Up Above The Streets and Houses

So here we are in Florence or Firenze as it is more properly called.

I have been surprised that neither Venice nor Florence seem as busy as expected but that isn't a bad thing of course because it means less time queuing for things.

We drove here from Venice avoiding the motorways and at first I worried it was a poor decision because the road surfaces were rubbish and it was slow going, the scenery was also a bit dull. After about an hour however things improved as we drove into the hills, with vineyards and orchards and then up into the mountains onto the most exciting roads yet for this trip. There were switchbacks galore going up and down the mountains and I knew then I'd made the right decision to take this route.

Having checked into our 15th century palazzo we went exploring. We climbed to the top of the campanile, the bell tower to the Catedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore. This was another Assassins Creed moment for my son and that helped him overcome his fear of heights. The views were stunning seeing the Duomo up close, looking out across the rooftops at the same time as being hailed with a chorus from the bells. That was an experience I won't forget.

Although I got some good pictures of the dome I decided to share just a close up of the roof tiles on the campanile itself. The building designed by Giotto was started in 1334 and it was completed in 1359 so this roof has been there for 659 years. I wonder if these are the original tiles...

In the streets below i spotted this interesting graffiti, I  often like to share the less obvious sights from the places I visit and so thought this fits the bill.