Florence - the Belco girls get kultcha'd

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From Shell: Florence was yet another surprise. Very clean, very easy to walk around the historical centre, not too packed this time of year and some great museums if you time it right.

Timing it right requires what you might expect: checking the opening hours and the standard days of closure. But it also requires investigating additional things like: are there alternating closure times and dates depending on the season/alignment of the planets/what the staff have on that week; are the key Caravaggio pieces you came to see currently offline for restoration; are two whole floors of the two and a half floor museum you came to see closed for renovation?? We've found you need to ask because it's only ever advertised once you have bought your ticket and are inside the museum.

Having said that, I don't think I've ever been as moved by a piece of art as much as seeing Michelangelo's David and along with the modern photographic exhibition accompanying it, was well worth the entry price.

The historic centre is wonderful to trapse around and we both felt completely comfortable and relaxed there. We climbed lots of stairs up to some great gardens and lookouts over the city. From day one I was telling Marja that one of my Florence days would be spent heading out to Siena but in the end we were both exhausted and just couldn't fit it in..... next time!

We've hit Naples now and it's a little bit like going from Port Douglas to Mt Druitt but the complete chaos of it is actually quite a novelty and probably a good prep for central Rome!

Love to all Shell xx

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Photos

The River Arno
Ponte Vecchio included

Piazza della Signoria
No shortage of statues in Florence...

Boboli Gardens
The Boboli gardens had heaps of wonderful statues and buildings, as well as formal gardens and fountains. Well worth the steep walking.

Comments

[craig smith]

Florence
Hi folks, Glad to hear that you enjoyed Florence. It's a shame you missed Siena - we went there and, together with Cinque Terre, was our highlight of Italy. Still, the south is good too. Craig