By Antonio Malara Florence is the second post after Venice in which I talk about those places that I visited a lot as a kid with my family but where I never returned in adulthood. Even as happened in Venice, the visit to Florence was also an opportunity to go to Milan and meet my friends, only this time everything happened in a reverse way. The reason was because the idea of travel was actually a necessity for my sister to go to Florence for work. She just had to sign some documents so the commitment was minimal and she thought we could stop and visit Florence for a couple of days. I never leave to be out for just two days so I called my friends in Milan and asked if they were available to spend the weekend together. After they replied positively, I organized everything in a few days. While for the visit to Venice I stopped in Milan only on my return, in the case of Florence I did the opposite. I booked a flight to Milan and then a high speed train to Florence. My sister would have joined me directly in the Tuscan city. Obviously, I will dedicate a post to the city of Milan in another post but while I was there with my friends in the spring of 2017, there was immediately the first unexpected event regarding the visit to Florence. My sister's flight had been canceled and thanks also to my friend's suggestion I helped her reschedule her departure by train, this would take her to her destination in the early afternoon rather than in the morning. So my trip to Florence started from the central station of Milan, I boarded a Frecciarossa I think around noon and in just one hour and twenty-five minutes I arrived at the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence. Day 1I had booked a B&B right near the train station, however I lost some time for the check-in and after placing my luggage in my room I went to the nearby McDonald's to eat something which was almost 2 PM. After I rested for a while, I went out again around 4 PM to visit the Church of Santa Maria Novella which was a few minutes' walk from my B&B. The Church overlooked a large square which was surrounded by buildings which created a very characteristic frame. Santa Maria Novella was the first thing I photographed with my very expensive Nikkor 14-24 lens that I had bought only a few weeks before. I enjoyed using the wide angle and I actually started exploring this type of focal length right there. Even though I was more into testing my new lens, I still appreciated the beauty of the church, I liked its symmetrical shape a lot. The aesthetic details of the church, arched and square ones, were the same for both naves, a type of architecture that always fascinates me even though I prefer the irregular and creative forms more. The square, which had the same name from the church, had many flower beds with greenery, however the huge concrete pavement was prevalent and I must say that I did not appreciate it very much. After the photos I went to the entrance to make a quick visit inside but when I saw that I had to pay a price I think about 5 or 8 euros I changed my mind. I did it first of all as a matter of principle and secondly because in ten minutes my sister would be arriving at the station. Luckily my sister arrived on time at 4:30 PM, after which we ran to the B&B to leave her luggage and then we headed to Giotto's Bell Tower where we had already booked entry for 5 PM. Arriving in Piazza San Giovanni where there is not only the Bell Tower but above all "Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore" (the Cathedral) and the Baptistery of San Giovanni, I had the feeling of the first visit. As I explained I had already visited Florence as a child but until that moment what I had seen for me was unprecedented, it meant that I had no childhood memories related to those places, this on the one hand pleased me because I appreciated the monuments in different way. Although when we arrived we immediately ran into the bell tower, however the impact both with it and with the Cathedral fascinated me in an incredible way. Giotto's Bell Tower was the bell tower of the Florence Cathedral, a work that was finished building towards the end of the 14th century and which also saw Giotto among the builders. In addition to the beauty of the external marbles very similar to those of the Cathedral, there were many sculptural decorations present everywhere on the work. This tower as well as the Cathedral would have deserved a whole day just to photograph and analyze these decorations, which of course we did only superficially. Aware of the over 400 steps to reach the top of the tower which was about 80 meters high, my sister and I have immersed ourselves in another adventure. Honestly, I don't have any particular memories of the climb, this means that we didn't have any particular fatigue problems or anything like that, we were probably trained in the right way. The route was obligatory and I remember that we then stopped like the others on one of the top floors. From there, looking up, we saw what must have been the top floor and all around there were arched windows from which we began to appreciate the various views. On one side we saw the famous dome with the red tiles of the Duomo, at that point it seems to me that we were almost at the same height. Turning on the other sides we saw Piazza della Signoria with the profile of Palazzo Vecchio. Climbing further we almost reached the top, on a level that was very characteristic for two reasons. There was a large bell resting on a platform, I had never seen one so large and so close, it was taller than me so almost two meters in height. Obviously, given the characteristic object, we lost some time taking pictures with the bell and I must say that there my new lens began to perform well in terms of colors and its angle of view. But another singular and suggestive thing that was there