Anniversary Trip to Italy: Day 7-9 Florence

On Day 7 of our trip we got up early and had our breakfast that was included in our hotel stay. Most of our breakfasts consisted of fruits and pastries. I did not eat too many pastries as I typically don't go for that kind of thing. And each place we stayed always had hard boiled eggs. The meals were sufficient but always did leave me ready for a big lunch.

We made quick work of breakfast, checked out, and headed across the street to the bus. The buses ran early and ran often. We headed back to La Spezia where we would catch the train to Florence. We sort of knew where the bus stop was from when we had caught the bus to Portovenere and I had taken a picture of a map that was posted outside the train station. As we were approaching the area near the train station, the bus turned. I followed the map and looked at the road signs. I was hoping we would turn again and head back towards the train station and it is possible that was going to happen. But I was not sure and we were just about to go off the map. So we rang the bell and exited the bus. We were still on the map so we were able to find our way back several blocks to the train station. We made it there in plenty of time to catch the train to Florence.

Once in Florence we caught a cab to our hotel. It was only 10 Euros plus a couple for tip. I got very excited driving in the streets of Florence. After all, this was the home of the Renaissance and just from the car I could see the great beauty in the architecture and sculpture lined roads. I could tell immediately that I was going to enjoy Florence. I could live there for sure.

We did three tours while we were in Florence. On our first day, we did a tour of the Uffizi Gallery. It was amazing. I did not take pictures there though because photos were not allowed. The paintings were so amazing and our tour guide was so knowledgeable and fun. For those of you who love art, this gallery is a must I think.

On our second day, we did a walking tour of Florence. Again our tour guide was great and we really enjoyed hearing all the history. And of course we got to see Michelangelo's David which was amazing! No photos allowed though. I was blown away at the artistry and beauty of the sculpture. We really enjoyed seeing it. The replicas are good but the real thing is simply amazing.

Our third day was a driving tour of Tuscany. Our driver was awesome. He told us a lot of history and about the local culture including why none of the bread in Florence has salt. Back in the day, the people of Florence did not want to have import the salt from Pisa. Why? Because they don't like each other, the people of Florence and the people of Pisa. The rivalry continues today. We saw so many beautiful sites and small villages. We had gelato at a place that has won the Gelato World Championship many times. Yum! Actually, we had gelato everywhere we went. We also ate at a winery and did an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting. It was a great day.

Here are all my pictures from Florence.

A really cool square or Piazza as they call them.

Biking was more prevalent in Florence than in Rome. In fact the UCI Road Cycling World Championship was just there a week or so before we were there. Believe it or not, that race is coming to Richmond, VA in 2015

This is the original location of Michelangelo's David but this is a replica. The original was moved inside a museum

These are all original ancient sculptures

This is one very fat pigeon!

Lots of scooters. This is near our hotel which was a few minutes walk from the main downtown area

Our tour guide for our Florence walking tour

Ponte Vecchio - Famous bridge

Secret Corridor connected two ancient palaces

The legend says if you touch the snout of this wild boar, you will return to Florence someday

Close-up of the platform the boar was on.

If you see these rings on the walls, you know the building goes back to ancient times when horses were the only transportation.

One of the many funny do no enter signs we came across in Florence.

Baptistery of Saint John

Ornate Gold Door on the Baptistery of Saint John

Some zoom-ins on the door

I can't remember the name of this cathedral. If you look towards the top of this picture, you can see a bunch of statues. The next picture is a zoom-in on the statue in the middle

Zoom-in on the art work above the door. Despite Florence being the birth place of the Renaissance, this church has medieval arches which are characterized by their point which looks up to God. 

Dome of the Cathedral

Zoom-in on the dome

Another zoom-in of the dome

We saw lots of couples all over Italy getting married in beautiful places

Ponte Vechhio

Another replica of David.

Aprons for sale

Some local graffiti

Not sure what this sign was all about

Melissa Looking Cool

Our tour guide said they called this this village the Manhattan of Tuscany. There were 7 ancient towers in this village. They actually were originally much taller

Is it sidewalk or a road? Both!

Another beautiful cathedral. We did not go into this one.

Balsamic Vinegar barrels. The vinegar ages for 4 to 5 years in one barrel and then is moved to another barrel that is made of a different kind of wood. We sniffed the vinegar from one barrel and then compared it to the smells in another barrel. You could tell the difference. It was subtle but you could definitely perceive a difference from the different kind of wood the barrel was made out of.

Winery where we had lunch and did an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting. We ended up buying some vinegar that was aged for 20 years and some extra virgin olive oil of course. This was one of the best meals we had while in Italy. And for dessert I had tiramisu that was so delicious. I also tried some of Melissa's dessert which was an apple tart with vanilla ice cream with balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. I would not have though to pair the vinegar with the ice cream. But it was Really good!