Up early so we can get to Graceland in lots of time. We have booked VIP tour tickets and our tour is set for 9AM, which is when it opens. We are the 4th car in the parking lot. Yep lots of time. We head over to the ticket centre to pick up our tickets and get things going.

Once we have our tickets, we get photographed on a Green Screen, (and later superimposed as if we were standing in front of the gates at Graceland) – and yes we bought the photo. We boarded the shuttle to take us across the street to Graceland proper. We arrive and there is one group ahead of us so we wait for them to go into the house.

Once our group goes in, Barry and I hang way to the back and let everyone get ahead of us. There is no one behind us, so we have the rooms to our selves. We are amazed that we can poke around as much as we want and not have another soul near us. By the time we are done the last room – the Jungle Room – and go outside, the next group is catching up with us. The timing for seeing the house was excellent. (Good luck, not good planning!)

The grounds around the house are beautiful, 4 horses, 3 of them rescue horses, a few out buildings, some small trailer that were used for guest housing in the past, the racket ball court, the pool and the meditation garden.

Once we were finished with Graceland we took the shuttle back across the street and started to look at the various exhibits they have set up there. There is a whole building set up with his cars, motorcycles and other toys, a history of his rise to stardom in the 50′s, Elvis today, in commercials and cover songs. And of course the two Airplanes. Further down the road was a small exhibit on the 68 Comeback TV Special – and of course many many gift shops. Lots to see, read and listen too. We were on the grounds 7 hours, for someone who many not be quite so fanatical, you still should give your self a good 5 hours if you want to see all the exhibits. (and have lunch).

After leaving Graceland we headed for Sun Studios. We figured, were here, we might as well see the birth place of Rock and Roll. I’m really glad we did. The tour is not long – 45 min or so, but excellent. The tour guide made it come alive, you could almost close your eyes and see the various artists – Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, J0hnny Cash, Carl Perkins and more contemporary artists like U2, Def Leppard, Bonnie Raitt, and Ringo Starr.

It was quite an eye opener to some of my favourite music.

Great day, this is why we came to Memphis.

When we got up this AM it was grey and looking like thunder storms. We decided to make our reservation at Graceland for Tuesday, as the weather looked much better for then. It was about then that we had a huge hail storm. The news showed photos of hail that was 5 inches across. Glad we were not outside then. Barry suggested to check out online for any driving tours of Memphis we could check out.

Well, I found out that Tupelo Mississippi is only about 90 minutes south of Memphis. And EVERYONE knows (or should know) Tupelo is the birth place of Elvis Aaron Presley. They have is original home, a church and museum. So we stuck out to find some breakfast, which we did, at the Blue Plate Cafe. We are lucking out on our eats, it is apparently the best place in Memphis for breakfast.

Once we got to Tupelo we found Elvis’s place and went for the tour. It was cool to see the small church, and home. Both much much smaller than you would think. These people in this part of Mississippi were poor. Very poor. It was strange to see some homes very similar to the Presley home, still being lived in today. A few small add ons, but essentially the same.

The area that the home, museum and church rest on now was purchased by Elvis in 1957, the same year he purchased Graceland. He bought the home and 15 acres around it and built a pool, playground and park for the kids still living in that area. In later years, the city of Tupelo built a new, larger park and changed this into a museum. 90 minutes south of Memphis, but worth the drive. It was great to see where Elvis came from.

Once we left the museum we headed to find something to eat. We located Bar-B-Q buy Jim and had some ribs and beans and slaw. Once again, not much of a place, but the food was great. We found out later that Prince of Monaco had also eaten there when he came to Tupelo, so good enough for him, good enough for us!

We were heading back to Memphis when we spotted Tupelo Hardware, the place where Elvis got his first guitar. We had to stop. The store is still a busy general hardware store with one man who tells the tourists the stories of Elvis, (and Aerosmith!) Aerosmith stopped the tour bus one time to come into the store and buy a guitar at the same place Elvis got his. Tupelo Hardware still sells some 200 guitars a year. I’m really glad we stopped. Even without the Elvis stories, it is a cool old store.

The dive back to Memphis was uneventful, edited some photos, wrote the blog and will be heading out for dinner soon.

We left YVR early, our flight was gone by 9 AM ish and we were on our way. First stop was Dallas Fort Worth a short 3 1/2 hours later. Pretty uneventful flight.

