Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square)

This Florentine piazza was built in 1869 on a hill just south of the city center on the south bank of the Arno river. In 1869, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in an urban renewal. On the left bank winding up the hill the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo which was built as a terrace with a panoramic views of the city below.

We caught a bus from the bottom of the hill to the piazza. Enjoyed

the fabulous views, took lots of photos, did a little people watching and then took the path down the hillside through a rose garden (with the saddest specimen of a Sally Holmes I have ever seen) and a Japanese garden. The path was lovely and peaceful with very few people and I took the opportunity to rest under a magnificent plum tree. I think most of the visitors to the top must drive or be driven there and back because we only saw about 6 people on the way down.

Returning to the centre of town there were fewer tourists today. A long queue to climb to the top of the dome of the Cathedral but that was not on our agenda. Instead, we went inside the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flowers. Il Duomo di Firenze, as it is ordinarily called,

was begun in 1296. The exterior of the basilica is faced with marble panels in various shades of green and pink bordered by white and has an elaborate 19th-century Gothic Revival façade. The decoration of the exterior of the cathedral, begun in the 14th century, was not completed until 1887. The floor of the church was relaid in marble tiles in the 16th century.

The cathedral complex, located in Piazza del Duomo, includes the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile. These three buildings are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site covering the historic centre of Florence. The basilica is one of Italy's largest churches, and until development of new structural materials in the modern era, the dome

was the largest in the world. It remains the largest brick dome ever constructed.

We returned to the Ponte Vecchio to look in the windows and I eventually succumbed to a pretty little pair of white gold, rosebud earrings. They look lovely with my silver pearls.

Beginning to get a little weary by this stage so returned to our B&B and had a rest before venturing forth for dinner. My stamina was still pretty low and I insisted on going into the first restaurant that we came across. This happened to be an Indian restaurant and we thought we could cope with that. What a happy decision as this meal turned out to be one of the most delicious we have had on our trip.

The photo below with the petunias in the foreground is from our rooftop terrace.