Florence

Early in the morning Steve and I went out to pick up breakfast for our family at the Saturday morning street market in Greve's town square. I envied the fresh produce and flowers to which the people of this town have such easy access.

We then spent our last day with Steve in Florence. Steve and Jonathan shopped at the Ferrari store while the rest of the kids found a carousal to ride in the Repubblica Piazza.

After pushing our way through the Sunday crowds, we explored Florences's Duomo from the outside, inside and roof top. While standing in line we met a cute family from Arizona who is very good friends with our friends, Eb and Sue Rose! In Utah we spent quite a bit of time studying about Florence, the Renaissance, the Medici family and Brunelleschi Dome, so climbing through little passage ways to the top of this city's defining church and peering over the city was such fun for all of us.

We then tried to identify the Bible stories in Ghiberti's Baptistry doors and explored the inside of this beautiful building.

The rest of the afternoon was spent eating rice gelato, people watching and hanging out in Sangregolio Piazza. The kids found it interesting to learn of the bonfires that took place in this square where the monk, Savonarola, encouraged the Florentines to toss their frilly dresses, Botticelli paintings and other decidedly excessive objects into the flames. They were equally interested to learn that just one year later, he was burned at the stake in the same spot.

A day in Florence was the perfect ending to Steve's tour of Italy.

At 4:30 the next morning, I took him to the airport. I was already looking forward to meeting up with him in Vienna in three months.