Following on from yesterday's post I have picked a number of images of Florence at night.
The first of today's pictures is of the Ponte Vecchio from the right bank of the Arno. One of the things Italy is famous for is Gelato, I lost count of the number of times we heard "You gotta try the gelato!". To be fair it was really good and it was while I was taking the shots of the bridge that we were eating probably the most expensive ice cream cone we've ever had. Yummy!
Picture two shows the Cathedrale di Santa Maria Del Fiore, the Campanile di Giotto and Basilica di Santa Maria Novella.
The third picture is of the Synagogue
The next two pictures are again of the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (il Duomo) and the Campanile.
Apart from the bridge all of the pictures were taken from Piazzale Michaelangelo which overlooks the city on the opposite side of the river. I hadn't intended to post the statue but it is a bronze replica of Michaelangelo's David and so I thought it fitting to share.
Florence is a really beautiful city with some classical architecture and today's pictures show some of the more recognisable sites. Over the next few days I think I will post some shots of less well known spots and some images of the city at night, but for today you have il Duomo and Ponte Vecchio. I think today the fourth picture is my favourite as I like the narrow streets and the glimpse of the dome is quite special.
The Ponte Vecchio seemed to draw lots of visitors to the gold merchants and jewellers and it really is worth visiting. My son and I re-enacted a scene from Assassin's Creed with me throwing a stone at him, and striking him on the face to enhance the experience.
Did you know that there is a "hidden" tunnel along the top of the bridge? It allowed the Medici access from one side of the river to the other without having to encounter the people of the city. Originally the shops on the bridge housed butchers and other groceries but the Duke of Medici didn't like the smell so had them all evicted and insisted that the gold merchants move in and that is who is there today.
