We got on the wrong train.

Departing a city is like departing a friend, staying in places more than a day or two does allow one to learn more, see more and break through the tourist whirlwind.

In the end, we stayed just five nights in Florence and unlike the past, weren't rushed to see 'the sights'.  For me the Pitti Palace was my favourite, it is a gallery, a residence and also a museum. Pitti Palace isn't crowded as it does not have famous works of art like the Uffizi.

Katie's favourite place in Florence, after long deliberation was Uffizi. She said she was able to absorb more of the gallery this time as there were fewer visitors compared to our previous visit in Summer.

We packed our bags last night and had the final additions after showering and dressing this morning.  I keep saying they are getting full, but this time I almost needed to unzip the expander!

There is always too much to see in Florence

Our initial plans were to head out of town today to Lucca or Livorno, each about 1hr 20 min on the train but last night we decided that it is a long time on the train and there is still so much more of Florence to experience.

David, Fiesole and ludicrous laundry

Today was a day to have a break from the little streets, tourists, Vespas and cars by leaving the city but before we could we had to drop in on David.

Police, Bridge, Palace, Museum and Baptistery

We took a walk across town this morning to take up Stefano's offer to see his place of work at the Carabinieri barracks.  It was an unexpected and interesting insight to see inside the Italian military force.

On route, we passed a crochet shop that was unfortunately closed and we passed through the local market, Sant'Ambrogio Market. This was mostly a fresh fruit and vegetable fare.

Culture and life on the streets

Breakfast Italian style, an espresso, a cappucino and a croissant each.

It was then time to walk the damp streets in the direction of Uffizi gallery.  This morning was chilly but not freezing.

Leaving the country, time for the city.

This was another day where we once again surprised ourselves and managed to fit all our belongings and newly purchased souvenirs into our bags.

It was then time for the last espresso in the comfort of Rosalinda's lounge room where we expressed our thanks and discussed Stefano and his trip to Australia in 2019. 😜

In the past week whilst at La Maesta we had three opportunities to have local Tuscan meals with Rosalinda, Stefano, Lilla and Virginia. The meals were made with locally sourced ingredients and made with love using unwritten recipes handed down from generation to generation.