Florence

This morning we left the hotel and walked across the street to board the high-speed train to Florence.  We arrived about an hour and twenty minutes later and walked over the the Santa Maria Novella church located near the railway station where we met our special guide for the morning, Regina.

Regina told us all about the church and when it was built, pointing out the different colors of marble used in its construction and that it was the first of the great basilicas in Florence.

Regina then took us into this medieval residence, showing that the outside, built for defense, was different from the inside.

  She then showed us the Palazzo Strozzi.

Here is the column of Justice.

The Palazzo Davanzati.

The Ponte Vecchio

The Pitti Palace

On the Ponte Vecchio

We then went to look at the statues at the Loggia della Signoria.  This is home to many famous sculptures.  Here we see The Rape of the Sabine Women,

Hercules Beating the Centaur Nessus,

Menelaus Carrying the Body of Patroclus,

Perseus Holding Medusa's Head, and

The Rape of Polyxena.

 

We then saw the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace)

 and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Duomo,

 and its accompanying belltower.

 and the Baptistry

We went inside the Baptistry for a closer look at the mosaics on the ceilings and walls.

Some brave souls even climbed to the top of the dome

After climbing the Dome, Mr. Cantello led a group to go see Michelangelo's famous statue of David.

It is said that the only flaw in the statue is that Michelangelo made the right hand too large.

We stayed for a tasty dinner and then it was time to board the FrecciaRossa (Red Arrow) high-speed train back to Rome

The train reached a speed of 249 kph, which translates to 155 mph.

Tomorrow we visit St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and go to the rugby match.  It's hard to believe our week in Italy is almost over!