Italy August 2001

Florence

Central northwestern Italy (east of Pisa)
Florence - Early morning start. Gee, a narrow street, more scooters, and another attractive Italian girl on a bicycle!

Florence - Early morning start. Gee, a narrow street, more scooters, and another attractive Italian girl on a bicycle!

Florence - Statues and upper part of the bronze "Gate of Paradise".

Florence - One of many sculptures in the Signoria Square.

Florence - Several Michelangelo sculptures, including Perseus slaying Medusa.

Florence - Salvatore and Greg standing at the base of a copy of Michelangelo's David. Did something just drop on my head?

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Michelangelo's crypt.

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Horace's crypt. As we walked around, I finally noticed that some of the large rectangle slabs of marble in the floor had lettering and other slabs had carvings...of people at rest! We were walking on cemetery graves! The millions of footsteps throughout the ages have in some cases, completely eliminated the personal details of many floor-entombed burial niches.

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Memorial to Galileo.

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Stained glass.

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Painted dome. Every dome in Italy is painted. Every town in Italy has a big church and tower. Florence has at least six big cathedrals.

Florence - Basilica Di Santa Croce - Candle-lit statue.

Florence - Michelangelo Plaza overlooking the city. There is a bronze version of David behind my position.

Florence - Michelangelo Plaza overlooking the city.

Florence - Michelangelo Plaza overlooking the city. The building with the slender tower is Basilica Di Santa Croce.