In Dallas, Barry and I were lucky enough to get upgraded to 1st class, which made the short 59 min flight very enjoyable. But only after the flight was delayed a short period of time while they located a Dog that was suppose to be on the flight with us. Found the dog and we were on our way.

It was interesting sitting in the first row of the aircraft as people talked to us as they were coming on board. Some were coming from a weekend of Nascar racing  and were still pretty pumped up about the whole event.

Memphis has a very small airport. Or at least what we saw of it was pretty small. We got our bags and hopped on the bus to get to the rental car location to pick up our car. We got a muscle car! Driving a new Dodge Charger Ooo, ooo, ooo. We’re style’n now!

Plugged in the hotels address to the GPS and we were there in about 15 min. Settled in to the hotel and kicked back for a 90 min or so then headed out for some food. Decided to check Trip Advisor for a good place to eat. We went to the #1 place in Memphis - Gus’ World Famous Fried Chicken. OK, so it is a hole in the wall, but it has GREAT chicken. Yum. Not WW friendly, but really really good.

After the Chicken we scouted out a connivence store so we could stock up on some beverages and snacks as our room has a fridge for us to use. And we don’t want it to go to waste. That was an bit of an adventure, not sure we really found the right neighbourhood, but we got our stuff and made it back to the hotel in one piece.

Back at the room, writing, Barry is working on his stocks and I am going to go to bed. Tomorrow Graceland!

We made it to our train in Manarola with lots of time to spare. We were planning on catching the 8:30 train and we were in the station by 8:10. We had planned for extra time to take the stairs/ramp with our luggage, but it was much faster and easier than we thought.

The train to La Spezia was uneventful, but when we arrived we needed to get tickets for the train to Pisa. We found out which platform the train was leaving form and took our bags there. Vance then left to go get our tickets for the train. The line up was very long and Vance arrived back just as the train was coming to a stop in the station. We were in a bit of a flap to get on and get seated.

Now one of the things that we have been told about, in Rick Steves book and from other people is to make sure you validate your train ticket, something we have been doing each and every time we catch the train. But with the rush to get on the train in La Spezia we forgot. They don’t like people who forget. Our train tickets were 5.40 euro each. The fine for forgetting to validate you ticket was 40 euros – EACH. So what should have been a 21.60 euro trip for the 4 of us ended up costing us 181.40 euro. Ouch. Although it was our own fault, it still hurt, if we had been a bit more on the ball we could have had the conductor on board validate them for us, but you must ask him to do so before he asks to see your ticket. I promise, we will never forget to validate our train tickets again!

Vance likes his morning coffee, and by the time we got to Pisa he had not had his yet. So as soon as we got off the train and figured out where we would come back and pick up Vangie and Cathy, Vance scoped out somewhere for a quick coffee. Sure enough, right behind where we were sitting was a McDonald’s. Cathy and Vance took off to get the java and come back. When they came back they had  4 chicken burgers, 4 coke, 2 sides of fries and no coffee. IIt seems McDonald’s in Italy does not sell coffee, so they bought food instead.

Vance and I walked down to where we had to pick up our car. According to the map it was about 700 meters. We got out the GPS and headed on our way. Love the GPS. Took us right there. Unfortunately they did not have the car we had reserved. (A Volvo S50 wagon) So they provided a free upgrade to a Audi A4 Wagon. Nice, very nice.

We stuck the GPS on the window, programmed in the train station and were on our way. We picked up Cathy and Vangie and headed to the leaning tower.

Now, the leaning tower of Piza is something you should see, and with it is a huge church and the largest Baptistry in all if Italy. Now with that being said, Pisa does not have much to offer. The tower leans. It is not the pretty or ornate. It leans. The Baptistry is big. The church is old. You get it, about 45 minutes is all you need here. Go, take photos, go pee, leave. Done.

Set the GPS to Orvieto and hit the A11 for the 2:45 drive. The toll highway is very nice to drive and with a 130km/hr speed limit, pretty fast too.  About a hour into the drive we noticed some AutoGrill places off the highway. They are like truck stops for cars. They have a gas station and a small food court with a small grocery store. We decided that this would be a perfect place to stop to get some lunch on the way. Vance looked up the AutoGrill on the GPS and we knew the next one was about 25km down the road. Perfect.

