After Pisa I traveled to Florence, and dragged my suitcase along the streets, managing to totally wreck the wheels from their already wrecked state.We now own three suitcases with broken wheels. Obviously the cobbled streets and footpaths of Europe were not a consideration in their design!
So anyway, I have the grey one with me on this trip and bought a cheap trundler to put it on so now at least I can wheel it around. But back to Florence. Or Firenze as the locals call it. I didn't realise this til I booked a ticket for the train.
I spent the day walking around starting with the Piazzale Michelangel and the Giardino di Boboli, which gave me a good view of Florence. On the way between I walked along the city walls.
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| A selfie with a Florence backdrop |
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| The bridges over the river Arno |
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| A bronze cast of Michelangelo's David, in the Piazzale Michelangelo |
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| A huge, scary black bee! |
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| David's behind with flowers in the foreground |
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| Local scene from the roads between Piazzale Michelangelo and Bibolo gardens. |
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| Olives on ancient trees along the old city walls |
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| South bank road |
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| South bank road |
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| South bank road |
The Boboli Gardens were laid out for the wife of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany back in the fifteenth century. The house of Medici were a major financial, political, and later royal institution in Italy. They sponsored and commissioned much of the art and architecture in Florence. This included commissions by Leonardo da vinci and sponsorship of Michelangeo's apprenticeship.
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| The gardens main central path |
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| The Isolotto |
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| Casino del Cavaliere (Porcelain Museum) |
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| Neptune's fountain |
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| The Pitti palace. |
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| The Ancient Egyptian Boboli obelisk brought from the Villa Medici at Rome |
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| A grotty (grotesque in my opinion) grotto (Paris abducts Helen in the background) |
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| The court dwarf Morgante, on a tortoise. Dwarfs and other non-everyday people were owned by rich families as part of their collection of treasures. |
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| Pretty display in a shop window |
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| The del Duomo Campanile in the evening light from where I was staying |
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| A street artist in the P.le degli Uffizi |
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| Full-sized replica of Michelangelo's David, occupying the spot in front of the Palazzo Vecchio where the original was placed until it was moved indoors at the Galleria dell'Accademia. |
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| Statue of Perseo holding Medusa's head, by Benvenuto Cellini (1554), Loggia dei Lanzi |
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| Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus, |
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| Hercules and Nessus (1599) |
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| The Rape of the Sabine Women. |
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| Uffuzi gallery |
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| A girl strokes the snout of Pietro Tacca's bronze Porcellino (1634) which will ensure her return to Florence! |
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| Geppetto's Workshop. Who knew that he and Pinocchio were from Florence! (At least, the Author, Carlo Collodi , was) |
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| "Bin" |
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| Horses and carriages were on offer if you wanted to pay for it. |
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| Sugared candies |
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| So tempting |
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| del duomo campanile |
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| Very cute bunch of Asian children eating gelato |
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| Piazza San Firenze |
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| The city's symbol on a street lamp |
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| A very fancy chandelier inside the Casino del Cavaliere |
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| Porcelain example - looks like your gravy boat Bernie! |
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| A cupcake stand and a half! Wow |
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| Someone's clever street art |
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| More street art |
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| Public fountain. The lion looks kind of sad |
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| View of the Ponte Vecchio |
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| Sample of jewellery in one of the many shops on the Ponte Vecchio |
