Day 7 - The sights of Florence

We started off the day with one of those awesome breakfasts I mentioned and got an early start on the daily sight-seeing. We were in line at the Galleria dell Academia a little after 8:30am. After a short wait, we were inside and standing in front of Michelangelo's Statue of David - possibly the most famed sculpture in the entire world. And no picture does the masterpiece justice. The detail and technique are exquisite. Also in the gallery are other sculptures by Michelangelo. Some were left in an unfinished state and are an interesting insight into the work of the artist.

By the time we arrived at the Galleria degli Uffizi, around 10:30am, the line was incredibly long and not moving. We gave up and decided to return later (which we never did - not on this trip anyway). I have seen in books some of the art that we missed by skipping this attraction, but it fell to our limited schedule. Instead we made our way through town and back to the Duomo. We climbed the 463 steps to the top of the dome for a birds-eye view of the city. And then we strolled through the open markets and did some souvenir shopping.

By mid-afternoon we were ready for a little break and searched out Net Bar, with its advertised internet connection availability. Well, the computers were down, but we really enjoyed talking with the bartender. We discovered the Italian gin martini, which is a very different recipe than we drink in the U.S. It included a generous portion of sweet vermouth and was served over an ice cube!

We headed back to the Duomo and the Campanile (the bell tower) to catch the evening light. You have to climb 412 steps  to take in the view of the dome. There is no elevator here as in Venice! 

After the sun went down, I headed across the river and up the hill to the Piazzale di Michelangelo for a night view of the Florence skyline and some long exposures.