After arriving Florence, the 1st thing we wanted to see was The Duomo....the Duomo in Florence. 
It is just as beautiful and magnificent as the 1st time I saw it when I was 18 . I probably didn't appreciate then..... I do now!!  

Tried to get tickets to climb the Il Duomo di Firenze, and see the paintings up close, but they were sold out until Monday...the day we leave for Switzerland.  

So, we did what a lot of others had to. Next day we got in line to go into The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore where the Il Duomo di Firenze is. Inside, the Duomo was roped off to those of us without tickets, so we only were able to see maybe a 1/4 of it. But, I think the outside is just as amazing as the inside. And we didn't need tickets for that. 

Next we walked around Florence. There is really something to be said about walking on cobblestone and big stoned streets. As uneven as they might be...it is pure joy just knowing I'm walking on streets many centuries old.  

Later that afternoon we took a tour of some wineries in Tuscany . I'm not one for tours or one of those people being herded around and told to follow the person holding a sunflower. Never!! But we wanted to see more of the Tuscan countryside along with some wine tasting, so we became one of those people for 5 hours. Went to an old winery and a modern one, tasted some whites and reds, met some fun people and saw some beautiful Tuscan countryside. And there wasn't a flower in sight. 

On our last evening in Florence we found a high terrace with fantastic views of Florence at sunset. Just amazing. Found our way back to the Duomo piazza and had our last pizza in Italy...which by the way was delizioso. What a nice evening watching people stroll by, hearing children playing and just soaking up every last bit of Italy that we could. 

Tomorrow we leave Florence and Italy behind. From Rome to Positano to Amalfi to Siena and now Florence we have experienced so much of Italy, their people and culture, the beauty of Tuscany and the magnificence of all the Duomos and beautiful buildings in the cities, Pope Francis with his sweet and loving spirit and the beauty and expression of the Italian language.

Now on to Lucerne, Switzerland.

Ciao Bella Italia.....