Photos: Firenze

May 10, 2008.

After a stop over in Milan, I arrived in Florence just before noon. My cousin Max picked me up from the airport and we went to his house to drop my bags, where I met up with my mom and Bob. We proceeded down to the train station to pick up some tickets to get to Rome later in the travels. While there, we did a little sight seeing too... mostly just a bit of walking around, but we also went into the Academia to see Michaelangelo's David among other works. It is impressive what one can do with marble... however, no photos are allowed inside, so I can't provide you the 1000 words of how amazing it is... you'll just have to go see for yourself.




Mom at Daniella's Bar. Best cappuccino in Europe!
Santa Maria Novella - the wall separating the courtyard of the church. Florence's main train station is named after this church (usually abbreviated S.M.N.)
Front side of the SMN.
Mmmm... gelato.
The Duomo. I think, and I'm sure at least a few people agree, it is the most impressive church in all of Europe - perhaps not counting the vatican.
And here's the marble. White and green... simply amazing.
Golden doors ot the Baptistry.
The whole thing is detailed everywhere. Here you can see where they've done some restoration and where they haven't. Evil smog and acid rain in the city aren't so good for the longevity of things... but, marble holds up pretty well.
And of course, the bell tower. We didn't have time that day to go up either the tower of the duomo, but you can... I'd recommend the dome, given its much higher.