Vickie in Florence beside the river Arno.
Colorful houses line both sides of the Arno, which flows through Florence.
The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge spared during World War II. It is now home to shops selling high-end jewelry and gold.
The beautiful Santa Maria Novella church was across the piazza from our Hotel.
The Napolean Room in our hotel. The Bonapart family was originally from Florence.
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is a small perfumery and herbalist shop. It includes items with recipes started by Dominican monks in the 1300's. Vickie bought a tube of toothpaste for 14 Euros!
The decorations and ceilings of the perfumery were stunning.
David, completed by Michelangelo in 1504, is one of the most renowned works of the Renaissance. It is housed in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence.
The Galleria dell'Accademia also contains other famous pintings by Rapheal and others and a large collection of ancient musical instruments, like this original Stradivarius violin.
The exterior of the Duomo, formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower, in Florence is faced with polychrome marble panels in various shades of green and pink, bordered by white.
The basilica is one of world's largest churches and its dome is the largest masonry dome ever constructed.
Dante, the famous writer from Florence, said, "La natura è l'arte di Dio" - Nature is the Art of God.
Just a few of the 13 million annual visitors to Florence.
Piazza dei Cavalieri is a Pisa landmark. The Palazzo della Carovana is covered with intricate sgraffito, an decorative technique of scratching through a surface to reveal a contrasting color.
The Scuola Normale di Pisa, is the most elite University in Italy. The Medici family, who paid for the contruction, left their signature in the coats of arms.
The most iconic site in Italy. The leaning has stopped and the tower is stable for now.
A view from the Tower of Pisa viewing north to the snow-covered Apinnines.
The church dome and baptistry from atop the Tower.
The Medici family of Florence paid for the ceilings in the Pisa Cathedral. And, of course, they included their family crest.
The Baptistry at Pisa. Prior to the black plague, people could not enter the church without being baptized.
The Pisa Cathedral is situated between the leaning Tower, the Baptistry building, and ancient hospital and grave yard. It symbolized the church as being part of a person's entire life.
Even the food is a work of art in Florence.
Florentine Beefsteak, a local specialty. This was their smallest cut at about two inches thick. Sadly, we worked on it for about a half hour but had to leave almost half of it behind.
Although the place is world-famous, we couldn't get over the poor choice of its name.
