- Florence

We got up a little later and haven't rushed around this morning; its Sunday and so most things open later today.

Walked by a funny window for lingerie (apparently a big seller in Florence given how many shops sell it here).

There were some kids using pastels to draw copies of famous art works on Via Calimala, which we've seen before, and I think its really cool! They draw all day, taking donations, and at night the street cleaners wipe it away (sort of like Tibetan mandalas). Here, they're doing a detail from Botticelli's "La Primavera".

Kids drawing right on the street, for donations

We walked around near the Ponte Vecchio and had some Napoli-style pizza for an early lunch. Then we split up; Aviva going ot the Uffici and I went to the Museo Stibbert. They don't allow photos in Museo Stibbert, but I did take a few of the outside (its a former mansion and now a park) - I'll post some scans of some of the contents of the collection when I get home.

Sign for Museo Stibbert	A detail from the mansion
A view of the park below the main house
A page from a book on Museo Stibbert, the Islam Room

Aviva went to the Uffizi (which means office in Italian because it was the offices for the Medici, now an art gallery) - they don't allow photos either but we've been there a bunch of times before, at least in 2000, 2005 and 2007.

The base of the U of the Uffizi facing the Arno

An artist and his dog at the Uffizi

I killed some time walking around. I saw a very decorated taxi pull up, and a very pretty woman inside gave out candy - apparently the locals know her because they all took her picture too.

I walked around the Ponte Vecchio, which is one of the few bridges with businesses operating on it in Europe.

A postcard shot of the Ponte Vecchio from up river (where all the couples were necking)

The entry to the Ponte Vecchio from the Duomo side

I also spent som time on Piazza della Signoria, which faces the Palazzo Vecchio; I did a panorama of the piazza, took some pictures and videos of interesting folks, and a shot of the place where Savanarola was hung and burned alive.

A video of a woman trying to rent Segway's for tours
Isn't that pomeranian cute?	A statue on the Piazza
The Piazza
The marker where Savanarola was executed

Aviva and I met up, had a snack at a place on the Piazza della Signoria, and then walked over the Arno on the Ponte Vecchio to see Santa Spirito (no pictures, of course, allowed); its a pretty common Italian church, they have one Lippi painting.

The high water mark for the 1966 flood, at about 10 feet up

The Medici emblem painted on a building

The city is really busy on Sundays - everyone comes out and walks around town.

We've tried to enter the Orsanmichele on every trip, and its always been closed. Until this trip! There was some kind of special event going on and the doors were open so we went inside. We didn't take any pictures, but we got two books.

The alter painted by Daddi

We had dinner again at Ristorante Paoli; Aviva liked her Ribolita so much she took a picture of it!

A stuffed boar in a store

A bowl of ribolita, one of our Tuscan favorites

Interior of Ristorante Paoli

And Aviva had to go out at 9PM to pick up a watch she really wanted - the latch didn't work and the shop owner, who arrived from out of town around 7P tonight, fixed it. So this jewelry store gets a mention here: Even Bijoux at Via Dante Alighieri 8R, 055 2396246 (ask for Berta).