[15 June 1994, photos with date-stamp courtesy of Dick VandenBerg]
Today was our first foray into a major Italian city: Florence, or as the locals call it Firenze. What an eye-opening experience!
While we certainly enjoyed the climb up inside the duomo and thought the views of the city fantastic were were all rather underwhelmed by Firenze itself. (It didn't help that we got lost trying to find the historical city center, the centro storico.)
The piazza della Signoria and its accompanying sculptures were very cool to be sure and at least two of us appreciated the opportunity to stand on the very spot where Savonarola was burned at the stake but overall the city was hot and packed with tourists (like us) swaying to and fro down one street and then up another, all in search of the past. Oh, and it didn't help matters that we experienced one of the worst meals in Italy at a cafe on the piazza della Repubblica (lousy pizza if you must know).
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| climbing the workers' step inside the dome of the Duomo |
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| Dick and Dor |
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| view from the top of the Duomo |
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| Susie and me |
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| Dick and Dor |
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| piazza della Signoria |
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| archway along the Arno |
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Ponte Vecchio, or old bridge if you prefer
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We somehow found our way back to the car, left the city and headed for the hills. Literally. Our objective was Fiesole, today an affluent suburb of Firenze on the heights overlooking the city. We were specifically keen on seeing the Etruscan and Roman ruins with the added bonus of superb views of Firenze. And we were not disappointed.
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| Dick thinking of things long gone |
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| obviously we arrived early for the next show |
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| looking back to the past |
From Fiesole it was back south and home. But this would not be the last time we would see Firenze on this trip. . .
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