was the presence of several very large grids from where it was possible to see different floors below and the entire perimeter of the walls up to where we were. The meshes of these grids were large enough to allow the lens to enter and photograph everything, including the people who could be seen tiny in the floors below. I must say that I had an approach to those grids as a child, I didn't want to give up but then at the suggestion of my sister we continued the climb and left the grids for later. Arriving on the roof in the open, I was a little disappointed by the protective nets that were installed. Obviously they were needed both to protect against accidental accidents and intentional ones I just didn't like the design. Large vertical tubes folded inside together with other smaller ones placed horizontally plus the grids. It is certainly not easy to find ideal solutions in these cases but I just didn't like them. More than anything else they ruined the photos when you wanted to immortalize the person with the background. However, from up there the view was wonderful, the same as that seen in the lower floors but from a higher perspective that offers even more depth. From the new perspective we could see the people who were making the rounds on the dome of the Cathedral, while before it was not possible. Continuing to turn, we also noticed that the side of Piazza della Signoria was much wider, and on its left we also saw the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. The other "common" view that we had from all angles was the continuity of the red roofs of the houses. That glance was an unmistakable feature of the city, not one of my favorites but certainly very impressive when viewed from the observation point. During the descent we stopped again in the bell tower room where I continued my photography work with the grids that in the meantime had become an obsession. Our enthusiasm as children did not stop even going down the stairs, having time available, with my sister we had fun photographing ourselves in these narrow and steep ramps that defining them as characteristics was an understatement. Around 6:30 PM we were down again and we used the last moments of daylight to photograph the facade of the Duomo and the bell tower using my new wide angle. The marble construction elements of both the Cathedral and the bell tower were decidedly more beautiful than the classical ones. The presence of green and red colored marble in addition to the typical white gave these works an extra touch, not to mention the decorative elements I mentioned earlier. Just in front of the Cathedral there was the Baptistery of San Giovanni, octagonal in shape it had mostly the same construction materials as the Bell Tower and the Cathedral, marble of three different colors. I had already seen this type of work in the city of Parma, I remember that the shape of this structure struck me a lot, this one in Florence seemed wider to me whereas the one in Parma was certainly higher. In reality, however, the true beauty of the Baptistery was revealed once inside. In addition to the presence of marble and the columns that turned next to the altar, the real show was the immense dome totally covered with frescoes, in all its width there was not a centimeter free. There I concentrated on photography, thanks to the wide angle I was able to frame the whole roof, but to really study those works it took time because they were endless. Above all of them stood out the image of Jesus with open arms much larger than the others which all maintained the same size. However, to the right of Jesus I was struck by the image of a devil eating people, a scene that looked like something out of a horror movie. The other peculiarity inside the Baptistery was located opposite the roof, that was, on the ground. The flooring was in fact enigmatic, although respecting the same colors it had different patterns. There were hourglass drawings, others formed by straight lines and then still others in the shape of a rhombus that created a 3D effect. Certainly out of context and without a specific style, the floor nevertheless remained an intriguing work. We left the Baptistery around 7:20 PM and as it got dark we took more photos of the Cathedral which this time was illuminated with artificial lights. Leaving that area we walked towards Piazza della Signoria where we arrived in ten minutes. The square represented by the beauty of Palazzo Vecchio illuminated in a beautiful way, was another place I had no memories of my visits as a child. However, I have seen this building many times on TV and in magazines so it was like seeing for the first time an idol known only through the media. Palazzo Vecchio is a work of the 1300s, therefore with a long history behind it, today it houses the mayor of Florence and the offices of the municipality, but what has always struck me was its design. All in red stone and with the clock tower on one side, it has overhangs on the top floor of the main structure and on the tower, which have always fascinated me. Even though I'm not an architect and don't know how to define this style, I've always admired structures that have a wider top than the bottom. For me, the "anti gravity" of the overhang represents power, the giant with broad shoulders and narrow hips. The Palace inside contains many works of art but unfortunately we were unable to visit it inside during our stay there. Thanks to the lighting that was throughout the square, the photos were fine and I was happy for this too, in addition to the beauty of the place itself. Time passed there in serenity among many photos and in particular it was nice to visit Loggia dei Lanzi almost in front of Palazzo Vecchio. In this sort of open-air gallery there were many statues, one of a lion particularly struck me and thanks to the new lens I enjoyed playing with perspective, immortalizing the lion in a disproportionate way compared to the Palazzo Vecchio behind it. That evening we did not turn further and after leaving Piazza della Signoria we went back towards the Duomo and a place to have dinner. My sister had a list of restaurants that they had recommended to her and since Florence the concept of art also extended to the kitchen, I wanted to start enjoying those culinary delicacies.    