Another day another tower

Thursday we took an excursion to Siena and San Gimignano. The first thing we did was to climb the Mangia Torre, another really tall (400 steps) tower next to the city hall in Siena. My poor legs. The views, again, were great. That is another one of Doug's things. If there is a tower to climb, we will climb it.

We explored the city a bit. That involved more hills--my legs were thrumming. Then on to San Gimignano. Another hill town known for its towers. I put my foot down. No more tower climbing. The streets themselves were steep, straining my already tired legs.

We have a list of unvisited sites, but no plan as yet for tomorrow. Maybe we can give our legs a rest. Not likely...

A view of the Arno

After the Duomo, we walked on the other side of the river exploring the less traveled road. (A Doug speciality) The Brancacci Chapel in the Santa Maria del Carmine convent was worth a visit.

Top of the dome

Wednesday. We did the Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore, the major cathedral in Florence. We toured the cathedral, went to the museum that contains all the statuary removed from the church, both from the nave and the exterior (to preserve it--copies have been installed instead). And then climbed 463 steps to the top of the dome. Magnificent views.

Ponte Vecchio

The old bridge that spans the Arno River has many shops--mostly jewelry--lining it. We have been over it a few times already. It is one of the noted landmarks of Florence.

My internet access is spotty and my app is acting up so I have to work around these minor obstacles. I will get things out, but two or three posts may get posted at once.

Santa Croce

Fourteenth century church with a 19th century facade. It contains the tombs of several famous Florentines. We didn't go in, but we did go to the leather school in the rear.

We will visit again before we go.
We are still finding our way--it is really easy to get turned around. There is one twisty street after another lined with buildings tall enough to block views of landmarks. At one point we were headed to the Duomo and could hear the bells, but couldn't see it. Turns out it was just around the corner.

San Lorenzo

Our first morning we went on a 3 hour walking tour of Florence with our very helpful and knowledgeable guide. We covered some of the same territory as we did on our own the day before, but had a bit more knowledge to go along with the sights.

This is San Lorenzo, both piazza and church. It is the site of the Medici chapels designed by Michelangelo. Also, there is an outdoor market.

Arrive in Florence

Our flight was on time into Rome with a transfer to a flight to Florence. We were bussed to our hotel which is centrally located and near all the major sites in the old city. We didn't get into our room until about 2:30 at which point I took a nap for an hour or so. Then we wondered to the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and sites in-between. Bought some wine, cheese and fruit for dinner. Oh, and some grappa. Above is the Duomo.