Europa Part II - There's a Fire in Florence!

Stop 2 was set for Florence, the city of the Renaissance. Known for Michelangelo's David, the Duomo, and gelato (we'll get to that), Italy's artistic capital did not disappoint.

Florence is quite different from Rome in many different ways. The center of the Renaissance, Florence's architecture was more modern - as in 1500's instead of BC. The buildings and churches, especially the Duomo, were breathtaking.

We started the day off by seeing one of the greatest pieces of art in the world - Michelangelo's David. It was amazing. Simply put: a-ma-zin-g. The amount of work and attention to detail below me away. Once again though, his works of art were under a strict "no photo" policy, so we didn't get any pics from the site. We tried to after seeing about 20 others snapping away, but of course we were the ones that security decides to stop, not the guy next to us with three cameras around his neck. I guess Christine fit the mold of "Tourist who's going to sell photos of the Statue" mold. True Story.

After the museum, we climbed 414 steps straight up a steep staircase to the top of a tower in the center of the city for some spectacular views of the city. The Italians of the 1500's were obviously trying their best to honor God in their work here. I can't believe some of the architecture. It was a different world back then, and you can tell they valued their beautiful landscape and tried to cherish it and preserve it in the architecture.

We crossed a river that splits the city in two over a bridge with jewelry and gold shops and houses, built in the 1300's. It started as a place for butchers and other food vendors, but the king in the 1500's wanted to flaunt his wealth, so he changed the shops to high-end jewelry, which it still is today.

After crossing the river, we hiked upwards to the Piazza del Michelangelino, where the original statue of David stood, and now a replica stands. Here were the best views of the city. Florence was picturesque in every way, as you can see.

After a day of hiking and exploring around in the sun, we cooled off at a wine bar near a main square sipping on Lemoncello - a fave amount the area - while the rain sprinkled down. It was perfect. Another pizza and wine dinner closed down the evening, along with a late-night gelato run, where we found literally the best gelato in the world. Seriously, it was so good.

Stay tuned for the next posting (which will be this week, I promise!): We visit the most beautiful place on earth - Cinque Terre!