Tuesday 14th

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John woke up early and went for a walk up the hill to Forte Belvedere overlooking the city from south of the Arno. A pleasant walk which included the old wall protecting the city from the south. Lots of pictures. After a quiet breakfast at the hotel, we went off to the Pitti Palace to view their various collections and walk in the Boboli Gardens on the back side of the palazzo. The Medici family and formal rooms were huge with hundreds of paintings and frescoes, every one a masterpiece. It was good to be the Grand Duke! Lots of frescoes that included the Medici crest with the crown over it (or the popes conical hat in some cases) to make it clear to the visitor that the Medici were in charge.

We went through the silver and jewelry galleries as well, with their innumerable ivory, silver, gold and precious gem pieces. A local high-end school had their students practicing English with visitors by telling them about each room. What a great way to educate the students … and the visitors.

After a cup of tea we walked up the hill into the Boboli Gardens to view the porcelain collection and get a great view of the hills south of Florence and the city itself. Wonderful. On the way back down the hill we stopped for a lunch of panini sandwich and water. Then back across the Ponte Vecchio to our hotel and a little mid-afternoon break.

As it was our last day in Florence, we walked around the center of the city, looking at the buildings and enjoying the beauty, including a tea at Rivoires on the Piazza della Signoria and a glass of wine on the roof of our hotel. The end of the day came with dinner at the Cantinetta Antinori (where we started our Florentine odyssey). We ordered a nice bottle of wine and proceeded to finish it all! Another walk back to our hotel through the main square and then to bed. Tomorrow Venice.

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