Trip to Florence

The Duomo

After Rome our next stop in Italy was Florence.  I was amazed by how easy it was to navigate the train system and in 1.5 hours we were in Tuscany.  A more compact city we ventured out to climb Giotto’s Bell tower though the line had a 2 hour wait so we skipped it and stopped by the San Lorenzo Market.  I am not sure how much leather one person needs, but Mark and I did our best to stock up on the locally produced handbags, wallets, and belts.  The smell of genuine leather gets me every time.  

The Duomo Cathedral was beautiful, but I liked the outside 

even more with all the beautiful marble colors. 

Pitti Palace

Pitti Palace Gardens

Next we went across the Ponte Vecchio bridge to Bardini Gardens and the Pitti Palace.  I was told there was a great view of Florence from the Gardens and I can agree.  That evening we ate in the Oltrarno area and started to get a bit better with our Italian ordering. 

After wandering through the gardens we strolled through the Ponte Vecchio bridge to do some window shopping and enjoy the view.  

The Ponte Vecchio bridge reminded me of the gold souks in Dubai 

as the entire bridge was lined with jewelry shops.  

The next morning we took a tour of Accademia to see the art and I was glad David was visible from all sides and not backed up against a wall.

One of several works Michelangelo did not get to finish.

Next we did a walking tour of the city and though we enjoyed spring weather so far on our trip the temperatures dipped that day and it was quite chilly.

The Mayor's office is on the right and in front is a copy of the status of David where the original was once on display but then moved inside due to the weather.

On our last evening we delighted in some authentic Italian pizza.

Orsanmichele Church

On our last morning in Florence we enjoyed a morning walk as you could cover the city center quite easily.  Florence was much cleaner than Rome and the shopping was outstanding.  The street our hotel was on was lined with high end designer shops.  Not as many locals spoke English in Florence but we managed to find our way around.  Next up was Venice.