Travel fatigue and technical issues delayed our first post, but we hope we are off and running now. Our first day was magnificent. Our Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco, Via Cavour 29, is PERFECT and well located to Florence’s beautiful and historic sites; the weather is excellent (about as hot as our hometown in Raleigh, NC but the evening was perfect), and the Italians are friendly & helpful.
Soon after arrival we took off on bikes to get the lay of the city with our friendly and knowledgeable guide named Phillipo. He was particularly patient in helping us locate some pure gum spirits of turpentine which is not allowed on airplanes, carried by only a few suppliers, and doesn’t translate well into Italian (pure and gum for instance are oxymoronic). Our pictures tell the rest of the story . . .
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- Our bicycle tour guide, Phillipo, and Sam
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- Landing in Rome at 7:00. Trans atlantic pilots prize themselves on a smooth touchdown. This one was magnifico!
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- So happy to be in Florence!
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- The hotel is confortable, friendly . . .
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- and only blocks from the top sites of Florence
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- Lunch a few blocks away
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- Our lunch neighbor
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- Palazzo Vecchio
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- A copy of Michelangelo’s statue David. The original is housed in the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze
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- Neptune
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- The rape of the Sabine women and others
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- Piazza Duomo
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- Piazza S. Giovanni
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- Piazza Santa Croce
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- Piazza S. Croce, the Cathederal of Florence. The Baptistry is on the left.
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- On the Ponte (bridge) S. Trinita
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- The Arno River and Ponte Veccjhio
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- Having a gelato with Philippo and a fellow who started a school to train woud be Gilato makers
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