Florence

In the morning, we headed to Galleria dell'Accademia (Academy of the Fine Arts) to see Michelangelo's statue of David. Pictures were not permitted inside.

Afterwards, we walked over to see the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Campanile (Giotto's Bell Tower). Next, we visited Piazza della Signoria (where there is a replica of David) and then on to Santa Croce where we stopped by a leather factory and had lunch on our own at the Finisterrae Ristorante Mediterraneo (we shared two pizzas: one with ham, mozzarella, and tomato sauce and another with buffalo mozzarella and cherry tomatoes). After lunch, we headed to Vivoli's Gelato, which is supposed to have the best gelato in Florence. During the rest of our free time, we went to Ponte Vecchio to see the shops on the bridge.

At 6pm, we left to go on an optional Tuscan Dinner excursion. On the way to the restaurant, we stopped by the Piazzale Michelangelo which has a very scenic view of the city. The restaurant is located a little outside of Florence in the Tuscan countryside. Dinner was good (antipasto buffet, goulash and cheese ravioli, prime rib, and berry tort). What was really good was this blue drink that supposedly consisted of spumanti, blue curacao, and peach schnapps.