Ciao a Tutti,
Following on the heels of last week's post "Exiting Palazzo Patrizia," I wanted to take you a little further up. Remember that huge flight of stairs to the left at the end of the video? These famous stairs, Le Rampe Delle Coste, are not only an excellent form of exercise (meaning more pasta, pizza and gelato - yay!) but afford you a unique view of the Arno River and Palazzo Vecchio.
When I reached the top I turned to take it all in. It was remarkable. Once I caught my breath, (it's approximately 25 huge stone steps) I was about to descend but was drawn to continue up the hill on Costa di San Giorgio. As I was snapping photos and admiring the view, I accidentally stumbled upon the home of Galileo!
It is very unassuming and sits in quiet reverence on this escalating road. If not for the small plaque and the photo, I would have never known that this was one of the places that Galileo called home in Firenze. He purchased it in various phases from 1629 to 1634.
Galileo Galilei was born on February 15, 1564 and lived until January 8, 1642. He was an Italian astronomer, engineer, mathematician, physicist and philosopher, and he played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance. If you'd like to learn more about Galileo, the history of science, astronomy, medicine, chemistry and just about everything under the sun (pun intended) you are in luck! The Museo Galileo, is located on the other side of the Arno, in Palazzo Castellani, and it houses a world-renowned scientific collection. Click on the link above for additional information about the Museo Galileo, how to plan your visit, and if you're not in Firenze you can take a virtual tour.
It is always interesting to me how we find hidden jewels when we're not necessarily looking for them. Taking a set of stairs that looked inviting, and then following my intuition to continue up the hill, turned out to be an amazing discovery.
Wishing you exciting new discoveries, a Buon Weekend & Big Love, PatriciaG
As always, I'd love to hear from you on this or any of my previous blogs. If you feel inspired, please write me in the Comments section of the blog. And I invite you to visit my Etsy Shop where most of my photos are available for sale in Photo Note Cards and Frame-able prints. Grazie! Ciao!
And this was my reward on the way back down.