Firenze Due

Even though we were only in Florence for two days and three nights, it feels like longer. It was so serene and calm, with all the locals traveling by scooter and the pace of life just that much slower. It was by far my favorite stop on our trip. For our second day in Florence we hit the Academy Gallery to see the original David statue, which was stunning and truly grand in proportion and scale. I had never given much thought to the actual act of carving and sculpting stone, but seeing the David really made me consider the skill required to do such a thing.

We spent the afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery. Apparently in the summer the line can be positively disheartening because of its length. Going in November meant we walked right up, bought our tickets and went on our merry (and audio guided way). No pictures from the Uffizi, but here are some favorite well known pieces you see there.

Top to bottom: Caravaggio's Bacchus, diptych by Piero della Francesca, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Medusa by Caravaggio and my favorite, La Primavera by Botticelli. Photos from here.

The Uffizi took up a large portion of the day. Afterwards we shopped on the other side of the Arno River, walking across the Ponte Vecchio bridge. This bridge is filled with jewelry shops on either side. Sparkly eye candy galore.

And big birras for the boys.

That night we went back to eat at the same place we'd eaten the night before. They had shown us great hospitality and the food was excellent. We even convinced some fellow Americans from Oklahoma and Miami to try dinner there after chatting with them in an Irish bar.