La bella Firenze!

Ciao a tutti!
Well, here we are in Florence, about to head out for some long-awaited shopping time. So far since we arrived on Friday, we've checked out the two markets for some preliminary perusing, then as the weather was clear we hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo via the blingy gold shops of the Ponte Vecchio for the typical postcard view of the city. Descending once again, we pottered through some shops before dinner and an early night.
Yesterday we started off with a visit to the Accademia Gallery to check out Michelangelo's real David (not the numerous copies dotted around the city) as well as his half-completed rejects, and many more religious works from the 13th to the 19th century. It's amazing to see so much in one city, and that doesn't include the Uffizi, although it's also not surprising since Florence was the cradle of the Renaissance. After lunch in a 1950s-inspired diner, we took the train to Pisa to check out the Tower, once again getting creative with the shots pretending to push over or hold up the tower. Still, if it wasn't such an epic fail, no one would visit Pisa. After dinner and a restorative gelato back in Florence, the evening was rounded out with an exciting visit to the laundromat.

Sunday in Florence dawned much brighter so after a much appreciated sleep in we ventured around to the Duomo to check out the shops in the vicinity, stumbling across a parade as we wandered around. At midday we went to mass in the Cathedral – all in Italian with organ music marking the beginning and the end. The mass also gave us a chance to take in the elaborate paintings on  the ceiling of Brunelleschi’s dome. More shopping followed and then at 5pm, just as the heavens opened again, we met the famous artist and chronicler of Renaissance art, ‘Giorgio Vassari’ for our interactive tour of the Palazzo Vecchio. As he explained the significance of ‘his’ work and his experiences under the great master Michelangelo, we moved from one elaborate room to another, explaining modern life in the as-yet-undiscovered New World. After being shocked that Natasha was not yet married and impressed that Sir Ben noticed the lack of symmetry in the building, we emerged into the rain for a last perusal of the shops before dinner and packing up once again.