Honeymoon: Florence

Hi y'all! I'm back with another Italy recap...part one here. We traveled by train to Florence and spent three days roaming the city. The best I can sum it up:

The train ride itself was magnificent; gorgeous views of the Italian countryside seemed surreal. Without a doubt, the kind of things only dreams are made of. As I read "Under the Tuscan Sun" during the trek, I kept looking out and thinking the words were somehow seeping through the windows and painting a canvas of depiction through the glass. It was perfection. We were charmed the minute we arrived in Florence, easily finding our hotel and grabbing lunch at a quaint cafe on a quiet, yet picturesque, street. Our lovely friend Whitney Cypert (her blog here!) had previously advised us to visit the Ponte Vecchio, a Medieval bridge over the Arno River. Lined with one-of-a-kind jewelry shops and tempting gelato cafes, we found ourselves frequenting the Ponte Vecchio numerous times during our Florence stay. We went on a tour that took us high above the city of Florence to Fiesole, a scenic town in the hills with Etruscan roots, Roman ruins, and breathtaking views of the city. Zach tried to tell me George Clooney's house was on the hillside and got me all excited; I googled it when we got back home and was slightly crushed. He lied. We spent the rest of our time roaming the city, getting lost in the San Lorenzo Market, and eating as much gelato as our stomachs could handle.

train ride beauty

view of the Arno River

a little espresso pick-me-up

taken from the Ponte Vecchio Bridge

We forgot that Pinocchio was Italian!

Duomo

om nom nom nom.

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interesting options...Smarties McFlurry anyone?

Our tour took us high above the city...the views were absolutely breathtaking.

Michelangelo's childhood home

All geared up for a museum tour....half-way through we realized we aren't "museum people". We bailed. And got gelato instead. When in Rome, right? (or Florence...or Venice....)