The Streets of Florence

Back on the street we are again following our guide, hired by Princess to show us around Florence. We head to the Duomo (see Wikipedia if curious)

Our guide is leading a group of 38 people and we are wearing headsets to hear her so you have to be close. I need to take photos so I stay on the edge of the group and move away often to get my shots, then catch up to the group if they move. If I want to focus my attention on the buildings rather than focusing through the camera I can always visit Wikipedia to enrich my knowledge.

The magnificent marble facade

The scaffolding you saw at the edge of a photo just now was a restoration. Here are the beautiful bronze doors to the Baptistery of St. John

and the Baptistery itself

Behind me, people, who have seen all of this before, look the other way

This is as close as we would get to the gigantic dome (Duomo) as the tour didn't allow enough time even though we would be in Florence for about 6 hours. So no Bird's Eye view of the city by climbing the stairs to the top of the dome. Maybe next time!

The wide-angle lens (10 to 22mm) is the only way to get this much into the shots but of course the buildings tend to lean as a result.

You may see some people atop the dome in this shot

We can take no more of its beauty and walk on. We hear that Ponte Vecchio may be our next important bucket-list stop.

We pass by a shop which has a wall of melted chocolate spelling out a message. The aroma of chocolate is intoxicating but we can't stop-we have no time to linger.

No time to wander down every side street either and that's something I would have loved to do

People come to this street to go shopping in fashion boutiques

An Italian Postal vehicle for the narrow city streets

Some high fashion shops follow

A Church and Museum in one

More shops!

 Including one that sells Gelato

We are now in the vast public square Piazza della Signoria

We leave the square behind on our way to Ponte Vecchio

Here we learn from our guide that our tour includes a 45 minute shopping stop and we are going to look at some gold jewelry. We have zero interest in doing that today in Florence or in fact on any day in the future in any city on Earth so we let the group go in and go back to the Piazza della Signoria where I remembered seeing an inviting place to sit and drink coffee ...

Michelangelo's David

Once we have been electronically screened at the entrance to L'Academia we are free to enjoy our brief tour. We pass a gift shop on the way in.

While waiting for our group to assemble  around our guide I take the opportunity for a bathroom break downstairs as who knew when I'd get the chance again?

We turn a corner led by our guide and get our first glimpse of David and the crowd.....

As always I am wearing my Rick Steves money belt  to avoid my pockets being picked

I have to take photos over the heads of those before me as we move slowly along

Looking back over my shoulder...yikes!

Why he wore no clothes is still a mystery

Thankfully selfie sticks and flash photography are not allowed here

The tree stump serves as a support for the statue

Once I had circumnavigated the statue I was free to break away from the crowd and explore briefly the other rooms nearby to look at works that don't attract large numbers of lookers

It doesn't take long to see it and to  marvel at Michelangelo's skill. The guide gathered us up into a group again and like most museums we had to exit through another gift shop where my quest for a fridge magnet was futile

Once outside again we set off on a walk through the streets of Florence to see some of its architectural beauty.....