Our return to Florence seemed like a bit of a homecoming. After spending a couple of months here during the last trip, everything seemed very familiar. It was fun watching the kids’ reactions as we returned to various places. While the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio were easy for them to recall, even more obscure places like the library and markets brought back fond memories as well. Our apartment this time was right along the river, one bridge east of the Ponte Vecchio. We had beautiful views of the city with the Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio filling the skyline.
We put the car in a garage during our stay and just enjoyed walking again from place to place. With the kids we don’t usually use “walking” and “enjoyed” in the same sentence, but this time I think it qualifies. The girls got little purses that said “Ciao Bella” and they loved parading around with them like the big girls. Our visit also happened to coincide with San Giovanni Day, the festival celebrating the city’s patron saint. A medieval parade, the calico storico football match and a huge fireworks show fill the day. There wasn’t a lot we didn’t see during our last trip here, so this was definitely a stop about visiting familiar favorites. One museum, the Galileo, was under construction during our last trip and had just reopened, otherwise it was lots of familiar sights and old friends.
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