Florence - Birthplace of Michelangelo

On the train between Naples and Florence, I met this elderly Italian man. We began talking (or at least attempting to communicate) he was speaking Italian and I was speaking Spanish, which was quite comical. We talked for awhile and then he left the train a few stops outside of Florence. The following day Allie and I were walking down the street and someone taps me on the back. When I turn around it is none other than my friend from the train. What a small world! Anyways when we arrived in Florence, we went and saw the duomo (cathedral). The carvings on the outside were very intricate and also very colorful. However, the inside was not very impressive and stark in comparison with the outside. Allie and I then headed to the museum where the David is held. It was created by Michelangelo and is truly amazing. We had to wait in line for awhile, but it was definitely worth it. Unfortunately you could not take pictures, but I did take a picture of a replica. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Florence. The next morning we visited the palace and saw ponte vecchio, which is the oldest bridge in Florence. It was the only bridge not destroyed by the Nazi during World War II. There are shops built on the bridge that sell gold and jewelry. Unfortunately it was just a bit out of my price range ;) Next we climbed up to a lookout tower, which overlooked all of Florence. Afterwards we went to the church where Michelangelo and other famous people are buried. There is also a tomb for Dante, but he never returned to Florence. Outside the church was a TRL concert, sponsored by MTV for Italian pop stars. Allie and I watched it for a bit and it was exciting to see live performances by popular artists.

P.S. Other famous people born in Florence are Dante, Niccolo Machiavelli, and Donatello.

Duomo

Replica of the David

Ponte Vecchio 

View from the lookout point

Church where Michelangelo is buried 

Concert