Day 7 - (Venezia to) Firenze

Sadly head out early to the Accademia Vaporetto stop for the journey to the train station

Barely out of the train station in Firenze and we see our first iconic sight - Santa Maria Novella

Borgo SS Apostoli - the street of our wonderful Hotel Alessandra

Our room

Our view

One tired traveller

After someone has a snooze, we head out to see the town (that's not us in the wagon!)

Moments from our hotel, the Ponte Vecchio

Before we cross, a gelato ...  3 flavours ....

Quick action is required to engineer the gelato into a shape that won't melt over the edges in the brilliant heat

Ready to cross the Ponte Vecchio ....

To enjoy the vista across the River Arno

Shops on the bridge are high end .... gold jewelry

and coral jewelry (traditionally made Torre del Greco - note sure where these are from ...)

Uffizi Gallery - alas, no time to go in

Palazzo Vecchio

Michelangelo's David - replica in the place where the original stood for 370 years

Heading now to the Duomo ...

The bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti dubbed by Michelangelo as the 'Gates of Paradise', 1401 - 1422

Bounty of Tuscany

Florentine treats!

Ristorante Pennello - Daddy's favourite from the 1980s but sadly it is not yet open....

So we head off to enjoy more sights of Firenze

Marble-ized paper, a famous local craft...

We (or at least Mum) decides to get really ambitious and we start a long trek .... across the Ponte Vecchio...

Through lovely neighbourhoods and up a VERY steep (at least when you have been walking a long time) hill ....

To Piazzale Michelangelo for a vista of Firenze ...

The long walk back ....

Across the Arno ....

I love how a couple of parking spots a trattoria make ....

Finally back to Il Pennello ... and thankfully it is open because we are tired and hungry!

The owner of 47 years (sounds long but the ristorante has been going strong since the 16th Century!) paces and watches ...

Grilled chicken, scallopine and spinach ....

No explanation required!

Heading back to the hotel ....

Except we wanted one last look at the Ponte Vecchio and discover all gathered to enjoy the sunset ....