We pulled off the road and headed in for some food. I went the the restaurant side and was checking out the menu. Hamburger was on the menu. Perfect, I ordered one and was told it would be 5 min or so. I grabbed a diet coke and went and paid for it all and got a table. My mouth was watering. I had not had a burger in a couple of weeks now and it was going to hit the spot. I looked around for ketchup or mustard, but could not see any, it did not matter, it was going to be awesome with or without it. I saw the person bringing it to me, my saliva glads were in overdrive. She handed it to me and my mouth instantly went dry like the Sahara.  I had two hamburger patties. No bun. No tomato, no pickle, no mustard, no burger stuff. A tiny sprig of lettuce and 1/3 of an Lemon. Lemon, what the hell is with that!  At this point I did not care. I ate the patties and went to the other side of the place and ordered a croissant with cream. (Filled with a cream of some description) It was better than my non-burger burger.

After my massive disappointment we packed into the car and hit the highway again. It was not too long before we got to Orvieto and were making our way to Inncasa, the place we were staying at. (http://www.inncasa.eu/) Now I am not sure how Vangie found this place, but it belongs in  Conde Nast travel magazine or Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It is beautiful, with a view of Orvieto, a spa, infinity pool and another pool. The rooms are large and very nicely decorated. I have to pinch myself that I am here. Currently I am writing this on the patio by the infinity pool over looking a vineyard and seeing Orevito in the distance.

Our first night here we headed into Orvieto and tried a restaurant that the Inn had recommended. I had the best minestrone soup I have every had. I am looking forward to exploring Orvieto in the daylight, it looks like another charming renaissance town. But that is going to have to wait for another day.

Today we started off going in different directions. Vance and Vangie wanted to try the upper hiking path to Corniglia and Cathy and I wanted to sit back and relax, read our book and vegetate.

We hung around the apartment till around 1:00 waiting to see if Vance and Vangie were going to be back in time for lunch, but our tummies would not let us wait any longer. We headed down to find some lunch. We checked out a few places before settling on a little restaurant near the bottom of the main drag. Unfortunately we could not get an outside table so were sitting just inside the door. The lunch was excellent, the best meal we have had in Manarola so far, and in the top 3 in Italy. They must have been pretty confident in their food, as they suggested you learn more about them on Tripadvisor.

Just as we were finishing our meal, Vance and Vangie popped in. They were looking for us in the village and saw my photovest from the street! So we nursed our wine while they ate their lunch. Cathy wanted to go up to the cemetery and check it out, then take the trail above it back to the apartment. Vangie wanted to join us, so we waited for them to finish and headed out. Vance headed back to the apartment.

We watch some of the swimmers when we got down to the water. Some were jumping off the rock, some off the higher rocks and one just trying to jump into the water from the pier. The pier jumper took the longest. It seemed no mater what her boyfriend said she was not ready or willing to jump in. After about 30 failed attempts and 5 or 6 minutes later, she jumped. There were about 15 or 20 of us watching, we all cheered!

We hiked up to the cemetery and looked around, it was kind of cool, but not as old as we thought it may be, early 1800′s. Then we tackled the stairs behind the cemetery up to the path. I swear you have to be part mountain goat to live here. But once again the sweat was worth it. The views are breathtaking, and for the first time since we have been here the ferry between the villages was running. It was just another piece to the scenic vista.

Once back at the apartment we chilled for a while, I had a nap, Vance had a nap, Vance, Cathy and Vangie drank some wine. (What a shock!) and we discussed what we were going to do for dinner. After not too much of a debate, we decided to head to the same place we had lunch. Good choice, dinner was even better than the lunch. The service was friendly, and a bit flirty with Cathy and Vangie, and over all a superb evening.

We headed back up to the apartment, and I tackled the stairs for the fist time. The bus was no longer running, so it was do the stairs or sleep in the village. To my surprise the stairs were no where near as tough as I though it would be. The ramp/stairs combo make it much easier. Once back in the apartment we started to get some of our stuff ready for the AM. We decided to catch the 8:30 train to La Spezzia and then connect with the train to Pisa. So off to bed.

Vance found a new way down to the main street of Manarola, it is much easier. Only about 70 or so steps and the rest was a long ramp. It made the trip down and up much less intimidating.

The plan was to head to Riomaggiore and look around, then catch the train to Corniglia and look around, have lunch and then head back to Manarola.

