More from Florence

We were in Florence for three full days and four nights. Although there were unlimited things to be seen in the city itself, we also wanted to be able to see the Tuscany countryside around the city. On our second day there, Gary and I took an hour and a half bus ride to nearby Siena, while Lance spent the day in Florence. Our plan was to take some other bus routes to view the countryside, continuing on from Siena, but that plan did not work out because of the bus schedules.

Instead, we spent some time at the beautiful Piazza del Campo, the central gathering place in Siena - visiting the little shops, enjoying some gelato (ice-cream), and viewing the beautiful, old buildings. One of the many things I loved in Italy was the buildings - such beautiful shades of browns, rusts, and grays.

The next day, our last full day in Florence, we took the bus to Fiesole, a little town just shortly north of Florence, where we had a great view of the city of Florence, and also the countryside around it. Riding on the bus was an experience in itself, as it wound through the narrow streets of Florence and also Fiesole.

We did enjoy the bus rides, as each one gave us more glimpses of the city and the country - and once in Fiesole, we stopped for a light pasta lunch at a little cafe with a view overlooking Florence. After our meal, we walked up to an even higher hilltop area, and were rewarded with a great view of Florence and the surrounding area.

Later, after taking the bus back to Florence, and then a long walk back to the apartment (as we could not figure out where the connecting bus stop was, and so decided just to walk), and also making a quick visit to the nearby Boboli Gardens, we met up with Lance for a pizza meal together at a sidewalk cafe.

The apartment we stayed at for our Florence visit was on the second floor above the landlord's ceramic shop. Our host and hostess were so gracious to us, and we loved their beautifully decorated apartment complete with a deck.

The living room had a sofa bed, making a very comfortable place for Lance. This was also our only apartment during our stay in Italy where we had wi-fi - so handy for the three of us, as we all had our laptops along.

So much more to be seen, but it was time to prepare to move on to our next location. From Florence we went in two different directions for the next few days and nights - Lance went on to Rome, while Gary and I took a short trip to a beautiful little town on the coast.