Welcome to Historical Florence. We spent three nights in beautiful Florence, three blocks from the Duomo (pictured above) at Hotel Splendor. Like the other cities, Florence is a mecca of fine art including the Duomo, the David, The Academy Gallery and the world famous Uffizi Gallery home to Botticelli's Primavera and the Birth of Venus.

We started our visit with a walk down the narrow streets crowded with people and scooters trying to inch their way through and headed to the Duomo (cathedral) properly located in Piazza del Duomo. As you walk toward the building the polychrome marble in green, white and red is revealed in grand style. The dome on the duomo is an architectural feat by Brunelleschi. The city decided to build the biggest dome in the world without actually knowing how to achieve it. This problem was solved by Brunelleschi by building a light inner shell of interlocking brick which serves as the support for the outer roof of the dome. Brunelleschi has hailed as a new Icarus (the mythical hero who similarly defied gravity by inventing flight) and the city passed an ordinance forbidding the construction of any building taller than the dome out of respect for his achievement. To this day, the massive dome rises supreme above the red roofs of the city, rising almost higher than the surrounding hills.

With the help of our hotel we had a 12:30pm appointment at the Uffizi Gallery which alleviated the 2-3 hour wait in line you would experience without an appointment. The gallery was originally designed in 1560 to house the Medici's art collection and administrative offices (uffici). The gallery's 45 rooms now host an array of world famous art from Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rapael, Michaelangelo and others. The gallery is as beautiful as everyone has every said and more. The works of art are extraordinary to see in person. The gallery is located in Piazza Della Signoria which is an outdoor gallery to famous sculpture such as Giambologna's Rape of the Sabine Women and a copy of Michelangelo's David. The original David is now in the Galleria dell Accademia, which we actually did not see.

Past the Piazza Della Signoria you arrive at the Arno River and the charming Ponte Vecchio bridge which houses shops and small cafes. There's a great little wine bar right before you cross the bridge which has a nice selection of wines by the glass, bottle and a wonderful formaggi (cheese) appetizer with fruit compotes and honey. Over the bridge took us to Palazzo Pitti and the Giardino di Boboli which is a 16th century Renaissance garden. The gardens are breathtaking and every turn brings you to some form of amazing sculpture. The one we found most interesting is the Little Bacchus (the fat guy on the turtle), you can't help but laugh.

We actually managed to just spend some time in Florence relaxing in the Piazzas and watching the people go by and also enjoying the open markets. The markets offer every type of leather item you would ever want, scarves, clothing, etc. The Mercato Nuovo is a great little open market and although it means "new market" it has been around since 1551. On the south side of the market you will find a little bronze boar (Il Porcellino) with a shiny nose due to all the visitors who rub it for good luck. We got our rub in as well.

Florence is a great place to learn about art and people watch. We really enjoyed all the bar/cafes because each one was so unique, beautifully built and mantained. We even enjoyed a little wine bar about the size of a 5x10 storage shed with no seating. Just go up to the counter, order your wine and sit in the street with everyone else. Don't forget to return the glass. Like all the other Italian cities the gelato (icecream) was as yummy as it gets. We did notice that Florence seemed to have more unique flavors than the other cities. Florence is definitely worth the trip, even if it's just for the gelato.