Firenze! Then back home!

Before leaving for Florence, Stella had a big lunch for Ana Rose and I. Natasha came too, and we had a wonderful final time together. We made Natasha promise us to send pictures of her baby, which is due this upcoming week! Stella walked Ana Rose and I to the bus station (since Ana Rose was leaving for Rome the same time I was leaving for Florence). It was so sad for us to say goodbye to Stella after we’d become so close to her these past seven weeks. But we promised to be in touch, and I boarded the train exchanging “mi manchi e ti amo!” (I miss and love you!) with Stella. When I arrived in Florence around 3:30pm, Tom and Jimi met me at the station and helped carry all of my luggage to my hotel. They conveniently booked a hostel on the same street, and as I soon as I got checked in we were off exploring Florence! We walked by the Duomo, making our way to Ponte Vecchio. Along the way, we passed through many beautiful piazzas with a lot of statues. When we got to Ponte Vecchio, we took fabulous pictures – Jimi is a great photographer, and he took some very creative shots, especially when we passed the bridge and river a second time when the sun was starting to set. Next we found Boboli gardens, but instead of paying to tour them, we walked around the area, exploring not-as-traversed parts of Florence, and saw Pitti Palace as well. We then found a cute outdoor café to enjoy some pizza and pasta. Afterwards, I introduced Tom and Jimi to gelato! And then we made our way to Piazza di Michelangelo, which is past Ponte Vecchio, a “mini-hike” up a hill for an incredible view of the city. We could see all of Florence, and the Duomo looked so massive from this view. The bridges disappeared into the sun setting behind them, and we spent over an hour taking pictures and enjoying the sunset. We sat in the piazza, watching the sun illuminate the clouds with pinks and oranges. The mountatins in the distance turned a blue, purple color as the sun descended. It was such as nice night out too, so we took our time walking back. We passed a guitarist, playing and singing really well. He had attracted a large crowd, and we listened to him play several songs in the piazza. We headed back a little after 10:30 since I needed to get to bed to wake up at 5:45am for my flight home. But it was a great last day in Italy!

I’m now safely back in the States, after a day of hassel-free traveling! It’s been a joy having all of you follow me on my Italian adventures! Thank you!