Florence

Florence was amazing.  We arrived in the evening - in the pouring rain - checked into our cute B&B, and then had a lovely dinner. I know that food is becoming a theme here, but you can't experience Italy without indulging in their premier cuisine! Below is one of our favourite appetizers: caprese. 

 

Florence is a beautiful city with elegant architecture, picturesque scenery and extravagance on every corner.  Gucci, Prada, Versace, etc. are all here, tucked along the cosy cobblestone pedestrain streets.

We spent a fair amount of time exploring the outdoor market.  Lots of leather and silk.

Then we did some window shopping.

Would have loved to pick something out at this dress shop for my little girls...

But 38 Euros for baby shoes?

How about some candy?

This shop offered sweets at the bargain rate of 12 Euros per 100 grams... It's either darn tasty or made of gold.  Either way, we weren't feeling rich enough to find out.

Then there was the local discounter.  The Florentine version of The Dollar Store.

Translation: Everything 150 & 170 Euros.

The cathedral was free.

Marble walls, marble floors, massive marble pillars...

All that time spent inside a place of worship left us wondering deep thoughts...

Like, does Florentine gelato taste better than the Roman stuff?  We had to find out...

Ponte Vecchio - one of the most famous landmarks of Florence.

The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers and art dealers. The bridge dates from the year 996; though it was apparently washed out in a flood in 1333 and then rebuilt in 1345.  The back shops (propped up on the outside of the bridge with wooden planks) were added in the 17th century.

The shops on the bridge:

New ring! Is Matt  trying to bribe me into staying on for another 10 years??? (It's working...)

At the end of the day, they close up shop by locking the jewelry away in vaults and bolting the windows closed with these wooden doors.

The next morning we visited the Galleria dell'Accademia which is best known for Michaelangelo's David:

(sorry folks, for the un-edited version, you'll have to go to Florence yourselves...)

Whilst most people go to the Accademia expressly to see David, I had a much more meaningful experience in the nearby Medici Gallery of Musical Instruments where I beheld - with mine own eyes - several authentic Stradivari and Amati strings (violin, viola, cello) as well as a Cristofori piano. 

It's not permitted to take photographs inside the musical instrument exhibit, so I purchased a book which I am happy to share and talk about endlessly...  In the meantime, here is a web pic of the Stradivarius tenor viola, just to whet your appetite: