We sit on the cool marble, enjoying the shade that the baptistery provides and the cool breeze that is blowing through. We're tucking in to the antipasto, cheese and bread that we purchased from the local supermarket and packed with us to Pisa, the famous tower looming over us in the background. If only every day could be this relaxing.

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Our trip from Rome to Florence was a short, comfortable train ride, and our hotel was no more than a three minute walk from Florence's Santa Maria Novella train station. In comparison to our Rome hotel, the Hotel Porta Faenza is a palace. While the bathroom is still small, the bedroom is about three times that of the Hotel Patria and has a king size bed (...made up of two singles pushed together, but we barely notice).

We arrive in the morning, check-in to our hotel and start making our way around town. I am immediately mesmerized by Florence's beauty. It is cleaner and quieter than the nation's capital and I immediately wish that we were stranded in Florence instead of Rome.

Our first stop is the Santa Croce, on route we bypass the duomo and I am in awe. But we press on, stopping only for lunch where we try one of the local specialities, Pici, a thick spaghetti-like pasta that's hand rolled. After explaining to a guard that I indeed wanted to enter a nave to pray, to which he looked mildly impressed, responding with "very good", I say my words to God and light a candle in the Santa Croce. Tim and I then check out the tombs of Michelangelo and one of my favorite scientists - Galileo. Machiavelli's tomb was also present but we decided (perhaps amusingly) that he didn't need to be given the time of day.

Next stop was the Ponte Vecchio - not so interesting on its own, except for the fact that the top level was actually a passage for the Medici family (the money which built Florence) to cross the river due to fear that their lives were at risk.

Our final stop for our first day is the Duomo. It is close to closing - we don't spend too long in the chapel and have missed the opportunity to climb the dome. We instead climb all 414 stairs in the dark and narrow passageway of the tower next to the Duomo. The walk was well worth it as we are greeted by a 360 degree view of the amazing renaissance city...and the Duomo!

Dinner is a quick Neapolitan pizza near the hotel followed by a nice night in a firm bed.

The next day, we rise early for our day trip to the walled cities - San Gimigiano, Siena and Monteroggioni. Our tour group is made of four people - us and an older English/Australian couple. Our tour guide is more like a glorified chauffeur - he tells us about the Chianti region and what they are famous for but does not provide detailed histories of the towns we are visiting. While this might annoy some, I quite liked him. He was a chatty bloke who entertained us with his highly animated story-telling and if I wanted to learn some history, there's nothing stopping me from reading about it!

San Gimigiano is our first stop - we check out an amazing clay model of the entire walled city, climb the tower (only a measly 200 steps) for a birds eye view of Italy's wine country, and taste gelati from a store that apparently won the gelati world champion title in 2008/2009. Who knew people competed in gelati making?

Siena is where we stop for lunch - more Pici for me! We are told about the Paolio, an annual bare-back horse race in which all the districts of Siena compete. We are lucky enough to witness a parade for the "Fish District", with drummers in traditional attire. We view the city's duomo as well, but only from the outside, before leaving to our final stop of Monteroggioni.

Monteroggioni is usually skipped by most tour companies, probably because of its small size. However, it is still a quaint little town and you get a much better perspective of the walls surrounding the a city. Our guide tells us that we will miss out on the annual medieval festival in Monteroggioni where everyone is dressed in medieval clothing, the town is lit only by fire and guests eat communally under the night sky.

That evening, we head out for a late stroll. Many things are happening tonight - it is the feast of San Giovanni, patron saint of Florence, and Italy is playing England in the soccer. We have the best of intentions to make it to the river for the fireworks, but the crowds deter us and we miss all 30 mins of it. As we walk around, it is a sight to see restaurants, cafes or bars with their TVs facing the street and crowds of people, some sitting on chairs like they were at a show, cheering on the Italian soccer team. On occasion, the sound of an exasperated Italian man saying "Mamamia!" would clue you in to a failed goal attempt.

After a long day on the road, it's time for bed, knowing that we are already halfway through our time in Florence.

Tim's observations:
- Climbing the tower at the Duomo and squeezing past overweight tourists in the narrow stairwell reminds Tim vividly of a hilarious scene from the movie In Bruges.
- The drive though the Tuscan countryside is beautiful and it is a good idea to focus on the view throughout the journey. This will assist one in setting aside any fears resulting from the one-handed steering of one's driver as he (almost continually) looks back at his passengers to tell stories, all while gesturing wildly. Be aware, this becomes especially difficult when one drives past a very serious accident, with Ambos in attendance.
- The clay model of San Gimigiano made Marvin feel like a giant
- Berry and Lavender gelati tastes only of berries until you swallow, at which point the consumer smells lavender. 'tis very interesting.