Basilica di Santa Maria Novella  Inside Giotto's Bell Tower  The Baptistery from the Bell Tower      The horrible protections        Inside the Baptistery      Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria  Loggia dei Lanzi   Day 2 On the morning of the second day after breakfast we went directly to the Uffizi Gallery where we had already purchased online the entrance at 9:30 AM. This museum is one of the most important in the world because of the quality of the works present. We arrived there a little early and we noticed that already at that time there was a long line to enter, so our choice to buy the ticket first was wise because in our case it only needed to be converted into a counter with priority. In the case of the Uffizi Gallery, not only did I not remember the structure but in fact I had never visited it as a child, while my sister had visited it with the school. Aesthetically, the Uffizi did not look like a classical museum, the building had arcades on the ground floor from which there was access to enter. It was a beautiful building in itself and I appreciated it for that but it didn't give me the idea of a museum. Inside, on the other hand, it was a one hundred percent museum, thanks to the works on display and also to the design that these buildings of a certain era have. The thing I really liked was the wide corridors with the wooden windows that extended parallel to all the corridors. This detail, together with the decorations on the roof, created a beautiful and original space, similar to that of Versailles but smaller. Every time I enter a museum, after a few minutes I feel a sense of incredible relaxation, looking at paintings I don't know and being struck by details gives me an indescribable calm. Even the Uffizi was not an exception, in this specific case I was there because I wanted to see the works of Botticelli but even before arriving in the dedicated room, I was already studying other works. I don't know what it's called, but I have always been struck by that painting technique where the artist does not respect the play of shadows. This type of painting sees very vivid and saturated colors that always remain in the foreground even if in reality parts of the scene should be in the shade. In museums I always find dozens of them and every time I stop to study them even if I never take note of the artists. This technique is exactly what I tend to achieve in post production in my photos, in photography it is called HDR, high dynamic range photos. Another discovery I made there, this time thanks to my sister, was a very present subject in the paintings exhibited at the Uffizi, or rather the "Annunciation to the Virgin Mary", the representation of the angel announcing to Mary, the birth of his son Jesus Christ. There inside the Uffizi there was the prestigious one made by Leonardo Da Vinci but before seeing it, we saw many others by other artists. It was truly original to see the singular vision that each artist had regarding an event. Obviously, even in that case I was struck by the "announcements" which were more colorful and without shadows. At around 10:30 AM we arrived in the room where there was the "Double portrait of the Dukes of Urbino" by Piero della Francesca which features portraits of the spouses Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza. This work, which in reality are two distinct paintings enclosed in a single frame, are two portraits taken in profile but specular, as if the spouses were looking at each other. This painting is very famous and I remembered it from my school days because it was always present in the history of art books. The work was protected in such a way that it could not be approached to touch it but the room was large and we could turn around the painting. After a few minutes we arrived in the room dedicated to Botticelli and there we saw the "Spring". The work was very large and is exhibited a little high, personally I did not like that location very much because we had to always look up to observe it. Thanks to this, it was possible to get right below but I would have done the opposite, I would have exposed it further down and protected the access, perhaps by creating a "corridor" to give everyone the opportunity to see it for good. Regarding the painting and beyond reading as pregnancy-birth and therefore spring, this is a work that must be seen in presence because it creates a different effect for each one. Personally, I was struck more by the look and overbearing attitude of Zephyr who seduces the girl, rather than by the beauty of the women, especially the girl who is pregnant. In general, in front of the painting there was an "orderly" disorder, many people who, however, respected an unwritten law regarding how to admire the work. Everyone was at a certain distance from the painting and in a certain way waited for the turn to take the ritual photo together with the work. After leaving the "Spring" we went to see "The Birth of Venus" this work is an absolute masterpiece that in this case I find perfectly in agreement because it respects all my canons. Considering the painting that represents the canon of female beauty personified by Venus, it also has colors, elements and details that fascinate me a lot. Mine is probably a very popular consideration, an idea common to many, but I want to express it anyway. The element of the large shell that arises from the waters, the nude