Day 8 - Thursday, October 6 - Florence

 After a pleasant breakfast, Luca met us at 9:30 for a tour of Florence.

He took us on a walk to visit many of this historic and interesting sites on the other side of the Arno River from the main tourist spots. He is an amazing source of detail about the historic buildings and churches, the artwork and other relevant aspects although I'm afraid it is difficult to remember much of the detail.

As we crossed over the river we had a good view of the Ponte Vecchio which was was an important bridge at the time of the Emperor Hadrian in the year 123AD. Over the years it was swept away by floods and rebuilt many times. The last was in 1333 and is the bridge one sees today. It is the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed by bombing in WW II.

We crossed back over the river to the Piazza Santa Maria. On the front of the Basilica is a sundial created by a predecessor of Galileo which is said to tell the time in hours, minutes and seconds. There are various lines and pointers but nobody today know how it worked. 

From there we went up to the central market which has vendors of every imaginable product - meats, fish, cheeses, fruit, wine, spices, olives. One of the shopkeepers gave us a tasting of white and black truffle products and delicious thick balsamic vinegar which had been aged for 6 years in an oak barrel.

Then to lunch where we had copious red wine, bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, pasta with meat sauce, cheese ravioli, roast pork with roasted potatoes and an apple pie / tart for dessert. Lunch was a typical relaxed 2-hour affair.

From there we went to the Duomo plaza to see the magnificent cathedral and associated buildings although we didn't go in as there was a long line and Luca said it wasn't particularly worthwhile after visiting the Siena Duomo. The Duomo was built on the side of an ancient Roman temple.

Then to the city square with the statues of Michelangelo's David (an 18th century replica),  Poseidon, Roman and medieval figures.

Finally to the Ponte Vecchio which was absolutely packed with tourists and very high-end jewelry stores - a bit much to enjoy. Luca left us then and we wandered around a bit before heading back to the hotel.

After some rest at the hotel, we went out for dinner at the Piazza Santa Maria Novella - beautiful at night.

Florence Duomo - in background

Florence central market
Biscotti anyone?

Girls with friend at candy shop

Poseidon statue in town square

Santa Maria Novella monastery at night





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