In the Tuscany/Florence area, sunflower fields are like Wisconsin's corn fields. Everywhere; all the time. Our driver, being a Tuscan native was rather confused by our need to point out EVERY sunflower field we passed, but it was just too exciting and foreign a thing for us, to say nothing.
Our very first stop, before we even got to the city, led us on the narrowest road of the trip for sure(at one point we had to pull into a driveway barely long enough for the van so someone else could go down the hill), through a tiny "village". We wound up and back down on the other side where we stopped and met a stunning view of the entire city. Italy, of course, is known for its red roofs, rolling hills and history-rich cities. This is exactly what we saw. In my opinion, absolute beauty. And then we got to the second view. This one was closer to the city and much more touristy, another kind of otherworldly to me. :) We could see the Duomo up close, the river, and in the distance the Ponte Vecchio. The same gorgeous roofs that by this point felt almost like my own way of life, though they weren't. Then Francesco took us into the heart of the city, where we kept looking from the car window on one side, to the one on the other, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the sights. A huge, marble arch right above us. The river on the left. A famous museum on the right. And then, all at once the Duomo, right in front of us.We went first to see David, created by Michaelangelo in the early 1500s. Skipping the endlessly stretching lines altogether-thanks to Francesco-we headed inside. The Statue of David went above and beyond my expectations. He was enormous, a 10 foot tall man with almost exact proportions as well as being incredibly intricate(down to strands of hair and fingernails). It was a statue that was completely unflawed, except for one crack in his left leg, left there forever by a crazy man with a hammer. In the same hall leading to David's permanent exhibit, was something almost as interesting. About 20 unfinished Michaelangelo pieces. They were large pieces of stone with varying amounts of human features chiseled into them. In some you could distinguish an entire man's figure except for his hands or feet. In others all we could see was an arm reaching out or half a face, seeming to say, "Help Me". :)
After this, Francesco took us to a restaurant he recommended, gave us directions to the rest of the sights, and told us we'd meet up in an hour and a half for gelato. Lunch was eaten outside a tiny, cramped, delicious deli. We got slices of pizza or caprese sandwiches and ate on the move. The Duomo was our next stop. Having seen it on the way in, we only spent a few minutes, just to take pictures and admire. Then we walked to the Ponte Vecchio, on the way seeing the town hall, and a huge outdoor market. The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge, one that is not used for driving across, but rather simply for hosting two parallel rows of high quality jewelry stores. From the outside you can see the backs of the shops protruding outward slightly, windows decorated with vines and flowers. From another, much more plain bridge, you can get a great view of the Ponte Vecchio.
A quick walk back and we met up with Francesco who took us to his favorite gelato shop, Grom, where he suggested the Crema, an egg cream. I took his suggestion and boy, was I glad I did. It was amazing. Our first gelato in Italy was a huge success. I ended up getting the Crema every time we had gelato from then on. This concluded one of my personal favorite days of the trip, leaving me with many solid memories. Two gorgeous views, the remarkable Ponte Vecchio, the flawless David, the enormous Duomo, my first real Italian gelato....and the bright blue color of Francesco's shoes. :)
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