Our start wasn't quite so early today as our journey was not as far, taking us to our last stop in Italy, Florence. The views from the bus were very much the same as our trip down to Rome as we were passing back over the same route. Our only stop was at an auto grill, half way between Rome and Florence.
We arrived in Florence at mid day and went to the main centre, 'Signora Square', for a group briefing before visiting a leather shop for, once again, an over commerialised demonstration. The leather was
lovely and I was tempted to buy a jacket but refrained myself. I did get mum's birthday gift there and had it personally initialed. The rest of the afternoon was left for us to explore Florence, at our own pace, which we enjoyed. I did manage to buy myself a beautiful 18 karat gold bracelet from the 'Corner Goldsmith'. Florence is renown for its fine gold and leather. 
Florence dates back to the renaissance era which is reflected in the style of the buildings and the many sculptures around the square. Many of the sculptures have political connotations and a replica of Michelangelo's David stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. The Arts are recognised throughout Italy and Florence certainly displays plenty. While we were in Signora Square a large band was performing a renaissance open-air concert on a beautiful stage. The musicians were very formally dressed and attracted a large audience.
The Italian's love to entertain so they managed to con Chris into to paying for me to be serenaded to while we were having a cold beer and wine at one of the many side street cafes. They did sing very nicely! We wandered through the streets looking at the many side stalls and markets, trying to sell replicas of leather and gold items. We came across a beautiful shop selling Pinocchio goods as Florence was the home of this famous children's tale. Children could spend hours in there as it is like a wonderland.
At 5 o'clock our tour group met Simon again in Signora Square where we were then handed over to a local Italian tour guide for a walking tour of Florence. We saw many beautiful cathedrals and buildings as well as the 'golden doors' which are a copy of the originals. During a massive flood in 1966 the Florence River rose 40m, destroying lots of buildings and structures, including the original golden door.
As it was a Saturday, the Italian families were dressed up and out doing shopping and having family time. This is a very special part of their culture. The side shops and markets were full of delicious goodies and fresh produce, all beautifully displayed.
Again being with a tour group we skipped the long line waiting to enter the gallery. Our Italian tour guide left
The evening arrangements had been altered so we ate at a restaurant we were not originally booked into. The meal was very average compared with what we had been having. We walked back to the bus in a sudden horrendous thunder storm with very heavy rain but no one complained as it was warm and we soon dried out. The thunder storm did last all night which made it hard to sleep!
We once again boarded the bus and headed a short distance out of Florence to our accommodation 'Vittoria Hotel'. What a surprise! It had been refurbished with each room having its own theme, colour and design. The entrance door to the different rooms had a picture of a famous person on it. Our room was dark red in the main room, green dressing room with pictures of clothes hanging on the cupboards. The bathroom was mauve with a glass shower and there were fairy lights all over the mirrored walls and ceiling. It was certainly very different but rather a special hidden treasure. We shared a bottle of bubbly I had luckily bought at the auto grill on the way up from Rome and enjoyed the uniqueness of this hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment