"Firenze, Italy" a Florence Travel Page by va8eha

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Reaching for the moon

Ahhh, Firenze, the home of the Renaissance! I've read that 60% of the world's most famous art is located in Italy, and half of that in Florence. And that was evident, with the Duomo, the Bargello, the Uffizi, and Accademia . . .
Tara and I arrived in Florence late at night. We decided to take a taxi to our lodgings, so as to avoid getting lost. We were a bit alarmed when the taxi driver stopped in the middle of what seemed to be a deserted alley, pulled our bags out of the car, and said, "It should be there somewhere."
Our vacation truly began the next morning, when we opened the shutters to see the sun shining on the narrow street, the tiny vehicles, the tightly packed houses, and heard the sound of 'Ciao!'. And with that, we headed out for cappuccino, culture, and a week of bliss!

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Fruits and Veg

We were lucky enough to arrive towards the end of Italian Culture week, which we discovered when we were in line for the Medici Chapels. We were asking the couple in front of us what the cost was; they explained about the festival and gave us a list of the museums that were free until Sunday. Great -- we now had our 'itinerary'! :)
As always, we enjoyed chatting with the locals, including the 'real' Zorro. I was even given a great recipe for spaghetti sauce while standing in line for the Uffizi. One man brought us quickly to our destination because I couldn't get him to understand that we weren't lost, we were merely taking the long route back in order to get to know more of the city. It is at times like that that the basic phrases do NOT help. :)

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Shadows

'David' was so awe-inspiring! When you look at him, the story of David and Goliath comes to life and you finally understand how he was able to win. There were a few guys there trying to figure out how they compared. :)
We spent most of our days wandering through the various museums, chapels, and palaces. When we'd get tired or hungry, we'd relax with a slice of pizza or a scoop of gelato in one of the many squares. The San Lorenzo street market was another good way to while away the hours. We also took time out to hike to the top of Giotto's Tower for a view of Florence from on high. It was then that we realized just how large the city was! Of course, we left things unseen, but those'll be saved for another day, another visit. :)
Visit http://www.pbase.com/va8eha/italy if you'd like to see more photos!