We started out by walking along the Via del’amore, which is a flat walk way that takes about 20 minutes between the two towns. Via del’amore, means the Love Walk, and along this path people put padlocks on the chain link fence, the regular fence, the rock retaining wall fence, you name it. Each lock usually has initials on them, dedicating their love between the two people and “locking” it in on the path. Very romantic. (and kind of sappy too)

The walk itself is very pretty, with steep cliffs down to the water, with the waves crashing into the rocks. This path is walked by hundreds of people every day. About half way along, in the tunnel there is a bench/chair where people stop to have their photo taken together. (and yes, there are many locks in this area) The view is spectacular.

Once we were in Riomaggiore, (which we could not remember the name of, but were calling it rigatoni, rigmaroley, everything but the correct name) we went up to where there is a castle near the top of the village. From here there is a terrific view of the Via del’amore and a look up the coast towards the other villages. We scoped out the castle and checked out the small church beside it. (we could not go in the castle today)

We then started to walk down towards the train station to catch the train to Cornigla. Cornigla is the only one of the 5 villages that is not located right on the water, but some 412 steps above it! Thank goodness they have a small bus system to shuttle you to the top of the hill! This is the smallest of the 5 villages and probably the least trafficked by tourists. We did find a little place to order some pizza and beer for lunch and it had a spectacular view of the vineyards and ocean from where we were sitting.

Once we were back in Manarola, Cathy forced me into going on a walk to the other side of the village, up about 1/2 way in among the vineyards and crops. I’m glad she did, the views were spectacular, it gave a look to Manarola that I had not seen before. And once again the Italian light was fantastic.

We also go a nice look at the cemetery from up on high. On our way back to the apartment we saw the hostel that Meghan and her friends stayed at (at least I think it is the one) when they were here. We also poked our head in to the church which was very simple compared to some of the ones we have seen up to know. Pretty in it’s own way though.

Another day gone bye, but a memorable one.

We had not had time to get food for the apartment yet, so we headed down 217 steps to the main street of Manarola and searched out a place for breakfast. Right near the water we found this cafe that was serving breakfast fair. And Coffee, most important was coffee.

After breakfast we headed for the train station to get our tickets to head for Monterosso. The plan was to go here, check it out and work our way back to Vernazza. After looking around Monterosso, which was very pretty and probably the least hilly of the 5 villages, but the largest, we split up from Vance and Vangie. They were going to tackle the train to Vernazza and we were going to take the train.

Once in Vernazza, Cathy and I poked around a bit and walked the main street. This village is much smaller than Manarola and is easy to walk form the water to the top area. Cathy and I found a place we could get a pizza for lunch and settled in for some grub. Eating in Italy is not the same as eating at home. Food is to be enjoyed and savoured. Lunch, dinner and even breakfast are all at a very leisurely pace. We were keeping an eye open for the McCarthy’s but during our lunch/walkabout we did not see them. We knew there plan was to walk on to the next village, Corniglia and then take the train back to Manarola.

Cathy and I headed up to the train station to wait for the train and low and behold we see Vance and Vangie starting the trail to Corniglia. They were too far away to yell to, so I took there photo as proof we saw them.

About 5 minutes later, the heavens opened up. It did not rain, show or sprinkle. It poured, like a monsoon. We figured we might see Vance and Vangie running back to Vernazza to catch the train. Nope.

We got back to Manarola and waited outside the train station tunnel for the rain (monsoon) to stop, after chatting with another couple who were doing the same thing, the rain abated and we said our good byes and headed to the Coop for some groceries. Which was an experience it itself. You can not add fruit and veggies to you basket and go to the checkout, you have to take them to the deli, have them weighed and priced then to the checkout. It’s an ok system once you figure it out. Cheese and meat were also on the menu for our pre dinner wine. Cheese here is very inexpensive, so we seem to be experimenting and trying many varieties. We have no idea what we are trying, but we are trying different stuff.

With grub in had we headed up the road (to avoid the stairs) to the apartment. Shortly after we started up the hill the local bus showed up and we were on it in a flash. Much easier to take it 3/4 of the way up the hill!

We go home and put away the groceries and Cathy had a shower. Just after that two very very wet and cold McCarthy’s came in. They were about 1/8 of way along the trail when the heavens opened up. And in a very optimistic fashion they figured it would stop. Oh well. Once they got to Corniglia they had just missed the train (after going down 412 stairs down) and had to wait another hour for the train.

After drying off and getting warm, wine was opened and the sun started to come out. We sat on the deck for a while and then started dinner. Vangie had bought some pasta and sauce in San Gimignano so we were all set.

A pretty good end to a pretty good day.

