Italy : part two

A full day in Italy, our hotel Katti House has the hardest beds ever, so I didn't sleep well at all, I awoke to the gentle hum of the market stalls being set up and fresh food being delivered to the restaurants. The kids were snoring away and it was nearly 9am so I thought it best to wake them as we had a busy day planned. 

A ten minute walk and we were at the Duomo, Florence's Cathedral. An absolutely stunning building, inside and out, today it was open so we ventured inside after queuing for less than ten minutes, the painted ceiling of the dome was amazing. 

B enjoys taking photos so we have loads, I'll upload them once we're home. 

We spent half an hour having a look around and then headed out into the sun,  it was only 10am and already 25degrees. We decided to cheat a little and hop on a tour bus, however finding the stops was difficult, it turns out the main bus tours don't go near the main places, so we headed towards the train station bus stops, stopping for Gellato and drinks first. We opted for the one hour tour, which travelled across the river and up the hill, I've never seen views like it and I'm afraid my phone pictures do not do it justice, B's photos are way better. 

Another Ice cream sat looking out over the city before getting the bus back, we decided we'd walk to our next destination, the Accademia gallery. Stopping at the Mercanto market again for more pizza and Gellato, we have decided it's one of our favourite places to eat. A steady stroll and a minor detour down the wrong street we arrived for our allotted time slot, I have to say we were not overly impressed by the art work, some of it was no better than C's and she's 6! But the David was stunning, he's got huge... now come on my mind isn't that dirty.... feet and hands, seriously huge! 

An hour in the gallery, the kids most impressed with a musical instrument section and the plaster cast statues, our feet were starting to protest in the heat, also my mobility wasn't great due to uneven roads and paths, so we grabbed a taxi back to the room. 

I've packed the cases already and we've just been out to dinner, 2 doors from the hotel (owned by the same family), it turns out tomato soup here is not a liquid, it's cooked tomatoes and basil smushed up, tasty but not a texture C and B liked, so an extra bowl of pasta ordered and the kids were all happy. M is in his element with pizzas and pasta galore everywhere. 

A gentle walk to find gelato (again!) and it's starting to get dark, quite a few dodgy street sellers hanging around so we didn't stay out too long. 

Everywhere we look there are gelato shops, each with an array of flavours, B has finally just found a mint flavour so he's happy. M has gelato overloaded and even some of the chocolate is too strong for him! I'm loving the sorbets. And C is taking the gelato steady as she has a dairy intolerance, luckily, touch wood, she's had no problems yet. 

Tomorrow we have a couple of hours before catching the train to Rome. 

I'm hoping for a better nights sleep tonight, as it's looking like temperatures around 29 degrees tomorrow and the rest of the week in Rome.