Florence

"They" say You either love Florence or Venice - but not both
They are right - I love Florence. Although it is also filled with tourists, it is still a town where people live and work. There are still real shops that sell real goods, mothers with prams, and actual offices. I didn't even mind the traffic.

Wall of Duomo

Duomo rooftop

At Piazzalle Michelangelo

Dome at duomo

Commemorating Resistance

Gargoyles along the hill path

I was also delighted to find some modern public art and even a Francis Bacon exhibit at the Strozzi.

John the Baptist

Statue in Rose Garden2

Hurrah! Contemporary Art

I took a walking tour (actually it was an art history lecture) and a bike tour - both went to the same spots, which I wasn't expecting.

Florence Bike Tour

The long long lecture

Fountains and the River Arno add to the delights of the city.

Heron and lime tree

Fishermen on the Arno

Happy Hour on the Arno

Ponte Vecchi

This bridge was the only bridge across the Arno in Florence that was not wiped out by the Allies during WWII. This one dates to the 1400s. The lower level shops were originally butcher shops. All the sraps and old meat were just thrown into the Arno. When the Medicis moved to the Pitti Palace on the South side of the Arno and had to walk across the bridge to their offices on the North, they had the upper level built so they did not need to travel along the street with the common people and the butcher shop. The smell was still so bad, they had all the butcher shops closed and turned all the shops into gold and silversmiths - as it still is today.