Wednesday morning - We left our apartment shortly after breakfast, took the short walk to Ponte Vecchio, which we once heard an American tourist refer to as "that famous bridge", and passed over the Arno into the historic center of Firenze. We stopped long enough to capture this image of Ponte Santa Trinita, and then continued to the Palazzo Davanzati, one of our favorite places to visit in Florence.

In the fifteenth century, when it was new, the magnificent sandstone building was the home of the Davizzi family and one of the architectural highlights of the city. In 1578, a century later, it was purchased by the Davanzati family, wealthy Florentine merchants, and it remained in the family until 1838. After surviving the "urban renewal" of the historic center of the city, it was purchased in the late 1800's by the antiquarian Elia Volpi, who is responsible for restoring the property to its appearance today.

Volpi was to become an important force in the New York world of antiques after the turn of the 20th century. But, more of that below.

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The first of the palazzo's four stories: a massive entrance atrium. Fortunately, a lift is available to bring visitors to the top story,

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from which one descends on this large, winding staircase, viewed here from below.

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One of the spacious bed chambers on the top floor.

This room and the other three bedrooms are decorated with extremely fascinating frescoes.

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It is, indeed, the variety of the walls in the palazzo that makes the visit so enjoyable.

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Much of the family's furniture was sold by Volpi during the early years of the 20th century. His first American offering, the Davanzati Palace Sale at Anderson Galleries in New York in 1915, realized nearly one million dollars while kicking off a new craze in the collecting world of wealthy Americans, Isabella Stewart Gardner, William Randolph Hearst, and Joseph Widener among them. The sale became the prototype for many others during the following decades, during which anything "old" from Italy or Spain rewarded its importers with grand profits. As wealthy Americans sought to expend their collections of medieval and renaissance "Mediterranean" art, Volpi contined to feed this market at the expense of the collections of the Davansati family.

This table, chair, and fascinating smalls may be survivors - or perhaps period replacements.

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Whereas most of the decoration of the interior is secular and artistic, religious pieces like this are found throughout as inspiration for devotion.

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Another typical, high-ceilinged, frescoed room, with a handsome wooden ceiling.

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We left the Palazzo before lunch and walked towards the Basilica of Santa Croce, where we planned to spend the afternoon.

As we passed through the Piazza della Signoria, we noticed that the mid-day sun had fitted the Arnolfo Tower with a glorious halo.

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A delicious caprese lunch at a small trattoria near Santa Croce. Mozzarella di bufala, basil leaves, two types of tomato, and Tuscan olive oil.

The tiny, bright tomatoes were perhaps the sweetest we'd ever tasted.

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The Tabernacolo di via dei Malcontenti, one of Florence's many street tabernacles, on a streetcorner near the basilica.

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Inside the Basilica of Santa Croce, constructed by Arnolfo di Cambio around 1294 snd one of the largest Catholic churches in the world.

The church is the final resting place of many important Florentines, including Michelangelo and Machiavelli, who lie under the stone slabs of the church's floor.

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The basilica's Cappella Maggiore, designed by Bruneleschi, the master of Florence's dome.

The crucifix hanging in its center, a familiar form to Italian Catholics since the thirteenth century, was  created by Donatello in the early 1300's.

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Outside of the basilica, headed home.

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Our day comcluded with a delicious dinner at one of our favorite trattorias in Oltrarno, Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco (The White Boar).

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A shared pork charcuterie starter,

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Jan's rabbit stew on fettuccine,

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and John's wild boar sauce on al dente tagliatelli.

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We left Osteria Cianghialle Bianco without having eaten dessert.

But the evening was still warm, and it was very comfortable to walk to our favorite gelato shop at the end of Ponte Sancta Trinita for a sweet treat.

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For a post-dessert stroll, we crossed the bridge, headed toward Ponte Vecchio on the other side of the river, crossed the Arno once again, and walked to our apartment.

A most lovely day.

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