Our Florence adventures today took us on a tour of the San Lorenzo Mercado Centrale (Central Market), the Medici-Riccardi Palace and the Santa Croce Church. The market is a feast for the eyes with all the interesting foods available there. We saw how the rich and famous of the 15th century lived as we toured their old palace built in 1444. Then after lunch, we walked through Dante's neighborhood, had some fun with a mime and then toured Santa Croce (Holy Heart) Church. The church is under restoration in some parts and it was interesting to see the restorers at work as well as look at the facinating artwork throughout the church. We also checked out the Leather School located in the old monastery connected with the church. There is always something new and interesting to see in Florence!
I HAVE SET UP A NEW PHOTOBLOG SITE FOR THE 2014 TOURS. YOU CAN STILL SEE PHOTOS FROM 2008 TO 2013 HERE. TO VIEW THE LATEST TOURS GO TO: WWW.INTUSCANYWITHPATRIZIA.BLOGSPOT.COM
A Rainy Day in Italy!
Rainy days make us appreciate the sunny ones even more! However, we were not scheduled for a day trip today, so being in Florence made it a good day for visiting the museums and staying indoors. Actually it did not rain all day, so we were okay. Several folks went to the famous Ufizzi (oo-feet-zee) art museum that houses hundreds of masterpieces collected by the Medici (med-e-chee)family from the 14th to the 17th centuries. It's always fun just to walk around the city window shopping and watching tourists!