Today would be a day of a lot of driving. We would be leaving Sorrento and heading to Florence (Firenze in Italian). Florence is the capital of the Tuscany region and known as the birthplace of the Renaissance.
We headed to the city center and were turned over to our tour guide for the day, Flavia. She would take us on a walking tour of the city and show us the sights. Florence is the birthplace or chosen home of so many influencial people, including Dante, Leonardo di Vinci, Machiavelli, Michelangelo, the city is immersed in the arts. Every corner you turned and every alley you walked through was covered with statues, museums, famous homes and monuments.
One of the most amazing things we saw was Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore which is a breathtaking cathedral. It is SO large you can't fit it all in one picture!! It is the 4th largest church in Europe measuring over 500 feet long. The detail was incredible.
We barely scratched the surface during our quick tour and I could definitely go back and spend more time there.
During our free time, we did ask Bogi to help us take care of some personal business. Because of the all the walking and sitting on a bus, my ankles had become really swollen. Via email my Mom had recommended that I get some "medical socks" to help with the swelling and circulation. At home, I would have just run to Walgreens or HEB and ask the store clerk for help. However, pharmacies are very different in Italy and lets not forget the language barrier. So, we enlisted Bogi to act as our translator and she was great!!
We had limited time and the first place we went to didn't have what I needed and they recommended another place that was supposed to be "close by". Um, sure... So, we ran all around Florence looking for this place. Bogi asked people along the way and no one knew where it was. Just as we began to give up hope, we found it!! Bogi talked to the woman at the store for us and helped me get the right socks. I was so grateful she helped us!! I would wear them for the rest of the trip and they helped quite a bit.
After our sock-finding trip, we had some free time, so Brad and I strolled around the city and bought souvenirs. Brad got 6 beautiful Italian neckties and we got some artwork for our bedroom.
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| One of the many open-air markets. |
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| The Il Porcellino statue (Italian for "piglet".) It is tradition to rub his snout for good luck and to ensure your return to Florence. |
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| Michelangelos' "David". This is a replica- the original is housed in the Michelangelo museum. |
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| Piazza della Repubblica |
Then we loaded up on the bus and headed to the hotel for dinner. It had been a busy day and we were ready for some sleep (and to prop up my feet!). The next day would be a VERY busy day including some famous leaning tower...
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