Firenze

To the Americans, it's Florence. We had a short walking tour this morning to see the statue of David. Unfortunately you couldn't take any pictures in the gallery so you won't see any original pictures of the real David from me. The ones that you will see are of a replica that sits in the square of the Medici palace along with some other originals. We also went to see the Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fior, which is decorated in beautiful marble of three different colors. It is the third largest church in the world. You can see the top of the dome from almost anywhere if there is a fair amount of open sky. We've had to rely on it a few times to get us back to the hotel. We also went to another church, the Basilica di Santa Croce, or the church of the Holy Cross. This looks similar to the other church on the front side, but the other sides are plain in respect of the poverty that many saints lived in. Inside, there are many famous Italians buried. We saw the grave monuments for Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo. Each monument had a woman to represent the arts and sciences that each person was known for.

After our tour, we went in to a beautiful jewelry shop that sold gold jewelry that is so famous in Florence. It was gorgeous but a little too pricey for me. I found a beautiful ring that had gold flowers in three different colors of gold. Again, beautiful, but too expensive. One day I'll bring a rich man back to Florence with me to buy me that ring. For now, it stays in the shop. B, Leslie and I walked to a market. Many storefronts have small carts that they rent out in front of their store and we walked through many selling scarves, purses, shoes, trinkets, jackets, etc. Leslie found the perfect leather jacket for herself. When you see it, you will know. It fits her like a glove and is exactly her style. I'm glad she bought it because it would've been a shame otherwise.

We're planning on going to Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in Florence. This was the only bridge that wasn't bombed during WWII in the city. We've got lots more to see and probably more shopping! Leslie is off to a monastery for a tour and then dinner, while B and I explore this city more. She will post more about that later! Ciao for now!