Today was to be our travel day. Florence to Manarola. We were up early to get to the train station, we were there early enough that Vangie and I were able to leave our bags with Vance and Cathy and go to a little shop to pick up some sandwiches for lunch.

The train went form Florence to La Spezia, which Vance kept calling it La Senza, but there was not sexy lingerie when we got off the train. We had a tight connection, only 7 minutes to get from one platform to the other to catch the train to Manarola, but it was enough time.

We pulled into Manarola, it is a beautiful little town. Although without Vance I would still be pulling my suitcase up to our room. One path is about 217 stairs to get here. I was luck enough to catch the little methane powered bus that dropped me very near our place.

Our apartment is spectacular. Well the apartment itself is nice, but the balcony view is spectacular. It seems like we are up on the top of the mountain looking down into the village. When in fact we are one of the lowest points of the hill. I am sure glad we don’t have a place at the TOP of the hill!

Cathy and Vangie went and picked up  some cheese, meat and bread for happy hour, which was yummy. So we noshed on that and then decided it was time for dinner.

We heard of a restaurant in Rick Steves guide called “Billy’s”, he says it is worth the hike to give it at try. It is 4 doors down from our place. Guess where we had dinner. The food was very good. The service, did not live up the the food. Too bad.

After dinner we headed back to our apartment and crashed out. Tomorrow is another day and more adventures.

This was to be our last full day in Florence, and we were not even going to spend it in the city. Up early and off to the tour office for our wine tasting tip into Tuscany. Along with that we were going to visit Siena, San Gimigano and Monteriggioni, the last two I had never heard of before this trip.

Our fist stop was at the tour office where I Vance and I were discussing the marketing of scooters in Italy. One of the models we saw was called the Beverly and we figured it was marketed to women, the other, which we figured was marketed to men was the “Grand Dink”, which we thought was pretty funny. Later in the day Vance saw the “Classic Dink” I just don’t think those names would have flown in North America.

Once on the bus we had about a hour ride though the countryside to our first stop. San Gimignano. It is an old city, founded in the 3rd century BC but did not adopt the name until the 10th century AD. It is a classic medieval walled city with towers and narrow cobblestone streets. It is also home to the worlds best gelato, which we had to sample. Twice.

The views from the top of this town are spectacular. It is what you think of when you see vistas of the Tuscan countryside. Although not big and not a long stop, it would be one I would recommend for anyone traveling in this region.

After our stop here we went to a local vineyard to have a tour of the grapes and olive production. Very similar to the tours you would get in the wine region of BC. (Although without the olives!) We also had a light lunch here that was accompanied by the three wines they produce, along with some cheese and foods that really complimented the wines.

From here we headed off to Monteriggioni, another medieval walled town, but this one is much smaller. Currently it only has about 5o residence living here. It’s historical significance is that this town, along with San Gimignano were traditional stop overs for the pilgrims who were trekking either to or from Rome. Cute, small town, no world famous gelato, but a nice shoe store. But we did not buy any shoes.

From Monteriggioni our next stop was Siena, a UNISCO world heritage site. First settled in 900-400 BC it is the capitol of the province of Siena. The Piazza del Campo was regarded as one of the nicest public spaces in the region. Today it still holds the Palio di Siena, a horse race between the 17 regions of the city. Wikipedia explains it well.

“The Palio di Siena is a traditional medieval horse race run around the Piazza del Campo twice each year, on 2 July and 16 August. The event is attended by large crowds, and is widely televised. Seventeen Contrade (which are city neighbourhoods originally formed as battalions for the city’s defence) vie for the trophy: a painted banner, orPalio bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For each race a new Palio is commissioned by well-known artists and Palios won over many years can often be seen in the local Contrade museum. During each Palio period, the city is decked out in lamps and flags bearing the Contrade colours.

Ten of the seventeen Contrade run in each Palio: seven run by right (having not run in the previous year’s corresponding Palio) together with three drawn by lot from the remaining ten. A horse is assigned to each by lot and is then guarded and cared for in the Contrade stable. The jockeys are paid huge sums and indeed there are often deals and bribes between jockeys or between ‘allied’ Contrade committees to hinder other riders, especially those of ‘enemy’ Contrade. For the three days preceding the Palio itself, there are practice races. The horses are led from their stables through the city streets to the Campo, accompanied by crowds wearing Contrade scarves or tee-shirts and the air is filled with much singing and shouting.

