A stroll in Giardino Bardini
Sunday, March 7, 2010
It’s a cold and sunny morning today and I had this great desire to go out to see my beloved city. I had thought initially about going to the Piazzale Michelangiolo, but decided against it because it can be too busy with tourists and wedding parties taking foto (photos). I suddenly thought about going to Giardino Bardini because of its quietness. I can see a part of it from our apartment and I saw that the hillsides are now green even though many of the trees still don’t have leaves.
I walked across Ponte alle Grazie with my arms tightly crossed across my stomach to keep the cold wind from sneaking underneath my jacket. I was happy to see the light green water in the Arno swirling around.
I continued on to via Bardi and walked into the entrance of the giardino (gardens). I flashed my tessera (card) for the Amici degli Uffizi and was given my ticket to enter.
I walked up the hillside along the stony path and kept looking out at the city. Where I was, the sky was clear and blue, but in the distance there were some clouds floating quickly by.
I love taking foto (photos) of the parts of the city that I find charming, and today I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the Duomo. It seemed even more stunning from the giardino. Sometimes I could see Palazzo Vecchio and at other times it was hidden. I felt as if I were close to it even though it’s across the fiume (river). I walked up to the top where the café under the loggia is. There were only a handful of people strolling around, which lent to the serene surroundings that I enjoyed.
In the end, I took at least 20 different foto of the Duomo from different angles. I even took a foto of our building with the Duomo hovering just behind it. I posted my favorite foto here.
When I heard church bells ringing at noon, I hurried home to get ready for lunch with my suoceri (in-laws). When I returned to our apartment, I looked up at the giardino and saw where I was standing earlier.
I’m happy I took a quick trip to the Giardino Bardini this morning even though I didn’t bring a notebook with me. I had wanted to write while I was sitting above the city, but I was happy to take foto of my beloved city instead.
