Firenze

Right around 2p.m. we arrive in Firenze, the local name for Florence. Our hotel is a short five minute cab ride.

Florence has two must-see galleries: the Accademia and the Uffizi. Unfortunately, tickets are scarce and involve waiting in long lines. The smart folks reserve in advance via the web, but we haven't done that. The hotel offers an alternative, albeit a costly alternative. For double the price of a normal ticket, we can get into a guided tour. We opt for that.

We decide to head to Palazzo Pitti, which is a 10 minute walk. On the way, we walk over Ponte Vecchio, which is a famous bridge on the Arno river, with shops on either side built on the bridge. The Arno river cuts through the south side of Florence.

The tickets at Pitti Palace have a maze of options, and we spend some time debating what ticket we should buy. There are exhibits and galleries inside, but unfortunately most exhibits have descriptions in Italian only. The Pitti Palace forbids photographs and we find out later that most galleries in Florence forbid photography.

We head to the Baboli gardens that are behind the palace and it is a steep climb up to the top. The hot steamy weather has followed us from Rome, and there is no cool breeze to be had. We walk in the shade as much as possible. From atop the hill, I get a great view of the city of Florence, which is down in a valley surrounded by hills on either side.

There is an International Chorus competition going on in the main square of the palace and we spend some time listening to the young boys and girls sing.

On the way back, wife picks up a painting or two. The owner cannot speak English, but she shows us a book, with photographs, that has pictures of the artist creating the painting.

Dinner will be sandwiches tonight. Tomorrow we will drive through the Tuscan countryside.