as natural beauty and the face of Venus where those spaced eyes and that particular shape of the jaw create an absolute balance in the defect. Although the body of Venus does not represent modern standards, it still remains incredibly fascinating, this is also a work that must be seen in person. After the rituals of the photos we moved to continue the visit. Turning around the wide corridor but on an upper floor, there for the first time I encountered a defect in focus using my new lens, it was probably the combination of it with the camera I used, but that situation created me a disappointment. However, the slight discontent passed immediately after me because continuing to walk down the corridor, we arrived at a point where the windows overlooked the Arno river and Ponte Vecchio. These two elements were perhaps the only thing I remembered of Florence as a child and I finally saw them again although from an unusual perspective. It was like seeing a childhood friend who had grown up in the meantime and seemed slightly different. Passing from one room to another we found one where works by Canaletto were exhibited. It was nice to see on a painting those unique landscapes that I had seen live with my sister less than a year earlier and that I described in this post earlier this year. At around 12:15 AM we went out onto the terrace which was right in front of Palazzo Vecchio, actually from that perspective it looked just like attached to the terrace. It was a very special sight that with my sister we tried to capture in our photos. There we relaxed a bit before continuing also because we had already seen almost all the main works we had on the list. Shortly before 1 PM we saw Caravaggio's "Shield with the head of Medusa", the work that sees a representation of a severed head, is very impressive but unfortunately, being inside a display case, it creates reflections so for me it cannot be appreciated fully. Certainly difficult to photograph, I would have placed it differently but they probably had their reasons for placing it inside a display case. We left the Uffizi at around 1:10 PM and headed to our favorite restaurant where in the meantime I had fallen in love with a perfect pasta dish; tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, a real drug. We returned to the Cathedral area at 3 PM and since we had booked a visit to Brunelleschi's Dome for 4 PM we had an hour to occupy and we decided to visit the Duomo. In addition to the dome, the interior of this structure had no other special features. Surely seeing the frescoes, although small, of the dome was suggestive, however it did not give us much motivation because we would have seen them much more closely shortly after. However we discovered that from there we could visit an underground and so we did. This, on the other hand, was very interesting because there were excavations that had brought to light several mosaics. Honestly, I liked the area, the walkways, the low roof more than mosaics itself. Crossing that archaeological site gave me the impression that it was I myself who discovered those mosaics. The visit inside the cathedral lasted only about 30 minutes, after which we preferred to take some photos outside the cathedral and immortalize it with the daylight colors. At 4 PM we were at the side entrance of the Cathedral to begin the climb to the Dome. This structure, which took about fifty years of work, is a unique work of its kind, still today the largest masonry dome in the world. Technically I cannot explain the value of the building but I know that it was complex especially considering that it is a work of the 1,400. The ascent to the Dome was much more impressive than that of the Bell Tower; for the steps, the very narrow spaces and above all there were incredible differences in height, something like certain escalators that can be found in a few metro, except that those of the Dome had to be climbed on foot while maintaining balance. The climb ended on the lantern, the circular work that represented the top of the Dome as well as an observation point over the city. From up there was the opposite view to the one we had seen the day before from Giotto's Bell Tower. In fact, on one side of the lantern we could see the Bell Tower, which remained slightly lower. This space immediately thrilled me not only for the materials such as the marble flooring that was also present on the pillars, but also because up there there were no protections that were on the Bell Tower. Except for a fairly simple railing, there were no other disturbing elements positioned at the top so from there we could enjoy an incredible view and truly have the feeling of being suspended above. The "freedom" that was on the lantern led my sister and me to take much more photos than on the Bell Tower, plus the greater height of the Dome gave more breadth to the view. This led to even better distinguish the monuments of the city bearing in mind, however, the view from the Dome was almost the same as that seen from the Bell Tower. During the descent the steep stairs and the differences in height had an even more dizzying effect than the uphill, nevertheless we stopped to take pictures with the new perspective, it was a fun thing. Also during the descent, I don't remember at what height, we went out on the circular part from where we could admire the frescoes of the Dome. Unfortunately, the enthusiasm I had about the lantern passed away here because the whole narrow corridor surrounding the Dome had a Plexiglas barrier about two meters high. This not only did not allow to photograph correctly but ruined the view on the frescoes, as we could only see the tall ones while the rest was ruined by reflections. Moreover, those barriers increased the claustrophobic effect already given by the height in relation to the small space. We got off at around 5:20 PM