So the ship docked at Livorno and we headed to a bus for an excursion to Florence and Pisa. Our guide was from Livorno, and was quite funny and informative.
First we headed to Florence.
The countryside on the way is rather gorgeous.
Florence in August is pretty darn hot, and we were walking around what became crowded streets as the day went on. We walked to the main square, the Piazza della Signoria, which is rather impressive. First stop was a cafe to get a real Italian espresso to caffeinate and get the energy up for a long day of walking in the sun.
A statue of Dante Alighieri towers over the square and is rather prominent, and it later became the group's rally point after free time was over:
Yes, he is indeed glowering at the people in the square:
It turns out Dante had a rather rocky relationship with Florence and he continues to glower upon the city that did him dirty.
After all, being exiled from the city, with your assets being seized, and having a death sentence placed upon you should you ever return, can make you a little less than nostalgic about your hometown.
Lots and lots of other statues are around the square. This includes the great bronze statue of Cosimo de' Medici.
Interestingly, while they are many other statutes in the square of mythical figures, many of them resemble Cosimo de' Medici. The resemblance is, as you might expect, deliberate.
Here's Cosimo as Neptune:
Here's Cosimo as Perseus with the head of the slain Medusa:
You can play "Where's Cosimo?" all around the square.
There's also a copy of Michelangelo's David in the spot where it originally stood, before the original was moved indoors to the Academy of Florence to better protect it.
Then we left the square to head towards the Academy, but there were many other sights to see along the way.
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