Fiesole

Fiesole is a town on a hill that overlooks Florence. I have always wanted to visit, but I always put it off. With long lines at the cathedral we decided to take the bus out of town.

When we first arrived it was raining a little.  The views were obscured by fog.  After a brief down pour things cleared up and we took some clearer photos.

 Me at the scenic vista point in Fiesole.

Fiesole is also known for its Estruscan and Roman ruins.  After the rain we walked through the ruins, which included an amphitheater and baths, as well as a temple and altars.

We visited Fiesole on a Sunday.  We ended up missing the Duomo because it closes early on Sundays.  I'm still a little disappointed, but I'm glad we finally made it up to Fiesole, saw the views, the ruins, and the museum with some interesting burial stuff in it.

Florence Museums: Pitti Palace and The Borgello

Our second day in Florence it rained all day--so we hung out in museums.  I wanted to see Pitti Palace because I don't think I'd ever seen it before, and they were having a special exhibit showing impressionist paintings.  I only have a few photos.  We weren't allowed to take photos in most areas.

Pitti Palace was a fancy shmancy palace place.  Lots of things are covered with gold.  We saw luxurious apartments and Napoleon's bathroom. The tables were all inlaid wood or marble. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a palace like that.

Pitti Palace also had many paintings on display.  It seemed there were a lot of paintings showing the temptation of St. Anthony.  The impressionist exhibit was small, but we both saw paintings we liked.

We get burned out in museums after a few hours, so we didn't look at the costume wing.  I wanted to see the attached Boboli gardens, but because of the rain we skipped them.

Ross in the courtyard of Pitti Palace.

Ganymede and the Eagle.

Florence Triumphs over Pisa.

Florence: Piazzale Michelangelo

We really didn't sleep much on the way to Italy. By the time we got going in Florence it was after noon and it was a real struggle to drag ourselves up to Piazzale Michelangelo for the views.  It was a nice day out and we walked through some gardens on the way up and down.

 Views from Piazzale Michelangelo.

 One of the prettiest roses in the garden.

It's me---all jetlagged, still wearing the clothes I wore on the plane.

One of the strange peppers in the garden.