Florence

Monday morning we moved on to Florence. We arrived before lunch time and had an afternoon free to explore the small but very interesting Tuscan city. All around us were beautiful churches filled with great art, ancient palaces, trendy shops, sidewalk cafes and hordes of tourists. Every place we've been has been filled with thousands of Americans and tourists from many other places. We all kept asking ourselves, "what recession?"

On Tuesday we enjoyed a guided tour of Florence. It began in the enormous, fabulous food market and continued on through the outdoor "leather market" filled with many types of fine apparel and accessories. Our guide, Paola, then led us into the center of the city, toward the famous "duomo" -- the cathedral -- which we entered. She explained the history of the building to us, and the history of the beginning of the renaissance in Florence. She took us to a little-known, medieval tower house where we could see for ourselves how wealthy Florentines lived 500 years ago. We saw the copy of Michelangelo's David in the central square of the city and then to the famous church called Santa Croce -- Holy Cross.

We scattered for lunch and exploring before meeting again around 4:00 for a tour of the Uffizi Gallery, home to some of the greatest art in the world.

In the evening we enjoyed dinner in several places in town, and one last night at our most interesting hotel, the Hotel Cellai. We recommend it to anyone making a trip to Florence: it is a living piece of history. Probably opened (or re-opened) ca. 1950, very little has changed since. There are several public rooms, including a billard room, all decorated in post-war vintage style. It's very European and very lovely.