AL's Vacation Adventures: Art..Art..Art...and SHOPPING!

Hey everyone!

We have had a great day in Florence as per usual!

We spent the morning at the Palazzo Pitti, which serves as museum, fashion site and former royal palace. We walked through the Renaissance museum which has a large collection of Botichelli and Raphael pieces. No photos were allowed so I have nothing to prove it...but we did go:) The pieces were spectacular and we were introduced to the mannerist style, which proved interesting.

The Palazzo Pitti is also home to the former royal chambers so some of the rooms were draped with finery and old-fashioned furniture, which I love. Other parts of the museum featured modern art and 12 paintings that were on loan from Musee D'Orsay in Paris so I got the pleasure of viewing some familiar Monet and Pizarro pieces. Such a great morning! On a side note, the Renaissance woman comment from the earlier post is working out really well for Mom...one of our group members even mentioned it to her a second time! She is a truly beautiful Renaissance woman:)

After the tour of the Palazzo Pitti, we wandered to Piazza Santo Spirito to find lunch. We ran across this small little pizzeria, which had fantastic pizza! Sara and I had this sweet sausage pizza with soft cheese and Dad had something similar with a different type of cheese. Mom had a pizza with zucchini and sheep cheese. Sara was later excited for her delicious chocolate cake, which she finally received.

Lunch was followed by a walk to the Ponte Vecchio neighborhood where Mom, Sara and I all bought LEATHER GLOVES! They are so soft and lined with cashmere. I'm so excited about them and I am sure they are too. Dad and Mom also bought a lovely decorative plate for the dining room, which will be an outstanding addition.

We walked back to the hotel and rested for a bit. In the evening, Mom, Dad and I walked around and went to a bakery at the Piazza Republica called Gilli's. We tried some pastries and I got to have the famous Italian hot chocolate, which is very thick. Delicious!

Tomorrow, we are touring the Palazzo Vecchio, which is now the location of the Florentine government and then gather some height for pictures from a church on the hill.

Make sure you check back tomorrow!!