Our full day in Florence was another chill day, but that does not mean we didn’t walk and climb! We had reservations to climb the bell tower at 8:15am, but Bailey and Jett opted out so we headed out without them.
Our morning challenge.The 414 steps to climb the bell tower were broken up with a couple of stops on the way up.The old bell was at one of the stops.Our view of the duomo, which was a bit higher, from the top of the bell tower.I loved how the narrow streets looked from above.We had to go down the same stairs that people came up which led to minor traffic jams.
Our next objective was a walk that started from a piazza on the other side of the river. We enjoyed meandering through the city streets, crossing the river, and passing along narrow roads between classic Tuscan villas with some impressive history.
This modern statue is in front of the Uffizi, one of the most famous art galleries in the world, that we did not go into. I loved the girl’s facial expression as she scrolls on her phone while ignoring a nude statue (and the Uffizi) behind her.Ponte Vecchio has lots of shops on it. There has been a bridge at this location since 123 AD. Various previous bridges have been swept away by floods but this one has survived since 1345. It was the only bridge over the Arno in Florence that was not destroyed in the Second World War.Views from the bridge.Between the shops, we could not tell that we were on a bridge!It was early and many shops had not yet opened. We loved their old style wooden shutters.Big buses squeezed through the narrow streets.The grand Pitti Palace. It had private gardens that you could pay to enter but reviews suggested they were very poorly kept. The concept of large public parks, like in London, New York, or Houston, do not seem to be a thing in Italy.This sculpture marked the beginning of the walk that Janet had downloaded. Interesting…It was cool and refreshing walking along leafy boulevards.We found one small park which was very tranquil.We headed down Via di S. Leonardo, known as one of the most picturesque in Florence.Tchaikovsky stayed here. He loved Florence and visited frequently.Galileo had observed the planets from here.Dante had preached at this small church in the early 1300s.We were happy to slowly pass through.Peaceful and leafy. We peaked behind the wall when a gate opened for a car and we saw a substantial villa with large grounds.Back in the city, we stopped at another Florentine church.We were frowned at when we sat on the steps, but it seemed being frowned at was OK.We found a small backstreet cafe for lunch and they were so friendly.We felt we had earned a gelato and the server recommended the pineapple one which was scrumptious and refreshing.After their brunch, Bailey and Jett were inspired by the sound of our walk and followed in our footsteps.To change it up from pasta and pizza, we had steaks for dinner. Florence is known for their steaks. While the waiter teased Jett for not sounding like a real Texan and Peter for being too English, the steaks were fantastic!
We had enjoyed the laid back Florence vibe as a change from Rome, but we’d also really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Rome.
"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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The Adventures of the Cajunlimeys 