The bus stopped a few hundred metres from the Piazzale, and we had the pleasure of walking, mostly in the shade to see the view.
Ah, the first glimpses of what awaits us at the destination. Seeing all the neatly clipped hedges shows part of the reason this is an expensive area to live - you'd need gardeners to maintain that level of quality.
Ah, well, this area is named after Michelangelo, so it's not too surprising there'd be a copy of David here too. There's also quite a bit of car parking space, although (curiously, perhaps) none for busses, which probably bring the majority of people up here.
The wide angle view of Florence. The prominent buildings are identified here.
The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was built by Tadeo Gaddi in 1345 to replace the older bridge washed away by floods in 1333. There has been a bridge here since Roman times! Originally the shops were butchers and tanners, but the owners were evicted in the 16th Century due to the smell, and replaced by jewellers and goldsmiths. Many of the current shop owners are descendants of those early merchants! The covered walkway along the top provided a covered passage from the Pitti Palace (off the left side of the photo) to Palazzo Vecchio (off right) for Cosimo I.
The Palazzo Vecchio, seen from "the back" of where last night's photos were taken.
Florence's main claim to fame! The Duomo, clearly showing its reconstruction work, the Cathedral, the Baptistry (the red, domed roof on the far left) and the Campanile. The brick tower to the right of the Campanile is (I believe) the Bargello (visited later on this tour).
These are the official city lamp posts for use in Florence. I don't recall, and can't find via Google, the origin of the design.
The wall running roughly vertically through the middle of this image is the Roman wall used to protect the city. And the garden off to its right is the Boboli Gardens, built behind the Pitti Palace when the Medici purchased it in 1549. The palace is off to the right.
The panorama view from the Piazzale, or at least the side that overlooks the major historical attractions of Florence.
Florence Orientation Tour
