that was an Outlet open shopping mall, it was dark in the air now... Since it was quite cool in the air, we entered the restaurant at the entrance after walking around the mall very quickly and after filling our stomachs there, we headed to our hotel.