This is why I came

Florence has like a small big town sort of feeling to it. But here, unlike Venice, you can’t just wander every alleyway and wind up at a pizza place. Still pizza and gelato around everywhere, just not as cheap or as good. I do have to say, though, that we ate at a place the first night and had four appetizers, wine, salads, pasta, and limoncello. It turned out to be 16 euros a piece and it was delicious! Last night we tried to go back to the same place, but wound up next door since it was closed. It was even better! You know it must be good when you sit down and nobody working there speaks any English. Actual Italian food the way it is meant to be eaten. I had spaghetti al pesto. I will never again eat my spaghetti with tomato or meat sauce. Hands down best spaghetti I have ever had. I am going back to that place again tonight, since it was just as cheap as the place next door. You see, this trip I have learned that to find the best places, you must go off the beaten path from everyone else. Like yesterday, I walked like four miles to find a really good gelato place across town. The day before, I walked straight up a hill for a really good view of the city. The streets were deserted, but I started to feel like I was actually in Italy. Gotta get away from all the tourists, street vendors, pickpockets, and the random guys trying to sell things or asking for money. They are all over the place!! Especially in front of the Duomo. That building is MASSIVE! The dome is just an unreal size. Even today it would be hard for us to reproduce that dome. Then the baptistry doors across the way are also amazing. They are solid metal and they have such intricate designs down the lengths of them. Really astounding detail by the artist. I also got to see Santa Croce where they have the graves of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Dante. Also where they had the bonfire of the vanities outside in the courtyard. We also went to see the art museums. Of course, no pictures. Got to see the original Birth of Venus, Primavera, more nativity scenes, and the best of all David. You come from a room of paintings and look to the right and there standing under a skylight in the middle of a round room stands David. There is a moment of sheer grandeur that just takes your breath away. He is an amazing piece of work for his time. He is also a lot larger than you would think. Probably twice the size of an actual person. You get close up and you can even see some of the veins slithering up his arm. A similar piece was at the end of the museum, but the detail in it was even better, in my opinion, than David. There really are some amazing things I have seen on this trip.