and immediately afterwards we headed towards the Arno and Ponte Vecchio passing through Piazza della Signoria. There we have done more than anything else what we had done at the Duomo a few hours before, we have immortalized the square and the building with daylight. Then through a small road we arrived on the Arno from a point where we could also see Ponte Vecchio. After the view from above and obscured by the glass of the Uffizi, I was finally able to see the river and the bridge again for good, these two things that took me back to my childhood. First from afar and then as we approached Ponte Vecchio, we took dozens of photos because I missed that view and I wanted to immortalize it in as many ways as possible. Ponte Vecchio has some analogy with the Rialto Bridge, but while in Venice there were structures subsequently used as shops, on Ponte Vecchio there are real houses, whose ground floor now house boutiques. Finally on the bridge, we crossed it, looking at the shops on the sides and in the comings and goings of the people, this was the only real place I remembered of Florence, what I identified the whole city with. Probably as a child my father exalted the beauty of Ponte Vecchio so much that I left space in my memory just for it. In the central part of the bridge there were two balconies, two free spaces from where we could admire both sides of the river. There we took the last photos before returning to the Cathedral and our favorite restaurant. That evening I had another culinary appointment, the legendary Florentine steak, the giant one. As a meat lover I could not miss that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Galleria degli Uffizi   Double portrait of the Dukes of Urbino  La Primavera del Botticelli   Venere del Botticelli        Leonardo Da Vinci's Annunciation to the Virgin Mary  Caravaggio's "Shield with the head of Medusa"    Me and the Cathedral  On top of the Dome        Ponte Vecchio  On Ponte Vecchio    Day 3The first visit scheduled for our third day in Florence was Palazzo Pitti. Although this place was south over the Arno, we walked there because the distance was not too long. To do this, we decided to take Via de 'Tornabuoni, a chic street where most of the fashion designer shops were located. Aesthetically, this street was not very different from the others but let's say that it was distinguished by the ultra-elegant shop windows, however I still found a very original building because it was in the shape of a triangle, every time I passed from there I stopped and photograph it. Once on Ponte Santa Trinita, we stopped to admire the view of Ponte Vecchio, from there we could see the opposite side of the bridge from the view that there was looking at it from the Uffizi side. We arrived in front of the beauty of Palazzo Pitti around 10:30 AM after about thirty minutes of walking and various stops. Personally I got to know this building through TV and recently more in detail thanks to social networks because the Pitti Uomo men's fashion show takes place in this location every year. In a sort of fashion carnival, middle-aged people with grey hair, show off eccentric and excessive outfits that, once the event is over, they are very likely to put away in the closet, otherwise they would risk being mistaken for people who work at the circus. The building was built in 1,400 as a private residence and over the years there have been many aristocratic families who have occupied it as such. Then in 1919 the King Vittorio Emanuele gave it to the State and since then it has always been a museum, today it is a collection of museums full of important works. All in stone, from the outside it looks like a very large rectangle with two side wings, inside (where we didn't go, however) it is equally immense with gardens and other blocks. The other thing that strikes you is its position, slightly higher than the road and in front of an immense concrete slope, called Piazza Pitti. This building has always fascinated me for a combination of design and materials, one of those works of perfect harmony that is much more impressive and therefore even more beautiful live. Due to lack of time we hadn't planned the visit inside so we indulged in taking dozens of photos from the outside in all possible ways, even sitting on the ground. The width of the building was such that although I had a focal length of 14 mm (therefore very wide) on my lens, it was not possible to enclose it all in the frame. Before 11 AM we went back to the center because my sister had to go to court for her work engagement. I took advantage of that free time to visit the central market area. Right there, in fact, there are many small shops, normally run by foreign people, where they sell locally made leather items, at least this is what they claim. I walked around that area until lunchtime and waited there for my sister near our restaurant. After having lunch together, we returned to the market area where we did some shopping. Especially for leather bags, my sister got great deals, personally I only bought a double face belt that if I'm not mistaken I have never worn yet. Bringing the souvenirs back to the B&B we went out again to the new destination which was the "Basilica di Santa Croce in Firenze". This Basilica was a meeting place for many people of high cultural level during the Renaissance, today it is popular for hosting the tombs of great men from the fields of science and art. We arrived in the large square in front of the Basilica around 3:30 PM and immediately admired its beauty. Aesthetically, the Basilica had the same style as the works we had seen previously such as the Cathedral, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery. The facade was symmetrical built in marble of three colors, white red and green. The differences were in the Campanile Tower which in this case was positioned