Bye, Bye Florence

We have had three great weather and fun filled days here in Florence. And now it's time to move on. Our last day was a busy one. It started early before the heat of the day settled in. We crossed the river and walked up to the Boboli Gardens. On a steep hillside, the gardens command impressive views over Florence. Originally designed for the Medici this historic park, which sits directly behind the Pitti Palace, was opened to the public in 1766.

Looking back down the gardens to the rear of the Pitti Palace

A view from the top end of the gardens

At 9am in the morning the sun is not too hot to make the steep climbs required to properly view the gardens. After an hour or so though, it's time to seek some shade. For Brenda, that means another bookshop! For me, I will wait it out with something cold in a nearby bar.

Then it's time to wander the narrow alleys and browse the market stores as we amble our way back to the center of the city. We eventually end up in the Piazza del Duomo - home of course to the magnificent Cathedral. The building is so big there isn't enough room in the square to take a picture of it all! But here a few pics that cover most of it...

The Bell Tower on the south-western corner

The impressive front entrance normally thronging with tourists - but being Sunday, it's closed.

A side view showing some of Brunelleschi's magnificent dome - a masterpiece in engineering!

Not surprisingly, the Cathedral took a long time to build - 140 years, starting in 1296 and finishing in 1436.

The Cathedral measures 153 m long; 90 m wide; and a staggering 114.5 m high! Apparently, there is 89,000 square feet of floor to clean!

I would have loved to put up my drone and get some aerial shots - but would probably get arrested if I tried. I did pack the drone, and I expect from here onwards, once we get out of the major cities, I might be able to get some good aerials.

Well, it's time to get back to the apartment. We have to pack this evening as we are leaving early tomorrow. Here's a pic of the Piazza delle Signoria where our beautiful apartment is located.

Our apartment is on third floor with great views over the Piazza - see the yellow arrow!

Tomorrow we drive from here to San Gimignano for coffee and a look around this town of seven towers!  After that we head on to Siena for lunch, then Montalcino for an aperitif and finally to our Airbnb in Aquapendente for dinner and a cooling swim in the pool!