A Month in Bella Italia

[Flutterby]

It's not called steak "alla Fiorentina" for nothing

Florence gets hot in summer, RP, very hot

[Pumbaa]

That little dog is a cutie, Flutterby

and thanks for more beautiful city shots

[Flutterby]

[Flutterby]

The building with the green shutters and the big palm tree is the Brat's university and behind it you can see Santa Croce...seen from the other side of the Arno.

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We had decided to walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun set. You have to walk through the old city walls.

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It is quite a steep climb but taking pictures along the way gave me time to catch my breath!

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This is a very popular spot at sunset, so there are plenty of people making the climb.

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But the view is worth it!

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[Richprins]

Lovely view indeed, Flutts!

Looks like a steep climb, ja...

The statue looks a bit like the boy!

[Lisbeth]

Looks like a popular walk

As you say, worth it Great photos

[Flutterby]

Lovely view indeed, Flutts!

Looks like a steep climb, ja...

The statue looks a bit like the boy!

I'll tell him you said so.

Looks like a popular walk

As you say, worth it Great photos

It's very popular, and quite hard to get a good spot!

[Pumbaa]

WoW Flutterby,

such a beautiful spot to observe the sunset overlooking this beautiful city

[Flutterby]

It is indeed!

[Flutterby]

After sunset we walked back down the hill and decided to take a look at the Gucci Garden. This is a museum, situated in the Piazza della Signoria, dedicated to the iconic Gucci fashion house, with classic clothing & handbag exhibits.

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Not my style at all, but they are beautiful!

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A snake-skin and fur coat.

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This is a dress that was designed for Bjork and features in "The Gate" video.

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From the sublime to the ridiculous...a pair of men's slippers!!

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These shoes changed colour as you moved around them....quite pretty!

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We then went to look for what is supposedly street graffiti by Michelangelo.

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Looking to the corner of the Palazzo Vecchio, on the side near the Uffizi Gallery, carved into the wall is a simple, but evocative outline of a man’s face. What looks like the scrawl of a passing vandal is actually the work of historic sculptor Michelangelo, known as L’importuno di Michelangelo. However, despite the author’s fame there are numerous stories surrounding the origin of this little piece of graffiti. One theory states that Michelangelo carved the face on a dare and even etched it in the stone with his back-turned. Others say that the artist was regularly caught in conversation with a notorious bore and one day carved the chatty man’s likeness into the wall simply to pass the time. Still another version of the story states that Michelangelo witnessed an execution in the square and the face is that of the man on death row.

No one is quite sure exactly why Michelangelo decided upon this bit of civil disobedience, but its very existence provides a bit of insight to the human side of an artist who is most often thought of as a stodgy.

The Brat then phoned his friends and we met them in the Piazza Santa Croce and shared a bottle of wine, whilst watching the comings and goings.

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