This afternoon (after we got back from the market) we decided to explore our neighborhood a bit. We headed down to check out the Santo Spirito Basilica, which is super plain on the outside and apparently really not plain on the inside.
It was closed when we got there so we sat in a cafe and had a prosecco while we looked it up online and learned it was about to open for tourists in 10 minutes. Apparently this square gets pretty rowdy sometimes and the basilica completely closed to tourists for a while. They now open for an hour and half each day and let the riff raff in. All over the doors there are "no camera" icons, which was a bummer. But everyone was still taking pictures, but they were all being stealthy. Perhaps that was the desired goal of the signs in the first place. So I snuck a few shots too.
Also inside the Santo Spirito Basilica is a crucifix sculpted by Michelangelo Buonarroti when he was seventeen years old. Michelangelo was allowed to make anatomical studies on the corpses coming from the convent's hospital and in exchange, he sculpted this wooden crucifix which was placed over the high altar. There was a guard guy right there though, so I didn't sneak a photo of it, but you can see it, plus more photos of the interior here at Basilica's Wikipedia page.
We wandered all around our Oltrarno neighborhood and found quite a few good little shops (and we finally got some coffee for espresso so we can make use of our little stove top guy!) Also, we picked up a roll of paper towels. It turns out that a really good way to not look like a tourist is to walk all over the city carrying a roll of paper towels. Kevin had it nailed! (Well, except he was beat by the guy carrying a giant orange surveyor's tripod, blast it!)
More modified traffic signs:
Today is our Fiat 500 tour out in the country and we're pretty excited. The Fiat clubhouse where we meet is only 2.5 miles away so we're going to bike it instead of cabbing or bussing.