Though often a brutal and dangerous competition for horse and bare-back rider alike, the city thrives on the pride this competition brings. The Palio is not simply a tourist event as a true Sienese regards this in an almost tribal way, with passions and rivalry similar to that found at a football ‘Derby’ match. In fact the Sienese are baptised twice, once in church and a second time in their own Contrade fountain. This loyalty is maintained through a Contrade ‘social club’ and regular events and charitable works. Indeed the night before the Palio the city is a mass of closed roads as each Contrade organises its own outdoor banquet, often for numbers in excess of 1,000 diners. On the day of the Palio itself the horses are accompanied by a spectacular display of drummers and flag twirlers dressed in traditional medieval costumes who first lead the horse and jockey to the Contrade parish church and then join a procession around the Piazza del Campo square. This traditional parade is called the Corteo Storico, which begins in the streets and concludes in thePiazza del Campo encircling the square. There are often long delays while the race marshall attempts to line up the horses, but once underway the Campo becomes a cauldron of wild emotion for the 3 minutes of the race.”

From Siena we headed back to Florence for a dinner out at our favourite neighbourhood place and then off to bed. In the morning we have to be up early to catch the train to Manarola.

I was up early today, 6:30 to be out of the apartment before dawn. I gathered my camera gear and headed up to the train station in hopes of getting a cab to take me to Piazza Michelangelo.

There were a number of cabs at the train station and at this time of the morning and the traffic through Florence was very light. 9 euros later I was at Piazza Michelangelo. Just after 7 am and the sun was not quite up yet. Piazza Michelangelo is a open are plaza with a bronze statue of David that over looks the city. Without the sun it was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass David. But when the sun did peak over the mountains it was spectacular. There is something special about the light in Italy. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it is magical. My friend Mario told me about it, but until you experience it for yourself, it is hard to understand.

I took a number of photos from up here as the sun started to rise then headed off to find a cappuccino, which I proceeded to spill about 1/4 of it on my camera. Thank goodness there were napkins near by and the camera is weather sealed. So no harm, no foul. I sipped the rest of my drink and watched the  piazza come to life. About 8:15 or so I headed back to one of the other coffee shops and had another cappuccino and a pastry, breakfast. I had heard from Cathy, Vangie and Vance and they were due to be at the piazza in about 40 minutes or so.

Once they arrived they were in need of a beverage as they had walked from the apartment, across the river and up to the piazza, and by this time of the day, it was warm. So another coffee while we watched the world go by.

We then headed up the road a bit to the Basilica di San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain). This church was built in the romanesque style in 1207AD. Some of the detail in the marble inlay on the walls and floors was astounding. The craftsmanship used in the construction of this was mind boggling. I think if you were to build a building like this today, with this sort of detail in it it would be in the billions of dollars. (That is with a B)

This church also offers a spectacular view of Florence.

Once we finished looking around we caught the bus back down towards town. We really did not know where we were going, just winging it. Well we got off the bus a bit past where we were suppose to so we started walking back towards the Ponte Vecchio as we had a tour booked for 1:30 and we did not want to miss it. But we needed lunch.

Vance found this little out of the way restaurant, that did not cater to tourists at all. It was perfect. The food was outstanding, the wine good, (and cheap @ $3.50 for a litre!) If we could ever find it again, we would go back or at least recommend it to others.

Our first tour was for the Uffizi Gallery and our second tour, right after it was for the Accademia Gallery – where David is on display.

The Uffizi was great. Lots of art from artists that I had read about before, but have never seen, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Giotto, Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael and so many more. It is quite different seeing the works in a book and then seeing the real thing up close. After the Uffizi we headed to the Accademia.

The whole purpose of the visit to the Accademia is to see Michelangelo’s David.  On the way the guide explained how it came about that Michelangelo carved this piece and where it was to be located. It was going to be part of the Duomo, but once the city rulers saw it they deemed it too good and too important to be on display up high on top of part of the Duomo and it should go in front of City Hall, representing Florence.  In 1873 it was moved from outside into the gallery where it lives today.

This is one piece of work that really takes your breath away when you see it. Even though the replica in front of the City Hall is exactly the same, there is something about seeing it in the Accademia that sent shivers up my spine. If I could only come to Florence to see one thing, this would have been it.

After leaving the Accademia we headed back to our apartment to freshen up, drink some wine and headed out for dinner. It was a long day, with lots of walking, but oh what a day.