In my view

What luck! The sun shone fairly unexpectedly this morning and the temperature soared and we walked south of the river to get the classic panoramic view of the city. The cathedral sits in such a cramped space and yet soars above the rooftops; hard to appreciate its vastness close to and it's only from a distance you get a real perspective.

We saw the'David' bronze replica in the park on the hill and walked through an iris garden (a new concept to me) where bright green backed lizards darted through long grass.
8Then back to the city over the mediaeval Ponte Vecchio with its multitude of jewellery shops.

We forced down the best Italian ice cream, wandered the streets gazing at old palaces, tried to envisage the life of the privileged in their towered strongholds, feuding and scheming and appeasing, and the ordinary citizens swirled along in their wake and undertow. The place still oozes old, faded power and prestige, a bit cracked and crumbling in places.

We stood in a queue around the base of the precipitous marbled confection of the huge Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and were still blown away when we finally entered by the sheer volume of the Duomo which was somehow unexpected.

And finally (after another thorough drenching) an evening meal of classic simple Italian food.

We are well and truly stuffed, mentally and physically :-)

An earlyish night - more tomorrow!

Various extras: bronze 'David', iris garden, Ponte Vecchio, cathedral facade, Duomo interior,