Firenze

Florence is the capital city of Tuscany and is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time,Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of rule by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1870 the city was also the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy.

We decided that Florence was the 'must see' city on our trip to Tuscany and elected to take the train from Poggibonsi rather than drive. 

 

First stop was the Ponte Vecchio, the medeval bridge that spans the Arno river and still has shops on it. After a short icecream break we walked to the Palazzo Pitti before heading back over the Ponte Vecchio to grab an al fressco lunch just off the Piazza Signoria.

 

 

After lunch it was a short walk up to the Cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore. We took a short tour inside the Duomo, looking at the beautiful artwork on the inside of the dome before heading outside to climb the 419 steps of the Bell Tower to get some fantastic panoramic views over Florence.

Our tour continued as the walked back towards the Uffizi, stopping off for Kate to have her portrait done by one of the many artists in the area.

 
We then headed north again back towards the train station.