Dave, Footy Playing Lions, Three Minute Sketch and Port Town.

Wednesday April 4th

Today we had to say goodbye to Piergiorgio, Dante and the beautiful Tuscan Farm house.  When I opened up the shutters this morning there was this amazing sunrise.

Bronwyn and Fintan say goodbye to their new friend, Dante.

Dante strikes a pose.

Our host in Tuscany, Piergiorgio.

After saying our goodbyes, we pulled away and headed north destined for Florence.  Now, if Pienza was cool because it became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, then Florence must be super cool because it was declared in 1982!  We only spent the the day in Florence, and that really doesn't do justice to one of the most important cities of the Middle Ages.  We all know that Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and with a handle like that you just know that there is a ton to see and do.  I think that this is one of those towns that you could literally spend weeks in and still not see everything.  If you are into art and architecture, I think you would love Florence.  I wish we had more time to explore the city then we did, I guess that just means that we will have to come back.

The stunning Florence skyline is dominated by the Duomo of Santa Maria Del Fiore.

The Arno river was perfectly still for the next few photos.

One of the most famous bridges in the world, Ponte Vecchio.

Ponte Vecchio has survived 7 centuries of floods and wars.  Shops have been on the bridge since the 13th century.  Since 1593 the shops have been exclusively goldsmiths and jewellers. The upper level was added in 1565 by Grand Duke Cosimo 1, it provided a private passage way for the royals to cross the river to get to a newly built palace without having to interact with any common folk.

This is a copy of Donatello's "Marzocco" (1418-1420) the traditional symbol of Florence.  Florentine lions were playing footy waaay before everyone else.

A copy of Michelangelo's "David".  The original stood in this same spot in Piazza della Signoria for over 350 years until 1873.

Dave has a commanding view of the Piazza.

All you "Percy Jackson" fans will remember when Perseus chopped the head off of the snaky haired Medusa.   This "Perseus" sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini (1545-1553) is considered one of Europe's prized bronze works.  Amazingly the original stands in public in the same Piazza that the copy of Dave and the Footy playing lion live.

This piece is incredible.  Giambologna's "Rape of the Sabine Women" (1583).  It was carved from one solid block of marble.  Apparently the block was flawed and was the largest single block of marble ever brought to Florence.

We were only spending the day in Florence so we opted to take a horse drawn carriage tour so we could see more of the city.

The kids loved the ride.

The Battistero Di San Giovanni is believed to be Florence's oldest building.  Florentine babies were baptized here for centuries.

The East Doors of the Baptistery are famous for the bronze reliefs done by Ghiberti in 1425.  How long did he work on them you ask?  27 years.... Holy apple core!

Our buggy driver was an absolute madman.  He wouldn't slow down for pedestrians at all, instead he would honk the horn you see by his right hand and just keep moving forward.  People would scatter and make all sort of comments, he would mimic them and start laughing as we rumbled down the narrow cobblestone streets.

Horsey gets some well earned food.  Either that or they're are trying to hide his big ugly teeth.

Palazzo Vecchio, which is still home to City Council began construction in 1299.  You can see "Dave" on the right hand side near the entrance

Fin taking the Florence rain like a champ.

The Duomo of Santa Maria Del Fiore.

As impressive as the outside of the Duomo is, the inside is very modest.

The dome of the Duomo is super impressive.  It was designed by Brunelleschi.   It is an engineering marvel.

Fin getting sketched by one of the several artists outside the Duomo.

Fin sees the finished product.

Super Fin graces the Florence skyline.

Bronwyn gets sketched in a dancer like soccer pose.

Bronwyn sees her sketch for the first time.

The "Lion King" with Ponte Vecchio in the background, and the other half of Florence blocked by her massive wind blown hair.

Stacey and the kids after a long climb back up to where we parked our car.

Awe.....

Absolutely beautiful.

We staggered back to the car and got ready for the last leg of our journey, the infamous Cinque Terre!  

Around 7:30 we pulled into our home for the next three nights.  It's in a quaint little village named Porte Venere, and it is the last village on coast south of the Cinque Terre.

How's that for an impressive looking little village?