Florence
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Pisa.
On our way to Florence, we made the mandatory tourist stop at the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was very interesting but the Baptistery and Cathedral on the site was also very interesting. Already tilting when it was completed in 1372, the 56 meter white-marble cylinder is the bell tower of the Romanesque, striped-marble cathedral that rises next to it in the Piazza dei Miracoli. Also in the piazza is the Baptistery, whose renowned acoustics are demonstrated by amateur singers daily, |
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Florence
Florence Cathedral and Baptistery.
We arrived in Florence, checked into our hotel, and headed out to Brunelleschi's magnificent cathedral dome and Ghiberti's amazingly 3-D Baptistery doors. The cathedral complex, in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence. They truly are a masterpiece and very beautiful. |
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David by Michelangelo.
After viewing the Cathedral, we continued on to the academia where we were amazed with David by Michelangelo. David is a 17.0 foot marble statue of the Biblical hero David created in marble between 1501 and 1504. |
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Evening Meal.
We had some great pasta at a very nice restaurant in Florence. It had to be good because it was recommended by Martin our Guide. Pasta in Italy - does it get any better? |
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Thursday, July 11, 2019
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Free time Galileo Museum.
There is a lot of activity today. We started the day with a visit to the Galileo Museum. |
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Florence and Gelato.
We wandered around Florence relaxing and having some Gelato. |
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Medici Chapel.
Jan and I headed over to the Medici Chapel while the rest of our family rested up for the afternoon activities that were planned. |
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Michelangelo Plaza.
It was getting warm in Florence and everyone was resting up for the afternoon activities. Stan decided to head for the Michelangelo Plaza which overlooks Florence for some pictures. |
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Uffizi Gallery.
Our next adventure was a visit to the Uffizi Gallery. Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence and one of the most visited art museums in the world. |
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Cooking Class.
What a great event and experience. We cooked our own dinner under the watchful experienced Italian instructors. And then we ate what we cooked. What a fun, great experience! |
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Merry-Go-Round.
Martin, our Guide, had one more surprise for us before the evening was over. We all had a ride on the horse Merry-Go-Round. It was really a nice finish to our tour thanks to Martin. |
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Goodbye.
We were leaving early in the morning (4 a.m.), so we said our goodbyes this evening. The kids really had fun and became good buddies. |
Our Tour Group picture.
We had a great time on the tour and it was enhanced so much by our great tour family! We're hoping we will meet again on another tour in the future.
We had a great time on the tour and it was enhanced so much by our great tour family! We're hoping we will meet again on another tour in the future.
First row kneeling/reclining:
Janice, Martin (Guide), Paul, Stan, Barb
Second row:
Leilani, Blanca, Ben (Asst Guide), Becki, Jaden, Carson, Katrin, Spencer, Sepi, Elena, Carson, Keegan, Laila, Sadie
Third row:
Andrew, David, Tricia, Stephan, Charles, Lynn, Eileen, Carl, Stephanie, Trisha
Janice, Martin (Guide), Paul, Stan, Barb
Second row:
Leilani, Blanca, Ben (Asst Guide), Becki, Jaden, Carson, Katrin, Spencer, Sepi, Elena, Carson, Keegan, Laila, Sadie
Third row:
Andrew, David, Tricia, Stephan, Charles, Lynn, Eileen, Carl, Stephanie, Trisha
Thanks for taking a look at our tour scrapbook. We hope you enjoyed it and that it encourages you to try a Rick Steves' Tour for yourself. As Rick says, "Keep on Traveling"! We will!