Our ninth day in Europe took us under the Tuscan sun to Firenze, the Birthplace of the Renaissance!
The architecture and history in Florence was captivating. Each building had significance and was ornately decorated. It was a perfect city to sit in a piazza with gelato and watch the world go by.
We stayed right off of the Arno River in a tourist-friendly hotel that was walking distance to everything, and decided to start off our time in Florence with a night tour to familiarize ourselves with the city. My favorite thing to do in each city we visit is to explore all of the major sites both at night as well as in the daytime. It's amazing how different the same place can be lit up under a night sky.
Our evening tour took us to the Santa Croce, where Michaelangelo and Galileo Galilei are buried. From there we went to the Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza Della Signoria - fountains are often my favorite at night! We walked down the Via die Calzaiuoli passed many shops until we reached the Piazza del Duomo to view the Florence Cathedral, Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore, as well as the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile.
After that we had free time to grab dinner, gelato, and enjoy Florence's nightlife! We found a quaint restaurant in the Piazza Della Signoria overlooking Neptune's fountain and had a delicious seafood pasta dinner with a trip to the local Gelateria for dessert. This was one of my favorite meals during the trip!
TRAVEL TIP: Try to find local family owned Gelaterias that are not right in the main touristy areas. They are typically a better quality and less expensive! We also used local recommendations as well as Yelp and TripAdvisor to help us find the best restaurants and Gelaterias in the area.
The next morning we woke up early to take a daytime guided tour of the city. We hit most of the same locations as our evening tour with additions including the Uffizi Gallery and Ponte Vecchio. We decided to sneak out of the tour a bit early missing the leather demonstration, but I wasn't going to miss viewing the inside of the Florence Cathedral and climbing to the top of the Duomo! 
The Duomo was not Ryan's favorite, as it is not made for tall people to walk through! The passages were narrow and at times the ceiling would slant downwards as we reached the higher points in the Duomo. It was 463 steps to the top, but the view was incredible! I would do it again in a heartbeat!
TRAVEL TIP: If you are claustrophobic at all you may want to pass on this experience, it has tight quarters and there is only one way up/down so many times you are plastered against the wall waiting for your turn to walk. We traveled during the off season, so I would imagine with all of the tour groups and heat in the summer, it may be a bit rough.
After that we walked through the Piazza Della Repubblica to see the market, and eventually crossed the Ponte Vecchio browsing the jewelry displayed.
We wandered down a few additional streets until we stumbled into the Piazza dei Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. We had a bit of additional time and decided to stop in and take a quick jaunt through the statue-filled Renaissance gardens. The views over the city were fantastic, and I'm glad we took this quick detour. We could have spent a lot more time walking around, but the portions we visited were fantastic!
From there, we grabbed a quick bite to go before we headed for one last view across Tuscany atop the Piazzale Michaelangelo. It was complete with replica statues of David, a few shops, and breathtaking panoramic views across Florence. A must-see when in Firenze!
On to The Eternal City, Roma!
xo, Caitlin.
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