Chianti, Florence & The Boboli Gardens, Italy Tuesday September 20 -Thursday September 22, 2011

 The Chianti Region where we stopped to sample the wine.  More than 8 million cases of wine are produced here each year. Yummy!

A view from the top of one the hills of the Boboli Gardens

Went to stroll one of the largest and most elegant style gardens in Italy.  Once owned by the Medici family.  The gardens are full of lovely meadows, avenues, small groves and beautiful panoramic views.  There was a lot of up hill and I thought there was no way the ladies of the day in all of their finery and layers of dress were walking up these stairs and hills.  If Sue wouldn't do it in shorts, tshirt and running shoes what chance did the ladies of the 16th century have.  They did have this cool system where the water would run down the hill by way of cement gargoyles, note the photo below. Anyway, nice gardens.

Note the similiarities....

The Arno River in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)

The Ponte Vecchio bridge was the only bridge not destroyed by the Nazis in WW2. The bridge is noted for having shops along it; originally butcher shops but today is occupied by jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. It is the only bridge in Florence that is allowed to sell goods (the shops are just behind me).

The Basillica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower)

The Duomo as it is called is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Dome is one of the largest in the world.