Florence: Duomo, Uffizi

The majority of our second day in Florence was spent at the Duomo and the Uffizi gallery. I had seen pictures of the Duomo in guidebooks, but I was amazed at the beautiful pink, white and green marble facade. It is so different from all other cathedrals I have seen.




The main bronze doors of the cathedral.


After the gorgeous exterior, I was a little disappointed in the interior.


Impressive in scale, but not as ornate as I was assuming it would be.


The Baptistery with it's fantastic "Gates of Paradise".



The Uffizi Gallery.

W1 and L1 spent their time in the gallery parked on a bench watching Toy Story 3 on the ipod, while R1 and I took turns looking at the art. It worked out rather well.

On the rooftop of the gallery, we recharged with chocolate and a glimpse at the Florence skyline.

A kind stranger offered to take our picture, and we managed one good shot before H1 ran off, L1 announced he had to use the toilet, and W1 turned and started chasing the pigeon.

Ah, Florence

Whenever we travel somewhere new, I always wish we had more time to explore. That is definitely true of Florence. We only spent two days there, which was barely enough time to hit some of the highlights. There are many museums, churches, and squares that I would love to go back and see. (And more gelato I would love to eat...).

The first day, we parked our rental car, and walked into the city center. Past the old city wall and in through the gate.

With a city as ancient as this one, every view and every turn is picturesque.

The building styles are so different, and much older than what we are used to.

Coming from London, which is a city of shades of gray, we noticed that the palette of Italy is entirely earthtones. Including the river Arno.


The city center is full of narrow, windy streets.


Lined with shops, the most important (to me) were the gelaterias.


We took every chance we could to stop and eat gelato.


Wandering along the narrow streets, we would turn a corner and be surprised by a large open square.


Filled with sculptures, fountains, and people.


Beautiful during the day, Florence is even more stunning at night.

Cruise down the river Thames

From the Westminster Pier to Greenwich and back.

The next day, we hopped on a plane to Tuscany...