Florence - Day 2

It's back to the market and this time I'm armed with the camera. We start our morning at one of the coffee bars in the market - a perfectly made cafe latte that has Paalo grinning. It doesn't take much prodding to get me to order another.

The market is on two levels, the upstairs mostly containing fresh fruit and veg while the lower level houses the delis, butchers, poulterers, fishmongers, wine-stores and general merchants.








An impressive array of dried Porcini.



Various vinegar's, oils and nuts



Many varieties of Olives



Where do you start at this deli?

One of the stalls we particularly loved is the dried fruit stall that had the largest variety I've ever seen









The dried strawberries have to be tasted to be believed!







Enough of the food porn - time to explore a bit more of Florence.

We decide to make our way to the Uffizi and see if we can get in. Our journey takes us past that icon, Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo of Florence.











The Bapistry



Looking at the height of that tower you can understand why a fleet of these are stationed just beside it



It's not just coincidence, when you go into the tower itself, before you even buy a ticket, there's a whole slew of health warnings and notifications of who shouldn't attempt the climb.




Palazzo della Signoria also known as Palazzo Vecchio was built between the 13th and 16th centuries.



I must say the Italian police are wonderfully dressed.



It's not the original, it's a copy but it's positioned in the original location in front of the Palazzo della Signoria.

Located nearby is the Loggia del Lanzi (Orcagna) originally built to hold public ceremonies is now home to 15 sculptures



Left: Perseus with the head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini
Centre: two lions sit beside the steps of the Loggia, one dates from Roman times and the other is by Flaminio Vacca
Right: Menelaus supporting the body of Patroclus



Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus (1599)



Rape of the Sabine Women by Jean Boulogne (also known as Giambologna)





Rape of Polyxena by Pio Fedi (1866)

You hear a lot about the queues at the Uffizi but just like yesterday at L'Accademia, there aren't any queues.

Photography isn't allowed inside but we did stop at the rooftop cafe for a nibble and a couple of photos of the view



You get an idea of how large the dome is on the Duomo.



You also get a better view of the Palazzo della Signoria



The rough exterior of the Church of San Lorenzo



My last shot of the night - a view from our window.