Day 7: Free day (and sadly, the last day)

Scott wasn't able to see the Uffizi on Monday, since it was closed, and it was the last thing to see, other than making the rounds to various shops and market stands to gather souvenirs and study abroad table trinkets.

After tasting and purchasing a number of different olive oils and balsamic vinegars, we returned to I Ghibellini for pizza and antipasti. Yummy! A favorite!

Then off to the Uffizi (pronounced oo FEET zee)...
It was incredible to stand in front of Botticelli's(?) Birth of Venus. It was one of a few works that I studied as a high school student that stayed with me. And one of many self-portraits of Rembrandt. For some reason the gallery name "Uffizi" did not stay with me. Perhaps we didn't talk about it, or perhaps Mrs. Thomas didn't mention it, which made Scott question the quality of her teaching. And after seeing the great works in the Uffizi, I am questioning it, too. Regardless, it was incredible to stand in front of the works that I studied 20 years ago (yikes!) and be able to walk the rooms and halls of the Uffizi and talk about them with a "guide" who was so knowledgeable. Scott also shared his story of work on a 40-page essay on a hinged work by a lesser-known artist. The symbolism, which he only briefly described, was astonishing. So many hidden messages, so many subtle details, all of which mean something more than what they may appear to represent on the surface. I am still breathless at the amount of information that artists and art historians are able to hold in their memories. I can only hope that these stories and details are recorded so they are not lost to the next generation.

Temperatures were dropping and the wind was picking up, so we made one more lap through the city, past the Duomo and Tower, and walked back to the hotel. It will be a challenge to strategically pack our bags so the bottles of oil, vinegar, etc., don't break.

Our flight leaves at 10:10am tomorrow. We'll be up at 7:30am to catch our taxi to the airport. If Air France has settled their strike, we should be leaving on time. It won't be long before we're back on U.S. soil and back to work for a couple of days before Thanksgiving Break.