Florence

As soon as we got out of the car, it started to drizzle. Within minutes we went from day to "night". Thank goodness we'd brought our rain jackets with us so we just kept walking. But after several minutes, the rain just got heavier and we had to take refuge down a tiny lane, huddling closely together by the side of the wall next to a building which was being partially sheltered by the building next to it.

Day turned to night in a matter of minutes!

This was the reason we couldn't stop and wait for the rain to stop completely before starting to walk again - the Uffizi Gallery. We had tickets for a 3pm admission and we had to get there on time or risk losing our tickets. As it was, we were very lucky to get those tickets. When I tried to book several days ago, the museum's official ticketing office had already sold out all their tickets for today. After looking at many private tour companies, I finally found one that had a few tickets left, but at a higher price of course. Well, what could we do, we can't come all the way to Florence and not go to the Uffizi. So, lesson learnt. Remember to book tickets way ahead if we ever come again in summer! Anyway, we made it in time albeit with soaking wet feet! 

Raphael's Madonna del Cardellino (Madonna of the Goldfinch) 

La Primavera by Botticelli

Venus of Urbino by Titian

Still enthusiastically enjoying all the artwork

2 seconds later... hmmm... a new way of appreciating art???

He told us he was micmicking the severed head in the portrait but I think he was really trying to show us how he felt, enough of museums already!

Totally unglam! Shoes and socks off, we dried our poor shrivelled feet in the hot sun at the Gallery Cafe 😱

Ah... all happy again with semi dried feet and a full tummy. That's the Tower of Arnolfo of the Palazzo Vecchio in the background.

After the Uffizi, it was time for a walk around Florence.

On our way to the Piazzale Michelangelo 

Feet drying rest stop on the steps up to the Piazzale!

Florence skyline

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

Looking down at the Ponte Vecchio

On the Ponte Vecchio 

At the Piazza della Signoria 

Upclose at the Duomo

After dinner, it was off to another gallery, this time to see David. We had the 8:30pm admission, and that was just perfect. The crowds of tourists had left by then and we could take our time to appreciate Michelangelo's sculptures and of course his masterpiece. 

10:30pm... united in exhaustion, "why are they still making us look at more churches??!"