We Interrupt This Trip....

Yeah, so I caught the plague apparently and have been a bit side-tracked...sorry folks! However, new pics will appear tomorrow!!!!

This is how I feel at the moment:)

Here's Why Italy Rocks!

Besides the gorgeous architecture in the city, Florence is also famous for its beautiful tapestries and leather goods in the market places! To get a good price on the leather you need to haggle with the salesperson---I am NO good at that. But I darn well tried. No dice:) ...lol

Yummy pasta and wonderful, relaxing outdoor seating!

Palazzo Vecchio - Palazzo Della Signoria

This is the very famous Palazzo (plaza) Vecchio. Here is a copy of the David above--the authentic David is at a different location. For instance, you may have your own David at home on the fridge, and you are able to dress him up in khakis or a striped top and jeans.

I believe this is a God of some sort--have to check on that. Zeus?

There are many interesting and beautiful statues in this plaza---I will include more pics in a later post!

And here is the best part of all...............the Ponte Vecchio. The shining star of that famous aria from the opera Gianni Schicchi by Puccini, "O Mio Babbino Caro". In the aria, the character Lauretta sings about the Ponte Vecchio. She also speaks of the Porta Rossa, where she will buy a ring (nello). The Porta Rossa was the street I took to bring me to the plaza and bridge!

There are many jewelry stores on the famous bridge. There are also apartments where people live today! The bridge hangs over the River Arno, also mentioned in that aria.

Beautiful, eh?

Il Duomo

This is one of the most visually stunning sites in Florence (I think, anyway...:)! This is a church called the Duomo. Amazing. You are walking down a busy, noisy street, and suddenly you turn the corner and BAM. It's huge! It's magnificent! And on a day like today...breathtaking:) Maestro Seiji Ozawa will be conducting a concert at this church tomorrow, and I do hope to be able to go and see it if I don't have to rehearse.

I wish I could show you the marvelous different colors of the building up close! so much detail.

Beautiful Day

Today was one of those days that just smacks you right in the head--an absolutely beautiful, perfect day, and you suddenly realize just how darn lucky you are. I took this shot on my way home today and just had to stand there and gawk at the sky! Sitting in a small, cozy lunch bar with a coffee and just the sounds of everyday business in the amazing city of Florence.

Day 1

Okay, so here are a few pics to get things rolling! I adventured down the street (after locating toliet paper....:) and ran into a plaza. There are many of these in Italian cities. And what did I find? This beautiful carousel with lots of children!

This yellow colored building is our apartment house--we are on the fourth floor. It's very nice, and VERY Italianate! Weather is a bit gray and rainy, and it is kind of cold. Very different from the other trips to Italy I have made--was always very hot and humid, usually in the spring or summer:) Glad I brought sweaters! Anyway, there are tons of stores, restaurants, and things to see! Don't forget to look at my older posts from April on this blog---that's when I was in Venice! More soon! Ciao!

Welcome to Florence, Italy! - November 21, 2009

Welcome to the second part of my Italian adventure!
It is now the fall of 2009, and I am in the beautiful city of Florence, Italy, otherwise known as Firenze.
So, after a pretty pleasant plane ride through Zurich to here, I am now settled into an apartment on the street in downtown Florence called Via Pellicceria, which, kudos to my roommate Mr. Kelsey, is THE BOMB. We are right smack dab in the middle of this wonderful city. I can see the Duomo from my house!
So the first thing I did, because of my mother who always thinks I am near death, is EAT. And then I took a long, hard look at this map here--a little confusing. Well, here we go. I need toilet paper and so....here we go!:)