We came to Florence expecting to canvas the city, but didn't realize we'd do it in our rental car over the course of 90 minutes...trying to find the drop off Avis for the rental car. If anybody is renting a car in Florence, let me know before hand and I can help guide you. It was miserable...we even found ourselves driving directly past the duomo down streets that aren't made for cars! Needless to say I was pretty stressed out driving through the city, nearly getting crumbled on more than one occasion. I am glad there was a Birra Moretti waiting at il Pizzaiuolo for us when we finally got the car back!
It was worth the stress though because Florence is a beautiful city that one could walk the streets of for years without getting bored or sick of the sights and sounds.
The first day we spend a lot of walking around (took countless photos of Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge that has shops and houses on it from the middle ages), and caught sunset at Piazza Michelangelo, which has the best views of the city, especially around sunset. After that we had a nice dinner (forget the place but we don't recommend it) and hit the hay.
The following morning, Erin's sister Jamie came from Rome after the conclusion of her May term trip to Egypt, Israel, and Italy. We picked her up, went back to il Pizzaiuolo (we NEVER go to the same place twice in a foreign city, but this place is the exception, some of the most amazing pizza we have ever had. Following lunch we headed to Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Galileo and Dante have tombs, then headed for the Duomo and climbed the 420-odd stairs to the top to get marvelous views of the city. This is the dome of the Duomo.
After that, we made our way home for dinner at Il Latini, which is one of the more touristy restaurants in Florence (however it is touristy because it is sooo good...there are as many locals as tourists for the record). There is no menu and the food is family style. The house wine is terrific, the grappa good, and they give you a nice desert appertif (a little like Prosecco). 
The following morning, our last in Italy, we made it to the Uffizi museum. It was nice, but didn't exceed expectations. I would give the nod to the Louvre, Vatican museums, Musee D'Orsay, the Western Galley of Art at the Smithsonians, and even the Medici chapels and Santa Croce in Florence itself. It was great to see the renaissance in action with famous artists, but the pieces weren't overly impressive from an art point of view. Nice, but we expected more. After Erin and I went to the Medici chapels and saw the most complete set of Michelangelo statues that exist. He was an amazing artist. It was an incredible conclusion to an already amazing trip. We loved every minute of our Italian adventure, as well as our family and friends along for the ride!
The following morning, our last in Italy, we made it to the Uffizi museum. It was nice, but didn't exceed expectations. I would give the nod to the Louvre, Vatican museums, Musee D'Orsay, the Western Galley of Art at the Smithsonians, and even the Medici chapels and Santa Croce in Florence itself. It was great to see the renaissance in action with famous artists, but the pieces weren't overly impressive from an art point of view. Nice, but we expected more. After Erin and I went to the Medici chapels and saw the most complete set of Michelangelo statues that exist. He was an amazing artist. It was an incredible conclusion to an already amazing trip. We loved every minute of our Italian adventure, as well as our family and friends along for the ride!
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