back on the right side and was built in stone. The other difference from the Cathedral was that in the case of the Basilica of Santa Croce, the facade did not have the type of decorations that were present in the works I listed earlier. However, I liked the interior much more than that of the other basilicas we had seen, the large windows on two levels illuminated the two very wide arched naves and made the brown wooden ceiling stand out even more. The main altar was impressive for the beauty highlighted by the very colorful frescoes, the other altars were less beautiful only in size but not in aesthetics. Turning slowly, we saw in order the tombs of: Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo Bonarroti, Dante Alighieri, Niccolò Machiavelli, Gioacchino Rossini and Ugo Foscolo. For each of them we took souvenir photos, mostly the tombs were marble sarcophagi along with many ornaments of the same material, the only one different was that of Foscolo, who saw a real statue of himself. At 4:20 PM we entered a large room where there was "The Crucifixion" by Ligabue, a late 1200s work. A very large wooden Christ was hung at the top, this position made it even more impressive. Unfortunately, the work had some missing parts, this is because in the flood that hit Florence in 1966, the work was seriously damaged and subsequently restored. Leaving the room, we went out into the large rectangular courtyard because there was access to the Pazzi Chapel. This place struck me more aesthetically because there was nothing inside, I mean only a few ornaments but no works, certainly the outside was more beautiful and ornamental. Later we reached the Great Cloister, this type of structure has always fascinated me, the cloister in question was square with arched porticoes. In general, places like this give me peace of mind, I don't know why and I've never investigated why because when I like something, I stop being rational and let myself be carried away by it. This cloister had a large green lawn with a well in the center, the lawn was "cut" only by a path of tiles. There we took many photos because from one corner there was a view of the bell tower which made a beautiful background to the green of the lawn and the arches all around. The last thing we did before leaving was the view of a gallery with a low roof, I honestly don't remember what it housed. Finally, on the way out, we spent the last moments taking pictures of the beautiful courtyard that accompanied the exit on the left side of the Basilica. For the last evening spent in Florence, we decided to change restaurants and went to a place that was in the Borgo Santo Spirito area, across the Arno in the same area as Palazzo Pitti. We ate well there too and I had a delicious cut of beef that was so tender that it melted in your mouth.     Palazzo Pitti     Basilica di Santa Croce in Firenze          "The Crucifixion" by Ligabue  Pazzi Chapel        Day 4The last day in Florence was actually the departure to a new destination, not the return home. In fact, in the early afternoon we had a train that would take us to the rediscovery of Pisa, another city to which I had not returned since childhood. So we had the morning to wander around a bit but in reality I had one last mission to accomplish in Florence. After breakfast we headed to the center which was around 10 AM with our destination once again Via de 'Tornabuoni and more precisely the Gucci store. The reason was a pair of loafers of the famous brand and having never bought Gucci shoes I was not sure of the size so I could not buy them online. Moreover, from time to time, when I have the chance, I like to go personally to this type of store to have a high-level shopping experience. From the steward who opened the door to the elegance and luxury of the interiors, not to mention the professionalism of the clerks, everything is of a higher level. Fortunately, I found the article in question, a beautiful calfskin moccasin with blue and red web ribbon with the application of the then popular golden double G Happy with the new purchase, I left the store with a new white envelope with the Gucci logo printed in black and so I went around the city. We spent the last moments in the center between Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria and then returned to our favorite restaurant where another plate of tagliatelle with mushrooms was waiting for me. I don't remember exactly what time but in the early afternoon we took the train that took us to Pisa. The return to Florence had the flavor of the first time in the city, although I had been there many times as a child, I did not remember anything except the Ponte Vecchio area. The discoveries made there were authentic and in a sense it is as if I had visited it as a child because such were my skills regarding what I visited. As happened with other trips, if it hadn't been for my sister or others to inform me about the importance of what I was seeing, it would not have been the same. But I must say that I like this childish way of visiting places and it has its positive side as long as the person who is with you is happy to inform you about the places of interest. I have no regrets for what I have not been able to visit because this gives me the motivation to return to a place like Florence. When I’ll return I will start with what I didn’t do on the previous trip. A last note goes to the food, although I’m not so hard-core and demanding about it, the things I ate in Florence were so good that every day lunch and dinner were a sacred thing, something that made me taste again for quality food. Basilicas, paintings and sculptures are fine, but even better if everything is also accompanied by culinary art.       Tagliatelle ai funghi porcini Pictures: Antonio Malara
Camera: Nikon D800
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