Arrived in the port of La Spezia early this morning and we had to set an alarm as we had an early tour to Florence. Our tour was basically bus transportation back and forth to Florence (a 2 hour ride each way). We had both been to Florence before, so our plan was just to walk around and experience Florence, plus have a nice lunch. On the bus we learned that because it was the first Sunday of the month, admission to all the museums were free. This meant that the lines were very long to get in. Also, as we arrived and were walking from the bus drop off point to the Piazza Santa Croce, we encountered the Florence half marathon. The Piazza was the finish point of the half marathon and it was very crowded. We had to dodge runners to cross the course at a few locations. Fortunately, the bulk of the runners had finished before we got there and crossing was relatively easy. Our first stop was along the River Arno to take a picture of the Ponte Vecchio. After we got our picture we browsed through the shops on the bridge.
Band greeting us (and the half marathon runners)
Piazza Santa Croce and the half marathon finish
Ponte Vecchio and the river Arno
Bill on the Ponte Vecchio
Linda on the Ponte Vecchio
After looking at all the lovely gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio, we made our way to the Piazza Mercato Nuovo where we saw the Bronze Boar and did a little more shopping. After that we went to the Piazza Della República where a small group of street performers were playing.
Piazza Mercato Nuovo
Performers and carousel in Piazza Della República
By then it was time for lunch. We had booked a table at a small restaurant that we knew served gluten free pasta, Il Ricettario. It was located on a small side street near the Uffizi Museum. It is a small place and because we had a reservation we sat upstairs with a view of the street. The food was excellent with service to match. Linda had home-made Florentine pasta, a large flat noodle, with tomato sauce and I had gluten free penne with pesto. We also had a glass of Rosso di Montalcino, this is similar to but much less expensive than the famous Brunello di Montalcino.
Interior of the restaurant
After lunch we set out for the Piazza Della Signoria where there are a lot of statues and a replica of the David (the original is the Accademia Gallery).
The Palazzo Vecchio and the Piazza Della Signoria
We then wandered around the area near the Piazza until it was time for gelato (we definitely travel on our stomachs) and then on to the Piazza Santa Croce to meet our guide to go back to the bus. We did have time for one last Italian Cappuccino.
Santa Croce church
On the bus ride to (and from) Florence we passed by Carrara, home of the famous marble used to carve the David and other statues. The mountains are very distinctive and the white you see is marble, not snow.
Mountains near Carrara (white is marble, not snow)
We are now back on the Sun Princess and packing up for our travels home tomorrow via Frankfort, Germany.
One last lighthouse picture as we sailed out of La Spezia