Our goal today was to continue our orientation of Florence with a slow walk to the Arno River and back home again. There were lots of sights to see on the way and we were sharing the sidewalks and streets with thousands of other tourists! We started out by seeing a painting of the Last Supper at a small museum in a former convent just a few doors down from our apartments - the Fulingo Cenacola. Next we found ourselves fascinated by the abundance of foods in the Mercata Centrale - definitely a place we will spend more time in as the days go by. Passing by the Duomo and down the main street of Florence we arrived at the "city hall" - Palazzo Vecchio where an exact replica of Michelangelo's "David" stands out front in the same place the original did for over 300 years. Through the Uffizi Piazza we reached the river and walked alongside it to Ponte Vecchio - the oldest bridge crossing the Arno. It is the only bridge the Nazis did not blow up when they left Florence near the end of WWII. It is filled with enticing jewelry and gold shops but we didn't stop to shop - we were on a mission to find our way back home and have some lunch at Leonardo's which we accomplished. Everyone is feeling very tired and good about knowing our way around a little better. Stay tuned - more later . . .
