Our first day in Florence could have been a real dud as the weather had turned on us, and it was rainy and cool. Except - we were in FLORENCE! How on earth could the rain have stopped us? First, I did my usual hang out the window of our hotel room:
There is something special about umbrellas . . . well, yes, they shelter us in the rain, but they present such a wealth of colors and shapes to admire, paint, and inspire poetry.
Then we got out in the rain ourselves.
First, we wandered over to - guess what! - the Duomo. I won't show many photos from the first exposure to this cathedral because D suggested that we get up a bit early the next morning so I could get photos in better weather. He's a gem.
As is true in most of the cities we visited, any precious outdoor statuary has been replaced by copies. The originals are either shown in carefully guarded galleries or are undergoing restoration.
Okay, I can't remember where we were but these columns are really fine
as were the other decorations:
Now here I have to admit that the weather was a bit of a bummer. This is the Ponte Vecchio - a tourist mecca of high class jewelry shops on a bridge ("ponte" = bridge) over the Arno River. The charm and uniqueness of this sight is obscured slightly by the lack of good light. But we were there, we saw it, and I can always change the atmosphere if I decide to. Most things like this are "drenched" in sunshine in my memory, anyway; happiness does that.
Looking down river:
As we wandered, there were the tantalizing views of the Duomo:
Here the colors caught my attention. It stood out even in the gray weather.
A quick walk by the Duomo with some close ups of door panels:
An escutcheon on the corner of a building near the church.
And another slightly out of focus, random building design.
On our second day in Florence, the weather was better as you will see tomorrow.
That last photo - a random building? The art in Italy is everywhere and it is truly amazing. I'm loving my vacation there. Thanks for letting me tag along!
ReplyDelete