Italy- Florence- Day 1

From Bern, we headed south via train to Italy!  We even got to ride on our first high-speed train. Scott was pretty excited when the train got to 300 km/hr.  Like this excited:

We arrived in Florence in the evening. Our AirBnb place was conveniently located within walking distance of all of the major Florence sights, so the next morning, we set off to discover them. Our first stop was the Duomo, also known as the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. Construction on this incredible building began in 1296.  I particularly loved the facade, which is white, green, and pinkish- very colorful compared to the mostly brown stone buildings all around it.

The dome itself (duomo) was intended in the design, but they left a giant hole in the ceiling for a while until they figured out the best way to design it.  Eventually, a man named Brunelleschi decided to take on the task.  Using the Pantheon in Rome as a model, he completed the dome in 1436.  He innovated a lot about architecture in ways that I don't completely understand.  But it was a pretty big deal and is still the largest masonry dome in the world.

The inside of this cathedral is less impressive than the exterior, but there is a beautiful mural painted on the inside of the dome. It is called The Last Judgment and was painted in the 1500s.

 
From here we took a break and did some laundry.  Yup, we've finally re-worn the clothes enough.

Later we took a "Renaissance Walk" with (our best friend) Rick Steves Audio Tour.  The Renaissance began in Florence, and it was pretty cool to see how art reflected the changes that were going on in society.  Our next stop was a church called Orsanmichele.  I liked this church, because it was quieter and seemed more like a church than a building stuffed with tour groups.  It was peaceful and beautiful.

Our walk ended on the Ponte Vecchio, a stone bridge built in the 14th century that goes over the Arno River.  It is full of gold and silver jewelry shops and beautiful views up and down the river at Florence.  During World War 2, all of the bridges in Florence were destroyed by the Nazis, but legend has it that even a nazi soldier saw the historical significance of this bridge and thus spared it.  In 2014, Scott and Shannon took a selfie on it. :)