We really didn't think that anywhere could top Venice, but we might have been wrong. Our luxury bus ride through the beautiful country side gave us the chance to learn more about Italy, ask our guide Nina lots of questions, and build our group friendships. Arriving in Florence excited and invigorated, we checked into our charming hotel in the center of the city just steps away from the famous Duomo.  We didn't rest for long before heading out for a tour of this amazing city filled with art, architecture, shopping and of course the best gelato in the country.

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We were drawn first to the fact that this is a living working Italian city. The streets were not only scattered with tourists but Italians living their daily lives. Groups of children playing, laborers, bankers, shoppers and even political protesters walked with purpose all around us. The architecture is astounding and the more we learned about Florence the more we loved it.

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The diversity of our activities in Florence coupled with the brilliant tours, left us knowing without a doubt that we will be returning to this historical city. The famous sights as the Ponte Veccio, Duomo, David, the Galileo Museum and Uffizi Gallery were not disappointing. What surprised us most were the small activities that really put us into the culture of Florence. The cooking class was so much fun as a group and will be a memory we will carry forever. Shopping the leather kiosks and eating at the local food court with others from our tour group helped make us feel more at home. The biggest treat from Florence was an inside tour of a local stone mosaic artisan arranged by our local tour guide. We were taken to small studio hidden on a side road where we would have never found on our own. The artwork was absolutely amazing and meeting the artists brought us to tears (ok, just one of us).

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Once again we were overwhelmed with the history and culture of this diverse and intriguing country not doubting that Rome (coming next!) has much to offer.

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Note the last icon below is a link to a 360 video.  When you click it, it will start playing.  Then you can click and drag around to see Florence from the top of the Duomo like you were there with us!