From Rome, our group of wonder walking women “trained” to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance and one of the most beautiful cities in the world, filled with historic artistic and architectural marvels.  Once again, we walked and walked and walked, and our journeys took us to all parts of this marvelous city.

One of favorite meeting places was the Piazza della Signoria – also the location of the statue of David – or, the replica of the original statue.  Impressive by day, the statue takes on an even greater presence in the lights of the night…..

In fact, Florence at night is pretty special – almost magical.  The streets and buildings of the city come alive at night – made possible with the acute and accurate attention to the lighting selections.  The famous Ponte Vecchio with the lights reflecting off the river.

And the Uffizi Gallery – oh what a wonder…..

And then the lighting of the cathedrals…… here is a picture of the artistic representation of the Last Judgment painted in the dome of “The Duomo” – the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore…. Beautifully highlighted with uplighting.

In addition to visiting the galleries and the cathedrals, we also had time to walk the streets of Florence – also known as one of the fashion capitals of the world…. What fun!  One of our favorite places was a little shop called Aqua Flor – a mixing of the old and the new.  Using pure essential oils and other natural vegetation, the owner (a true mixologist) created the most wonderful bath oils, soaps, perfumes and other bottled scents.  The shop was in one of the typical old, old buildings and was designed with antique apothecary furnishings.  There was a large pendant that hung in the middle of the shop – adding to the character of the surroundings.

Just as in Rome, pendants were frequently used to enhance the character of the room, and to provide a subtle ambiance.  One of the most wonderful meals we enjoyed was in the wine cellar of a restaurant in Florence called Pinocchio – shown here with the stone walls and the organic pendant light.

All good things must come to an end – as did our magical trip to Rome and Florence.  So, it was back to the states, and the World Series in Boston!!!!

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