We traveled to Florence in the morning. On the bus they warned us about the Gypsy girls and pickpockets but we were pleasantly surprised that there really were very few and it was quite under control as compared to Rome.
When we arrived we went directly to the center of the city where our bus left us. We had some lunch on our own at a typical cafeteria. We then went to the Academia museum where we saw the statue of David among other statues that Michelangelo started but never completed. David was much larger than I ever expected. He also is developing some cracks so it may not be possible to be viewed by the public soon. As we came to the end of the museum, there was a modern art exhibit which included a good copy of David in a bright pink color kind of the color of Pepto Bismol with bleach blond hair. Quite different.
After the museum we went through the main square in Florence to view the cathedral and then to Sante Croce square where all of the gold and leather vendors are. Since we didn’t need any gold or leather, we wandered off to a small side street where we found a great cafe and wine bar. We had some really good Proseco, fried shrimp and calamari with a breaking so light that you could barely seeing but it was very tasty, and some Caprese salad. We then headed back to the hotel which was a very modern Hilton with the most comfortable beds ever. This morning we got up early and are on our way to Venice.
A photo of the Cathedral in The square in Florence
