Florence Full of Art

First of all I have yet to mention the temperature of Italy while we travel. It is between 98 and 106 degrees each day. And it is very humid. It hasn't stopped us but it does make us more tired than we would be in cooler weather. Sometimes I feel that I am the only woman in the crowd that is having a hot flash! Italian women seem to take it is stride and they are still dressed to the nines and look cool and comfortable. I am not sure how they do it, maybe they do not have menopause over here! lol
But I am happy it isn't raining because we get to enjoy the scenery and the beaches and the outside sights. In the evening is so perfect that we get to sit outside and enjoy. The mornings are great also. You know that is why alot of stores and businesses close for the afternoon because it is so hot! Lots of buildings and trains and cars have no air conditioning either. So if you ever take a trip over here make sure you have a hotel that has air! Drink lots of water and stay in the shade as much as possible!

The City of Florence has so much art in their streets in the shape of buildings, statues, sculptures and piazzas. The top picture is the Ponte Vecchio (Bridge Vecchio) and there are shops along both sides of the bridge, they just happened to be closed when we were there :( This bridge is the oldest bridge in Florence. Even the Nazis thought it was so important that they did not blow it up when they were fleeing the city during World War II. We are so glad they left it!

We saw the Palace Pitti before we went over the bridge and we went to the Piazza Vecchio after we left the bridge. This is where the Vecchio Palace is, there is the Marzoco Lion carved by Donnnatello and the copy of David sculpted by Michelangelo. We walked more and came to the Duomo of Florence, (Cathedral of Florence)and the Baptistry which has the Doors of Paradise and the Bell Tower. The inside of the church is so big and so beautiful, so much history if only the walls and floors could talk.

Right there in the piazza we ate pizza while taking in the sights of the huge Duomo and watching children play and people walking and talking in every language in the world. Right there where history was played out!

We walked through the open air markets of Mercato San Lorenzo. And then we had to leave to go to our hotel and we couldn't get the map to get us to our car which we had parked way to the south just outside the walls of Florence. The streets and not straight so you think you are walking a certain direction and then you look at the map and you are walking in a different direction!!! So frustrating! But we made it to our car drove the 6 miles to our beautiful rooms in an old monastery that looks like something McMenamins would make. It had a swimming pool and it was on a hillside that looked down on Florence! Breathtaking and only 70.00 euros a night including breakfast! We had a very good nights sleep and then went back into Florence after breakfast and tried to see David but it didn't work out but we did get to see the inside of the Duomo! We then drove off looking forward to Assisi!

Italy is a dream that keeps retuning for the rest of your life-Anna Akhrnatova