Florence was the next stop of our Italy vacation, and here is where I first felt like maybe I was Italian in a past life or definitely could become one in the future. I wanted to stay in Florence forever, wandering the streets, feeling the history swirl around me, admiring the art, culture, food, wine, people. It felt homey yet majestic, awe-inspiring yet welcoming. It's also much more compact than Rome, making everything more accessible (and easier to cram in more must-sees!)
The best part of the two day stop was climbing up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, the highest point of Florence where you can look over the entire city. It screams romance, yet you can also see why great artists like Michelangelo could do great work here solo. The sense of peace, of being closer to God literally yet also in the sense of witnessing one of His own masterpieces, is breathtaking.
The Duomo, or dome serving as a cathedral since the 13th century, here is arguably the most interesting that we saw on our trip. It has the gothic elements--stately, huge--yet has lots of color in its facade. It also becomes part of the city rather than being its own standoffish entity due to its location at the heart of the city. It just seems friendlier and more welcoming than some of the other churches we visited.
Make sure to plan ahead to visit the always-crowded and world-famous home to Renaissance paintings at Uffizi Gallery and Accademia, which houses Michelangelo's David, a must-must see. Standing near it, you feel like you could have maybe been a great sculptor had you just lived in the period of Michelangelo, maybe because of its beautiful simplicity of being "just" a human body.
"The Creator made Italy from designs by Michaelangelo." --Mark Twain