Italy whirlwind - Florence

In the middle is Michelangelo´s famous 19-foot David statue, which he carved painstakingly from marble for 3 whole years.

I still have a backlog of blogging to do for my Italy trip, so I´d better get down to doing it before I lose steam.

We popped by Florence before we hit Rome. Florence is often considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and many famous artists like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello lived there. It is known for its history and importance in the Middle Ages, especially for its art and architecture. Being a UNESCO World heritage site, it attracts loads of tourists every year.

Art, culture and history weaved seaminglessly into modern life here.Think of artists painting along the same streets where Gucci and Escada stores are found.

The Italian language was also born here and many academies, art schools and cultural centres all contribute to the city's intense activity.

A typical street in Florence with cafes and quaint sideways

I love this shot - with hubby in the middle and the angle of this photo capturing the streets in the background

Of course we had to take a photo with the statue
In front of the town centre
 
Our favourite pastime in Italy- Gelato! This store, with Neon lights at the entrance, was very popular among tourists for its ice-cream

An artist at work..... The painting on the right is done on the floor by a Chinese guy!

Palazzo Vecchio, the town hall of Florence and the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore

View from the river
Overall, this was a very touch-and-go city visit. However, this was probably enough to see most of the important sights. We didn´t have time to go to any of those museums, but that was fine too, since we´re both not very into museums.