Italy Bellissimo Travelogue, continued

Vilma Packard
Jun 12, 2019
2 min read

Day 9 of Tour- Florence

I've been looking forward to visit the Tuscan region especially the cities of Florence and Siena. As charming as Montecatini Terme was, I still wished the tour company set us up at a Florentine hotel. It would have allowed us to see more of the city if they did.

The weather didn't cooperate the day we visited. It was wet and cold. As soon as we disembarked from our coach, vendors selling umbrellas swarmed us. Our local guide met us outside the Academy of Fine Arts where the original David by Michelangelo resided. Because our admissions were pre- arranged by the tour company, we skipped lines and were able to enter the museum at an advantage compared to regular tourists.

Inside the Academy of Fine Arts which houses Renaissance master pieces of artists such as Giambologna, Perugino, Filippino Lippi, Pontormo, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Bronzino and Michelangelo and others. Last bottom photos are of the famed David by Michelangelo.

My friend was going to skip this Academy optional tour but I told her, I wouldn't miss this for the world because it would be like going to Paris, and not going to see the Mona Lisa in the Louvre.

After the museum visit, we did a walking tour to the Duomo. Again, there was not enough time for us to go inside the church and Baptistery. We walked to the Piazza della Signoria and then visited a leather specialty shop. Afterwards, we had free time to visit the city on our own and catch lunch.

Top photos L to R: The Duomo, Venchi, the Italian chocolate store

Middle Photos L to R: Gelato, Fountain of Neptune, David replica where the original once stood

Bottom photos L to R: Leather store demo, Basilica of St. Croce, and another Gelateria shot

Top Photos: Piazza St. Croce and the Basilica, Arno River

Bottom Photos: Historic bridge Ponte del Vecchio, View of Florence and another David replica in the city.

After a hurried Florence visit, we returned to our hotel to freshen up and left for dinner at a beautiful farmhouse surrounded by olive groves in the Tuscan countryside.