It was thirty-six years ago in late summer when I made my first trip abroad. Sylvia had booked a surprise holiday for the two of us on the Island of Elba, with the flight landing in Pisa airport. As the coach took us towards the historic leaning tower it was the first time that I had seen oranges and lemons growing on trees. We stopped at Pisa for photographs before being taken to the ferry and onward to Elba.
Today we docked in Livorno (or Leghorn as it was previously known) and we attempted to retrace some of our steps from all those years ago. See if you can spot the differences in these photos.
Or even these.....
After the visit to Pisa the coach took us to our second destination for today - Florence. It was a beautiful sunny day when we arrived which really highlighted the magnificent buildings and statues. The first stop of interest was Santa Croce Square in front of the church of the same name....
....before moving on to the Palazzo Vecchio and the statue of David.
Actually this one is a full size copy with the original being housed in the Academy of Fine Arts further up the road. The beauty of the square was somewhat spoiled by the crowds that gathered round, these bloody tourists get everywhere!!!
Just a short walk from the square passing the Uffizi Gallery leads you to the river and the magnificent Ponte Vecchio.
After all this walking and sightseeing a spot of lunch was called for, so we stopped in a little restaurant and had some authentic pizza.
Batteries recharged we made our way back across the river towards the Duomo, a splendid ornate white marble building.
By this stage the clouds had begun to gather and it began to rain but it didn't take the shine off a brilliant day.
As we sailed out of Livorno on the way towards Rome we saw this cruise ship - perfect for you Oliver.
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