Florence.

Our vacation continues...are you bored of my Italian photos? Too bad, we're only half way through.
Florence was wonderful. It was much smaller than I imagined, and we ran into the same couples, several times in our short 3 day stay. We did not see the Jersey Shore, even though they were filming in Florence. We saw a lot of students there - from elementary through college. There were many art students drawing and painting the Ponte Vecchio, the David or the skyline of Florence into their sketch books. It was so fun to look over their shoulder while they were working, and I wish I would have offered some euros for their work.
We visited the market, bought some leather, ate gelato, toured the Boboli Gardens and studied the churches. The churches in Florence are much different than the ones in Rome. Florence has learned the beauty of restraint.

The Central Market:


The San Lorenzo, behind the central market, was one of my favorite churches (that conveniently forbade you to take photos interior photos here).

Although, I tried to time my cough and shutter at the same time to snap a couple of photos.

Santa Croce was Tony's favorite church due to it's side chapels and courtyards. It was terribly impressive.

Even the rafters were delicately painted. These Italians did not miss a beat.

The Ponte Vecchio

A wild chandelier in the Pitti Palace


The Boboli Gardens inspired me to develop a green thumb.


This ceiling is a painting. It's easier to decipher in the photo, but in person it's much harder to spot.

I found a website, an American in Italy, before we left. This woman packed her bags and moved to Florence. We went through her list of recommendations and she suggested a rooftop cafe on top of the department store, the Rinascente. It had great views of the square the skyline.

We crossed the arno and hiked to the Piazza Michelangelo, I'd say this is a must do to enjoy the best views of the city, it's away from the crowds and there's a breeze. (**I wish we would have packed a picnic for this little hike. There is plenty of shaded green space, next time)

Lastly, we had our best meal at Trattoria dei 13 Gobbi (Thanks for the rec, Katie). I had the rigatoni pasta, Tony had the pasta carbonara, we split the steak with rosemary and as stuffed as we were, we split the strawberry cheesecake. I do not even consider myself a cheesecake lover, but it was so great we went back a second night for a slice.