Florence, Italy. View of the Ponte Vecchio
Our visit to Florence was a blast. We took the train from Rome’s Termini station and were in Florence about 3 hours later. It was a fun filled 3 days with good friends, good food and a lot of walking.
Florence is an amazing city full of history. Lots of shopping too, if that’s your thing, not to mention the museums. Our day in the walled medieval city of San Gimignano was the highlight of the trip for me. It is located in the Siena region of Tuscany.
We had originally planned to spend just a few hours, and then move on to Siena. Once we were there though, we were too enchanted with the city, and spent the day meandering about , taking in all the architecture of the tower houses.
It reminds of Malta in some ways. I guess we will have to save Siena for another day. I am glad it is not too far from Rome, as we can make a quick getaway to Florence when we visit my husband’s family.
I ended up buying a lovely Italian leather bag locally made in the area. The price was pretty reasonable too. I have to say that l think Florence has some of the best gelato in the world. My friend’s kid sampled a different one from pretty much every gelato place, it seemed like.
Aaah.. youth, she is only 16, so she doesn’t have to worry yet about “a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips” problem.We finished our day there with a dinner of wild boar, florentine steak and lots of wine, for which the region is famous. Our friend’s wife was a little hesitant at first, but she was a trooper and loved it in the end. Here are some photos from the trip.
Florence is simply stunning:
The best part of Florence and Italy on the whole is that the city is an open air museum where you can find world class art, like this.. and for free!
Florence is such a walkable city. Once you have visited, you will be able to understand why everyone has nothing but love for this , yes..romantic city.
Very gruesome statue in the old center of Florence. I think it’s quite safe to say that the old Romans were not peace lovers. Gives a new meaning to “off with their heads”. I am assuming it is an intimidating and tactical move. One that worked of course.
Just one of the many lovely streets in San Gimignano. It was so much fun just roaming the narrow alleyways.
You just can’t help thinking of “Under the Tuscan Sky” :-)
great photos :)
Thank you! I am going to follow you. You had me at the pannettone!
:) nice :)
Lovely photos. Dinners of fiorentina and cinghiale, capped off with gelato. Is it any wonder that Italy (and Tuscany in particular) is a Mecca for foodies?
Mecca is exactly the right word. I can’t wait to go back. My husband has been telling me about Bologna. I can’t wait to squeeze that visit in. You made my mouth water with those smoked ribs. I do however have to admit that l always cook my ribs first, then finish it off on the grill. We did make friends with our neighbour who had a smoker and always shared!
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