We said arrivederci to Venice on a cold and rainy Monday morning, and boarded the train to Florence. Our first experience on a European train went well, despite a short delay. We were looking forward to seeing the countryside, but the weather changed that plan!
Our hotel in Florence is conveniently located near the train station, but walking through the rain wasn't cheery. Once settled in our room, however, we slogged onward, because we're in Florence! And it was almost lunch time!
Two of Florence's most famous sights are the Ponte Vecchio and the River Arno, and we weren't disappointed. It is a fascinating place to walk, and view.
We found a lovely little wine shop and made a couple of purchases.
For dinner, we went to a chef's home and had a meal prepared especially for us. Chef Varinia and her husband Edoardo run a small bed and breakfast, and also invite people in for dinner. We were expecting to be part of a group, but it turned out to be just the two of us. We ate wonderful food and drank wonderful wine, all the while learning about the food and wine, and making new friends. A very special treat!
This bright and sunny morning, we went on a walking tour of Florence, starting at the Accademia, seeing Michelangelo's David. We got to spend a lot of time with David, and our tour guide gave us some insight into Michelangelo's life and his works. There are few words to describe David's beauty and power.
Continuing on, as we walked, we learned more about the history of the city, and got some hints about where to eat. One good hint was about gelato, which helped us out later in the day!
We visited Florence's famous Duomo, and admired the incredible workmanship inside and out.
Next door, we visited the Baptistery, and saw Ghiberti's exquisite golden Gates of Paradise that tell the stories of the New Testament.
At the Palazzo Vecchio, we saw where David originally stood. The statue was moved into a museum for protection in 1873. There is a copy of the statue in place today, but somehow it didn't seem nearly as beautiful!
The tour ended at the Ponte Vecchio. After lunch, we walked over to the Santa Croce cathedral and visited the School of Leather.
And ended the afternoon with some fabulous gelato! We'd been told this shop was good, but we'd learned on our tour that we should only buy gelato sold in small bins, as opposed to big mounds. The big mounds of gelato look pretty, but it's often not home-made, and the gelato on top doesn't stay cold. Fortunately, this little shop had small bins of creamy home-made gelato!
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