Three weeks in Italy!

Today, we spent our first day in Italy walking the streets of Florence!

 Over the past few months, we have been planning a family vacation to Italy.  We have been pouring over guide books, educating ourselves on all the sites and history of the areas we will be visiting, and searching for hotels and restaurants.  It is hard to believe we are finally here... walking the cobblestone streets of Florence... in a jet lagged daze.

 
Today, after a lovely European breakfast, we managed our way by local city bus, from our hotel to the top of a hill over looking the center of the city.  It was a wild and crazy ride!  Imagine being jam packed like sardines in a city bus with a driver who handled it like a Ferrari!   We are surely lucky to have lived to tell about it.   

With our feet firmly planted on the Piazzale Michaelangelo,  we had our first view of the city of Florence...

View of the Duomo and central Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

We then meandered down by foot through a lovely rose garden toward the Arno River. 

 

 Thomas stopping at the local drinking fountain!

 A cute little German, Lutheran Church

 We crossed the Arno at the famous Ponte Vecchio, a Medieval bridge lined with shops. 

 
After crossing the Arno, we headed toward the Piazza del Duomo and the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Fiore and spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the many side streets of Florence...

 

 A fake statue of David in the Piazza Della Signoria

 

 The massive Duomo peaking out in the distance...

 

 The Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore

 

The gilded Baptistry doors near the Cathedral

 

We ended our first day with a new daily tradition we are taking up... eat Gelato whenever possible. 

Buon journo!