A Day in Florence and a Night in the Hills of Sienna

 Florence was a mob of people.  It was a Tuesday, mid-day and not even peak season.   I am not sure I would know what is a good time.

You can't miss the Duomo ( Cathedral)   It is absolutely huge and towers over everything in Florence.    The most unusual thing about all the brick work in Florence is that it is all the same and it is a signature of the City.   I have added a picture below which isn't of great interest other than to show the pattern of the green marble that the church buildings are all made of.   If I see a picture of any building with this pattern, I know it is from this city.    I think it is true of other Italian cities, but non have buildings of this size.

The Medici family lived in Florence and were very wealthy.   They supported the arts in and took treasurers from around the world and brought them back.   For this reason, Florence is the home of 72 museums.  

In the photo below, you can see there is a series of bridges across the river and each of them is jam packed with little shops that have been there for centuries.   They do have rules about throwing things into the river now, but as Carol says, the streets are just jammed with people.  I wonder if Tuesday is a Cruise ship day.   They are always the worst.

I did add one of Fred's favorite spots.  It is right on the street, but is a door called  "The Gates of Paradise" which are 12 panels of the life of Christ. by Lorenzo Ghiberti.  These really are fabulous, and they were so prized that even Michelangelo felt that his work paled next to these gold sculptured panels.   Michelangelo was quite opinionated and was not well liked by other artists because he was so confident in his own God given talent.  This was high praise indeed for Ghiberti.   The original doors and the original David, by Michaelangelo are actually in a special air controlled chamber in the Florence academy of fine arts.   But both have wonderful copies that are in their original spots for everyone to see as they walk by.

The Hills of Sienna 

After a short visit to Florence to see the famous Duomo, we are in a forested area of beautiful Sienna.  It is lovely.  We are excited to view the country.

This is in the forest of Tuscany and the owners are absolutely lovely and so kind.   Vacation Rentals By Owner, is a great way to save money, have a bit more spacious living environment and a feeling of connecting more with the culture.


A little fruit, a little cheese and a little wine waiting for us at this lovely place.