Florence Part 2

 For all you Room With A View Fans!!

 Sketching

 Uffizi by night

 Random sighting

 Gazing at the Arno every night

 Ponte Vecchio...only time you can actually get through without being bombarded by tourists

 Uffizi by day

 the amazing David

 Part way up the bell tower

 We survived the steps up to the top of the bell tower...sweaty

 Bar below our hotel where we frequently got coffee

 Map room in palazzo vecchio

Florence

After enjoying our countryside escape for a night we drove into Florence. I will have to break my posts up into 3 sections I think because I have so many pictures. We spent the most time here so it only makes sense. 

 Our little corner where the hotel is

 Palazzo Vecchio

 The amazing duomo cathedral

 A very common sight due to jet lag

 I really appreciated the statues so much more than last time I was in Italy. They just blew my mind

 Statues in Piazza della Signoria

 Love locks

 shop kitty

 Piazza Michelangelo...Brian caught me day dreaming (aka scheming how to move to Italy!!!)

 He was enjoying the view as well

 

 Boboli Gardens & Palazzo Pitti

To be continued...

Chianti

After staying in Rome for about 4 days we had planned to rent a car and drive to a winery in Chianti for one night before hitting up Florence. I will just add that I will NEVER rent a car again in Italy unless I absolutely need to. Actually, now that we know where to get the car and where to drop it off maybe I will do it again. The amount of time we spent trying to locate the rental car place in Rome, wait in the line to get the car and find the rental drop off in Florence must have equaled at least 4.5 hours. Exhausting. The actual driving part however was great...being able to go where we please, make stops, etc. I drove because the car was manual and actually found driving through downtown Rome and Florence was pretty easy. Brian said he was really nervous probably because he wasn't the one in control. But if it weren't for his excellent navigating skills we would probably still be stuck in Rome trying to exit a dang roundabout.

The winery was one of the most beautiful places I have ever stayed at and also one of the most relaxing. The staff was super friendly and very accommodating. One funny bit was after unloading the car in their "loading/unloading parking" I had to move the car to the lot below. The guy telling me where to go literally had to chase me down and correct me like 3x because I kept thinking I was going the right way but obviously wasn't. I'm sure he thought I wasn't fit for driving but to my defense this long skinny driveway down to the lot was not easy to spot! Even though Rome was my favorite city Tuscany is without a doubt  breathtaking and will always hold a special place in my heart. 

 Our trusty steed 

 Look ma...no hands!

 We had an incredible meal at the winery. I even tricked Brian into eating lamb which he always claims to hate. He ate every last crumb

And of course the wine they produced was amazing

   

P.S. Need a driver to tote you around Italy? I'm your gal! :)