So, we spent two of our vacation days in Florence.
The compact little city is pretty crowded with tourists even in January. I’m really glad we visited in the off-season, because I can’t imagine what an ordeal it would be on a hot summer day. Both days that we were there, the weather was iffy, but that was kind of atmospheric, and we were equipped for it, coming from Vienna.
I thought there was a lot of interesting stuff to see in Florence, but on the whole, I prefer the smaller cities and towns in Italy. I will say, though, that the Uffizi totally lived up to its hype. Really cool art! No photos allowed, alas.
The Arno river with Ponte Vecchio in the background.Medical textbooks at the Biblioteca San Lorenzo.Hmm, not sure how this works…Piazza San Lorenzo street market in the rain. Specializing in Italian-made leather goods at decent prices. Especially purses. Lots of purses. Do not ask me how I know this.Santa Maria Novella.We weren’t allowed to take photos inside Santa Maria Novella, but I sneaked this one because I thought the cherubs were funny.Just an alley with black-clad Florentines and a bike.Dante Aligheri looking pretty badass outside of Chiesa Santa Croce.Santa Croce fresco. This will not end well.Michelangelo’s tomb. There are lots of famous Italians buried in Santa Croce, from Machiavelli to Marconi.Another creative gardening solution. (This is a thing with me.)Mopeds as far as the eye can see.Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore and a Christmas tree decorated with Medici emblems.Inside the Baptistery–completely awesome 13th century mosaics.Heaven and Hell.Everywhere in Europe, there are old ladies hanging out at windows people-watching. At the Piazza Vecchio (I think.)Cool fountain near the Porta Romana.Italian style?Just another little street with bikes.Charging station for electric cars and mopeds.Palazzo Vecchio by night.Ponte Vecchio.Ponte Vecchio.Ponte Vecchio jewelry stores–not sure what the big deal is about this jewelry, to be honest. Seems pretty ordinary to me.Ponte Vecchio flowers.
Love Florence. and since I’ve been there a couple of times, my visits help me imagine what things look like and where they are when I read historical fiction that has scenes there. I highly recommend visiting cities that are old before reading about them, and after. Sadly, the last time I was there, my purse was stolen. You would think that things put in stroller baskets would be left there. After all, they could contain smelly dirty things. No such luck. But that won’t keep me from visiting again, when in the neighborhood. I’ll just make sure that everything important fits into my pockets. And I zip those shut. I try to travel that way now, anyway. It is easier when you don’t have an 18 month old and a three year old to keep track of.
Lovely photos from a beautiful city. I got to Florence for one night, but didn’t get to see as much as I should have. Your snaps have given me an incentive to find a way back and fix that!
Well, That Was Different 
Love Florence. and since I’ve been there a couple of times, my visits help me imagine what things look like and where they are when I read historical fiction that has scenes there. I highly recommend visiting cities that are old before reading about them, and after. Sadly, the last time I was there, my purse was stolen. You would think that things put in stroller baskets would be left there. After all, they could contain smelly dirty things. No such luck. But that won’t keep me from visiting again, when in the neighborhood. I’ll just make sure that everything important fits into my pockets. And I zip those shut. I try to travel that way now, anyway. It is easier when you don’t have an 18 month old and a three year old to keep track of.
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Lovely photos from a beautiful city. I got to Florence for one night, but didn’t get to see as much as I should have. Your snaps have given me an incentive to find a way back and fix that!
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