Piggy Backin' on Mom

As Mom previously mentioned, Florence is one of her favorite cities in the world. I grew up hearing her talk about Michelangelo's, The David and Ghiberti's golden "Doors to Paradise". I even extended our stay in the city to three nights with anticipation of wanting to see it all!

But here I confess, I did no planning for our stay in Florence. No itineraries were made. No must sees were listed. No tours were booked. Much to mom's dismay, I fully planned on her being my tour guide. I was just gonna piggy back on all her knowledge, experience, and ahem... directions.

Thirty-five years removed from her favorite city, and she did damn good. She led me to the Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo and Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, The Baptistery, the Campanile Bell Tower, the Ponte Vecchio, and of course the Academia which holds...THE David.

On the way into Florence, mom said "Oh my gosh, wait to you see The David! It will bring tears to your eyes." I may or may not have rolled my eyes. Only because I have never experienced how a piece of art could move me in such a way. But the moment I walked through the first doors and saw the sculpture, my breath was taken away. Pictures will never do this piece justice. It is far grander than anything I had ever imagined. The size, proportions, age and details left me sitting on a bench feeling slightly sick to my stomach. Breathless.

That one experience made this trip worth every penny that I saved to make it happen. So here's a big Italian red wine cheers to Firenze, and my tour guide. ;)