Chapter Eleven

We started off a busy two nights in the wonderful city of Florence by making a quick side trip to Pisa! I just couldn't visit Italy and not take a trip to the famous leaning tower of Pisa. We left in the morning by train and headed west for about an hour. Unfortunately for us it rained the first half of our time in Pisa, but we were determined to make it to the tower. Using our makeshift umbrellas (jackets) we walked for about 20 minutes until we saw the tower. The first thing we did was take some pictures including the cheesy tourist holding up the tower picture! It was actually really hard work to get the perfect angle. The tower actually leans because of unstable ground, and began sinking into the ground during construction. In an effort to compensate for the lean architects actually built one side taller than the other so that the tower is actually curved. In the same courtyard we also saw the Baptistry, Camposanto, and Cathedral Pisa. After we walked towards Piazza dei Cavaleiri a square that became a

political hub in the middle ages.

We returned to Florence for the afternoon and tried to get to as many attractions as we could in one afternoon. We started at the fountain of Neptune which I was able to identify because of the horses and water imagery. Next was the Loggia dei Lanzi, a roofed corridor of sorts which houses several statues. Ponte Vecchio was our next stop and it was great to see as this bridge was one of the oldest in Florence and one of the only covered bridges.

After the bridge we hiked up to Piazzale Michelangiolo. It was definitely a hike that I was not prepared for and my legs were hurting all the way up. The view at the top was absolutely worth it. The top of Piazzale Michelangiolo gave stunning views of the Florence skyline. When we walked back down from the hill we found a small gelato store which advertised gelato made with hand squeezed juice from fruits. We had some extra time and figured we'd stop in. I had pineapple and lemon gelato and I can conclusively say that the gelato I had in Florence was the best gelato on the whole trip.

Our second day in Florence was definitely less eventful and my friends wanted to take it easy and sleep in a bit. I decided to venture out to a nearby church on my own and I'm so glad I did! The Santa Maria Novella Church was beautiful and a great chance to learn a little bit more about the history of Florence. It was the first of Florence's major cathedrals and has a magnificent facade that was beautifully decorated. The Church also had a museum attached to it and I took my time walking through all of the preserved frescoes and art from the church.

After the Church I met up again with my friends in the line for the Galleria dell'Academia. This art gallery features the very famous David statue along with several other works by Michael Angelo. The wait to get into the gallery was so long! If anyone else is planning on going definitely buy tickets in advance or get there very early.

While waiting for the line to move I went for a walk and just explored the city a little bit. I stopped in to buy some more gelato (of course) this time it was tiramisu flavour and was so good! It even had bits of the cake part in the gelato. I also walked by the Florence Cathedral and the Battistero and took in the beautiful artwork on the outside. I couldn't believe all of the colour used in these building and the stark contrast between the green and the white. I stopped in another piazza where there was a band playing some music and just enjoyed my gelato. The gallery itself was filled with art, but my favourite part (aside from David) was a small wing off to the side where they had plaster models of famous statues from all around Italy. It was fun to read the stories behind the artwork as most were inspired by Roman or Greek myth.

After the gallery unfortunately we had to head out as our bus to Venice was about a half hour away and we had to take public transport to get to the station.