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A Moment in Florence

It was tough to leave Venice. Todd and I had been dreaming of Venice for so long… it was pretty miraculous to have gotten ourselves there in the first place, so leaving it left me feeling a little deflated.

But…. I got over it. I mean, this is Italy…

As we drove into Florence through the very narrow mountain-esque passes I really didn’t know what to expect. I hadn’t done a ton of homework on the city before our trip. All I knew is EVERYONE and their mother told me that we had to go. This had to make this a very quick stop. We stayed at a lovely little B&B with an iconic view.

Bed & Breakfast Leopoldo was a bit off the beaten path…. so that meant Todd and I would need to use our feet to get around (which we were both all too happy to do.) I simply loved that we got old world keys with this room which really should help me set the mood of this place. Nice touch. After we did our check in with the owner who was entirely too helpful…. (thank you Sir) we set off on foot with a camera, day pack and an appetite to get lost.

We wandered into the city through thriving neighborhoods before happening on to various landmark spaces. These landmarks sure did crop up too…. like a giants castle in the midst of a Hobbit-like city.

Florence has a certain “polish” that Venice did not. I don’t typically get wrapped up in comparisons because each place should be unique unto itself… but I mention it here because “polish” wasn’t exactly what Todd and I were anticipating. In fact, both of us tend to lean towards enjoying the archaic, the rusty… the gritty and downright dilapidated environments. Florence might have had a little too much polish for this down and dirty couple, but it was magnificent all the same.

6’5” frame in this?

It was also a very bustling city. We spent a lot of time dodging tourists as we were finding our way around. We even decided to steer away from visiting museums or doing any shopping to avoid this, but it didn’t matter. We were most content with admiring the architecture, listening to the city and finding a good damn place to eat. We managed to do both that night. Todd also managed to wrangle up a new ride…. The guy can hardly fit in the Fiat… can you imagine his

I captured this amazing image of my love…. and since he doesn’t make it in the photos very often… I thought I’d share. This is my amazing life costar.

HIS LENS

DAY TWO

We checked out after breakfast (dainty and lovely by the way) and drove into the city. Driving in downtown Florence is a shit-show. Don’t do it. Just don’t. I will applaud Todd however…. he was a pro driver… and I was a hot mess navigator. (the GPS stressed me out) We thought we would try to get in a few more sites in Florence before heading out to the coast. We found a good spot to park (far too easy, I was sure we’d be towed) in front of Pitti Palace.. and happened to hit it on the day that entry was free. (happens once a month I believe on Monday’s) This proved to be an amazing backdrop to our Florence photoshoot…. and I will take these memories with me always.

Before we departed Florence…. we stumbled onto a street performer who had quite the setup. I typically pop my money in their jars or hats and move on… but he was playing one of my favorite pieces…. so, I danced. I danced because I had to. I would never get this chance again…. and together, this musician and I… made him some additional funds that day. I was honored to help him do so. If you would like to see this, you can click here.

My recommendations for visiting Florence…. If you enjoy large scale monuments and museums. This is your city. If you enjoy a clean, friendly city… with plenty of polish… this is your destination. Walk the city and spend at least 2 days there. If this isn’t your speed, I’d still say spend at least an evening in Florence. It’s hard not to appreciate the amazing palace-scaled spaces and statues…. and it’s an overall a really lovely city.

HIS LENS

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