Florence, Italy

The drive from Bologna to Florence was very memorable. Rolling Tuscany hills and the beautiful warm weather were one of many reasons people all over the world travel to the Tuscany region. Florence is a city famous for many things- art, history, religous buildings, palaces and shopping (mainly leather goods).

We felt the best way to see the city in the short stay that we had ( only an overnight stay) was to get on the Hop on Hop Off Bus. This allows you to do the things you want to do, and not be stuck to an itinerary of a tour group. To be honest, at the end of the day, I was quite confused which building was which, especially the churches. So I will blog about the places and things I remember most. Florence is a city definitely worth visiting as it is very charming.

The photo above is a favourite of mine. It shows the Arno river, Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo and Palace Vecchio very clearly. It was taken from the Piazza Michealangelo which is on top of a hill.

The Ponte Vecchio is a medieval bridge that crosses the Arno river. It is the only bridge in Florence that survived World War 2 and is famous for the many gold and jewellery shops along the bridge.

A statue of David at Piazza Michaelangelo. The original David lives at the Academia in Forence.

A much better and sexier view of David. Haha..........

Santa Croce Basilica which looks similar to Santa Maria Novella

The Florence Cathedral (Duomo) also known as Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church (Duomo) of Florence. It was built in the 12th century and is one of the largest basilica in Italy. The cathedral complex of three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The dome is the largest brick dome ever constructed.

Palazzo Vecchio

The Duomo at night

The day ended with a lovely meal. Despite the restaurant being crowded (we had to share a table with others), we enjoyed our Tuscan meal quite nicely. It was also enhanced by the lovely sangiovese that Bern picked. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant, but I don't...

A wild mushroom pizza                                          Spaghetti  ala vongole

                               

Squid ink ravioli with crab and gold leaves (interesting....)

Grilled fish                                                         Roast suckling piglet                                                           

After dinner, we wnt back to Piazza Michelangelo to take some night shots. Also a very busy place at night, was terrible finding a park. I guess others had the same idea as we did.....