Friday, May 3, 2013

Italy...Part 2!

Firenze!
 I love Florence, and I was surprised at just how familiar it felt, almost like stepping back in time to our first trip...almost :)
We were welcomed by a holiday market in the piazza right outside of our hotel!
So we had a snack...
before heading to my favorite piazza...
Seeing this magnificent building rise up in front of us was an incredible experience...
Joshua and I spent a lot of time here on our first trip to Italy 6 years ago, and sharing it with my family was priceless...
Hello, David...
Noah recognized these lions from the replicas that stand in Englewood's downtown area...
playing with my camera...
I just can't get enough!
Magnifico!
We stopped to have an early dinner on the piazza, and it was incredibly relaxing, a very special moment...
Gigi discovered a pigeon under her chair and spent a long while cooing and giggling at it!
Continuing our walk after dinner, we passed the Ifizi gallery and ran smack into a natural work of art...
The Arne River...
Which meant the Ponte De Veccio couldn't be far away!
On the walk back to the hotel, we came upon a carousel...
How could we resist?!
Question: What happens when a 4 year old is given control of the camera?
And what does mom think of that?
Another statue that was familiar to the kids was the boar...
The tradition is to rub the boar's nose, and place a coin in its mouth for luck.
There is a replica of this statue sans the fountain portion, again in downtown Englewood.
Gigi rubbed the turtle for luck instead...
Day two was spent exploring the Duomo...
A monstrously gorgeous structure...
And, of course then it was snack time...
Followed by a walk across the Arne...
And up to the top of a neighboring hill...
To be awed by the incredible views...
And...
Hello again, David!
With all that walking, Noah quickly learned that if you stop for a minute...
sit down!
Of course, there's nothing a little gilatto can't fix!
We spent the evening in a familiar piazza...
making friends...
Before riding the carousel one more time...
And enjoying a street concert on the way back to the hotel.
I bet you can guess what happened next...
 Next stop...Roma!


1 comment:

  1. Florence is one of my favorite cities! Looks like you guys had a great time. Looking forward to part 3 of the trip!

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