I Heart Florence!

Ciao! :) Italy is still as amazing as I dreamed it would be. I'm loving this country more and more the longer I'm staying here.

So, before we reached Florence, we hit a rest stop on our way from Rome. Mom and I attempted to order coffee - called "grancrema" - but instead, we got what I would consider a coffee-flavored Wendy's frosty. And it was amazing.

Here's what we saw over our 2 days in Florence:

• Duomo
• Santa Maria Novella
• Santa Crocce
• Medici Castle
• Gallery of statues (with the David "copy")
• Academia & David
• Uffizi
• Ponte Vecchio
• Arno River
• Hotel Torre Guelfa (recommended to us by a friend of ours - the views from the terrace were PHENOMENAL).

And here's what we saw at Pisa:

• Leaning Tower (of course!)
• Baptistry
• Santa Maria Asunta
  

While we were staying in Florence, we stayed in a town called Montecatini. I had my very first cappuccino there. 

I really liked the town of Pisa more than I thought I would. It's neat how all of the monuments are together in the "Miracle Square". It kinda reminded me of Washington D. C. 

I was also pleasantly surprised by the statue of David in Florence. I was impressed by its detail and its perfect proportions.

Throughout this trip - and not just with David - I have been happy to see the religious art here. So much care goes into these works, whether they are in churches or not, and it's truly inspiring to see art that's based on the Bible last for so many years, centuries even. :)

I loved getting to see the pharmacy at Santa Maria Novella. They have an incredible history; monks had been crafting perfumes and the like since the 1200s. It's a beautiful building, too! Mom and I love vanilla in our perfumes, so we were delighted to pick up their Vanilla scent. It smells like vanilla extract that you bake with. It's wonderful!

Overall, I really loved Florence. It just seems so sweet to me. Where Rome is dramatic and opulent, Florence is slightly more understated and more centered in fine art, but both cities are equally amazing.