Italy Photos 9

Along the north bank of the Arno near...
...Ponte Vecchio. 'Ponte' is 'bridge' in Italian. This is the bridge near the Palazzo Vecchio.
The view from the Ponte Vecchio up river.
The bridge is covered with shops, mostly jewelers.
Had to get something for lunch, so I got a panino at this place.
I am curious what the Italians think an American breakfast. Probably lots of bacon and sausage and more bacon and many pancakes slathered in syrup with more bacon.
The Palazzo Pitti, or Pitti Palace. It was built in 1458 by the Pitti family, one of the richest and most powerful families of the time. It was sold in 1549 to the Medici family.
Now it's a museum with mostly art.
Sure, when Janet Jackson has her "wardrobe malfunction" it was a scandal but when this chick does it it's called art.
I didn't get a guide for the palace, so I don't remember what this room was. It looks like it could have been a dining room or maybe a small ballroom.
Just off of the other room was a smaller room where this string quartet were playing Verdi.
A view of Florence from one of the palace windows.
As backyards go, this one is pretty nice. But that was a different ticket for some reason so all I saw of it was from the palace windows.
In fact there were signs prohibiting photos in most rooms, so I can't show you much. The stairs had no such restriction and there were some statues there I could photograph.
"Hey, you! Get the hell out!"
"Get out or I swear I'll cut your head off!"
"What are you waiting for? Get a move on!"
A little bit more of the gardens.
Lots of younger people were just sitting here and catching some sun. I did too for a little bit.
And this is what you would be looking at if you were resting in front of the palace.
Speaking of art (of which there is a lot in Florence) this is the Uffizi, which holds the Uffizi Gallery. There was quite a queue and I don't like art that much to want to wait. Besides, art was all around anyway.
There's the Ponte Vecchio again. Since I bought a little Florence guide book mostly to get the map inside, I think I'll get some use out of it now. Here's some information. It is said that the Ponte Vecchio existed in Roman times as a passageway along the Via Cassia. After being destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, Ponte Vecchio as we know it today was reconstructed on three arches in 1345, probably by Neri di Fioravante. The tiny shops of gold merchants (in the middle ages there were fishmongers, butchers and leather shops) and the small houses on the sides of the bridge are its most characteristic features.
The view across the river toward the city, with the Ponte Vecchio on the left and the Uffizi center right.
Instead of art museums, I would rather go to a museum or history or science. This is both, the Museo Galileo.

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