Porta Romana, Florence

A late start today after the Big Day Out yesterday. Caught a local bus to Porta Romana - another Roman Gate - and walked along the old Roman Road back towards the Ponte Vecchio.

We passed the Palazzo Pitti along the way which is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace. It sits on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The Palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker.

The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewellery and luxurious possessions.

In the late 18th century, the Palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. In 1919 King Victor Emmanuel III donated the Palace to the Italian people and it is now the largest museum complex in Florence.

Apart from the Palazzo, this area of the city seemed to be tourist free. We stopped at a small local cafe for refreshments around 4.00pm and wondered what a rather noisy group of people were gathering for. It shortly became obvious when an even noisier group of children

rushed out of a nearby building. It hadn't occurred to us that we were sitting opposite a school.

We continued on our way and arrived at the Ponte Vecchio just as the sun was setting. The sky turned a pretty shade of pink and Johnny convinced me that I should have one last look-see in the jewellery shops as I might not pass this way again. And I did indeed find another pair of earrings that will go beautifully with my gold necklace.

We returned to the Indian Restaurant for dinner. Another "one last" opportunity before we leave Florence. Got a bit carried away with our orders and couldn't eat it all.

Tomorrow we are catching a train to Viareggio. A coastal town slightly north-west of Florence on the way to the South of France. The journey will take about an hour and a half each way and pass through Pisa.