Tag Archives: Tuscany  I’ve been waiting a while now to post this photo of the vista seen from the top of the dome of the Cathedral in Florence. It seems like I attract snowy conditions wherever I go (like last Friday in Washington D.C.), and for the first time in nearly a quarter century, snow had fallen in…  So many churches and cathedrals in Europe are mind numbingly beautiful. The Duomo or Cathedral of Florence is no exception. In my opinion, the exterior of the building is one of the most breathtaking structures created by man. However, the austere interior of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore left me rather disappointed. Don’t get me…  This is an image I thought I’d never take. Snow covered bicycles in Florance. Just the thought of it makes me cringe a little bit. It’s a photo that has been taken ad nauseum over the course of time. I’m sure at some point I even promised myself that I would not, under any circumstance,…  I’ll be the first to admit that I have a lousy sense of direction. Sometimes I think I need a GPS just to find my kitchen but that appears to change when I travel. It seems that somehow I can find my way around easier when I’m in an unfamiliar place than when I’m at…  The scene of the opera singer in a medieval robe was quite surreal as I mentioned in part One of this 2 part series. The night was cold and my feet were tired from another 20 km walk from earlier in the day yet I was captivated by the sights and sounds of the moment…  One of the great pleasures of traveling for me is walking around a city after nightfall, when everything is relatively quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of the day. This applies even more in Europe where for some reason I feel safer amongst the old buildings and cobblestone streets. Florence in particular is a…  The Ufizzi Gallery or Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence is one of the oldest and most spectacular museums in the world. The building itself was originally constructed between 1560 and 1581 for the purpose of of housing the Florentine magistrates. This is where it got it’s name “Uffizi” which is Italian for offices. Today the…  The Ponte Vecchio or Vecchio Bridge has quite some history to it. It is the oldest of Florence’s 5 bridges, dates back to Roman times and was built of wood at that time. It was destroyed by flood twice, the first time in 1117 and the second in 1333. It was once again severely damaged… |
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