If Venice was exactly what I had pictured (apart from the music selection) than Florence was the exact opposite. The apartment we stayed in, scheduled through Airb&b, was 2 blocks from the famous Piazza Del Duomo. The apartment was perfect and accomplished the purpose of making us feel ingrained into the Florence way of life. Also, the hostess, Benedetta, was just lovely. However, the city was lacking the vibrant coloring we were expecting from an Italian city, especially in the Tuscan region. Although the architecture is stunning and beautifully artistic, the colors of this particular part of the city were a little drab. The most spectacular part of this city, for me at least, was when we took a taxi out to the gardens of Michelangelo. The flowers were all in bloom and from this distance, with this amazing panoramic view of the city everything looks very green and alive.

Originally we were supposed to rent a car in Milan, but heeding the advice of some friends we met along the way, we changed our plans. This was definitely a good decision seeing how easy the train system is and how difficult the parking situation is, not to mention how they drive like maniacs and I don't know how they make heads or tails of the street signs. Anyway, because we changed our plans we did not have a car to drive out into the country, though next time we come back to Italy we will schedule time just for the country as well as the sea. Benedetta says Livorno is very beautiful as is Genoa so we have added them to our travel list for future trips.

Florence was nice in that we didn't push ourselves to see or do everything although we still felt like we got to experience the city and the culture of Florence. It was like a little resting period in the middle of the trip. We walked the area around the Duomo and a midst all the high end designer shopping we stumbled across a carousel tucked into a little square. Since we are not the kind of people who pass on a chance to ride a carousel we decided to take a spin. Now this was not just any carousel, it was the fanciest one I have ever seen in person, complete with green shrubberies and a miniature water feature. It was probably the most colorful and vibrant thing we saw during the three days we spent in this lively city.

Although the architecture and decor in Florence was a bit monochrome the people who live here are extremely colorful, they are full of life and extremely friendly. We encountered many lovely people and that was what I loved most about this city.

Originally our itinerary called for a return through Milan on our way back to London but, seeing as we are spontaneous, you will not be surprised to learn that we changed our plans and are now heading to Pisa. Changing plans is nothing new for us and I am definitely excited to see the leaning tower of Pisa!!!!

On the road again...

Liz

Flowering Florence