Since I brought you to a bridge in Florence last week, I might as well tell you more about our journey there. Our sojourn actually began in Florence with two and a half days of exploring the streets, museums and galleries. Our hotel was centrally located, only blocks from the Duomo { the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore } and other sites we wanted to see while there.

This is the Duomo ceiling, painted by Vasari in 1568 and completed by Zuccharo in 1579.

Once we’d arrived we walked immediately from our centrally located hotel room to the Ponte Vecchio which arches across the Arno River.

But I was more enamored with it’s sister bridge, the Ponte Santa Trinita the oldest elliptic bridge in the world.

At one time filled with butcher shops, the Ponte Vecchio now houses so many of these little doors and shutters..

that open to display jewelry shops filled with sparkling gold and silver.

I did manage to see one fishmonger and would love to have his shop back in Calgary!

It is a city of artists, even on the streets..

We spent an afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery where I was astounded that I could be standing mere feet away from Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus”. Photography was prohibited, but I’ve included a wikipedia photo for you..

We were surrounded by the masters: Leonardo da Vinci, Giotto, Raphael, Caravaggio, Michelangelo and more. The following morning was spent gazing at Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. I found his incomplete work on the “Unfinished Slaves” incredibly moving, as though men were struggling to be freed from stone.

From there we wandered to Casa Buonarroti where Michelangelo the younger created a museum to honor the Buonarroti family. Again, no photos were allowed here..

A few blocks walk from Casa Buonarroti was the Basilica of Santa Croce, with 16 chapels and an abundance of frescoes painted by Giotto. This photograph is over exposed, but I liked the artistic quality of it so left it like that.

I was able to take photographs so can share with you some of the funerary monuments, frescoes, and liturgical hymn books.

Michelangelo..

Galileo..

 I think this was done by Taddeo Gaddi..

Here is the view from our room the morning we left on the next leg of our journey in Italy. We were about to board a train to Sienna. From there a driver would take us to the Borgo San Felice where we would create so many new friends and memories.

Ciao, Florence!

I’ll be back with another recipe from Italy very soon (I have so much catching up to do!)  This photo is a little clue for some of you. I found this adorable little shop in the heart of Florence…