Corner La Trin: The Uffizi

Walking down the fashion street of Florence, I couldn't help but notice the number and variety of stores. There were lots of stylish brands such as Burberry, Chanel and even the American jewelry icon Tiffany and Co ! We stopped at Piazza Vecchio to take some pictures before we went into the Uffizi art gallery. Here was a duplicate of David, the statue that Michelangelo had sculpted. It was also where the original David had stood before being moved to the Galleria Academia. There was also a huge and elegant fountain with a big statue in the middle of it. It was the fountain of Neptune, and Neptune was the statue in the middle. It was carved out of marble and had expressive and impressive sculptures. Then there was a little courtyard with duplicates of famous statues in it too. I couldn't wait to see the originals.

The Uffizi was huge. Enormous. We bought our audio guides and headed into the first room, a corridor with lots of statues and small paintings. This whole complex had been owned by the Medici family back in the old days. Now it was a gallery.

We wandered into room after room, and all of them had fantastic paintings. But my favorites were The Birth of Venus and Primavera. Both by Botticelli. The Birth of Venus is the famous scene of Venus, the goddess of beauty, standing in a shell, emerging from the sea. Primavera, (Spring) is a colourful scene with lush vegetation. Venus stands in the middle surrounded by Flora and the Graces. Also included is Mercury who, it is claimed is modeled on the painter himself. It was just so... Charming.

After hours and hours of admiring the beautiful paintings and sculptures, we had finally completed all of the 51 rooms of the U shaped gallery. We headed out of this amazing place and started exploring Florence.

The narrow streets were filled with cafes whose aromas drifted out and soaked me in desire. We stopped for dinner, we had been in the gallery until six, at a little cafe that overlooked Piazza Vecchio where I ordered a steak and mixed salad. It was cooked beautifully and just melted in my mouth. Exactly how I wanted it. And of course, ice cream to finish off the beautiful meal.

Our day had finally ended and we went back to the hotel. I prepared for bed, and tucked into sleep.

Uffizi Courtyard