Florence

On Tuesday, we took a motorcoach from Rome to Florence. I opted out of the wine-tasting excursion that afternoon, in favor of some independent exploration of Florence by foot. Guided by a proposed walking tour found in the green Michelin Guide (hat tip to Karen and Vince for the suggestion), I previewed a number of sites we would visit during our guided tour on Thursday. My overview impression as I explored was of walking through a living museum. I was a little overwhelmed by the masses of people touring the city; there were times when I had to "ride" the human traffic flow, subsequently backtracking to my intended path.

On Thursday, our guided tour took us to Galleria dell’Accademia, where we observed Michelangelo's David for a good 30 minutes. Restrictions on photography here, as well as at the Uffizi Gallery, and in the churches, prevented me from providing uploads to the site of these treasures, but I consider my time observing these treasures to be among the great highlights of the tour. More thanks to Karen for the tips on "must-sees" in Florence, and to niece Sarah for guiding me to the best gelato in Florence.

The view from Piazzale Michelangelo








Ponte Vecchio




Streets of Florence




Duomo


Baptistry


Church of San Croce


Palazzo Vecchio