Florence and the rolling hills of Tuscany

The next stop on my Contiki tour is in Florence and the Tuscany region. Apparently this is considered part of Norther Italy and the culture is very different from the south. The first thing on our tour was a wine tasting in the Chianti region. 

Could you tell I've had a lot of glasses?

 The vineyard we were at also produced olive oil, balsamic vinegar and other products. I really fell in love with their extra virgin olive oil that I tried, so much so that I had to buy a bottle for home.

Mm...yummy bread and wine :D

 The flowers were booming in her garden and I couldn't resist taking a photo of one. 

We arrived in Florence at night so I got to walk around the city a bit before I hit the sack. I must say, this was probably the best time to see any of the sights since the squares are empty and all the statues are lit up. 

The old Palace

 The city is extremely well preserved and seems to have stayed the same for the last 500 years. There are bronze and marble statues at every corner, carved by the masters of Renaissance art. 

Perseus killing Medusa

 Food was everywhere too and I loved the biscotti I had in Florence!

A must-see is the Santa Maria del Fiore church near the city center. Gorgeous architecture and you get to climb the dome for a view of Florence. 

We got to go up to the Michelangelo square which is the highest point in the city. The view was amazing :). 

I will be sad to leave this beautiful city, since I think this was where I have felt most at home so far on this trip. The city is made for pedestrians and I see locals biking everywhere, what's not to like?