Firenze in brief

Yesterday was dedicated to visiting Firenze. It was the third time we've been there so the city centre begins to feel quite familiar. The weather was really warm, around 35 Celsius, and walking around tourist attractions all day was pretty tough for the kids. It's just not possible to see even the best parts of the city in only a few hours, as there is so much to see in this beautiful old city and one could easily spend weeks there just exploring the area. 

First stop: Piazza del Duomo. The cathedral is a marvel both inside and outside. There are usually always very long queues at the entrance so this time we didn't go in, just enjoyed the beautiful building from the outside. 

The above picture is taken from the Palazzo Vecchio bell tower. Nice view, don't you think? There were 223 stairs up to the tower and it was quite a piece of work for all of us in the heat. Note: kids under 6 years old are not permitted to enter the tower. 

There is one thing my younger son finds fascinating and funny in Firenze: street signs! Look at these:

Life doesn't always have to be so serious! 

We took a break and went to have lunch at Il Bargello restaurant at the Piazza del Duomo. A nice terrace offering some shadow, perfect for brief relaxation. I had a ham and mushroom pizza, which was crispy and tasty. Not too greasy as pizzas tend to be back home in Finland. The boys loved their lasagnes and my husband liked his seafood pasta, so everybody was happy!

After lunch our last stop was Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge full of jewelleries' shops. I was hoping to find a pair of earrings for myself and after a while I indeed did find a strikingly beautiful pair. My husband thought that they didn't look as expensive as some had been in the other shops, and that we should go in and look at them more closely. And so we did. The salesperson took them out from the shop window and presented them to us. "This is the most beautiful pair in the shop; there's rose gold and diamonds and they are handcrafted in a typical way in Firenze. You have an excellent taste! ..and the price is 2500 €." ...err.. maybe next time, then?

Our trip to Firenze was so exhausting, that today we only went shopping for a couple of hours at the Barberino Designer Outlet near Firenze, in Barberino de Mugello. We found some very cheap shirts from Benetton for the boys and from Marlboro Classics to my husband, and for a while I thought I wouldn't find anything for myself.. ..until we came by

I love the brand but never before had the guts to actually buy something. Guess what I found?