After a mere hour and a half flight from Paris, we landed in Florence, Italy, leaving beige cream colored aristocratic French architecture for the red roofs, tan walls, and artisan creations of the Great Renaissance.
A small city set in the valleys of mountains by the river, Florence is much smaller than it appears on map, and entirely walkable by foot.
After munching on our first Italian pizza in a small mom and pop restaurant and devouring a huge cup of tiramisu and raspberry flavored gelato, we wandered towards the river.
Situated on top of the Pinto Veccio bridge were actual buildings, once home to goldsmiths of the medieval ages, but now jewelry boutiques of every kind.
Our next stop was the Bibboli Gardens just behind the Pitti Palace, which were built on raised grounds with views of the city below. The expansive lands of these grand, beautifully sculpted gardens contrasted with the rest of the city’s small winding alleys and streets.
and so we walked up...
and up...
and up!!! :)
We slept lazily until noon the next day, and keeping with the slower pace of life in Europe, took our time brunching well into the afternoon.
After brunch was the Uffizi Art Gallery...and then a short hike to the top of Piazzale Michaeleganlo, a plateau with stunning views of the entire city from the east.
After some olives and red wine with the magnificent view below, we walked back down west along the river, with the sunset before us casting long warm shadows on the ground. We sat down on a bench, gelatos in hand, and listened to the music of a songstress singing nearby.
This post is part of the 12-day, 5-city Eurotrip in July 2014.