Our first stop on our cruise was Florence.
We were greeted by Manfredo Fanti.
What? You say you don't know Manfredo?
Apparently he's a big deal in Italy, even with that undignified bird atop his head.
Fanti was instrumental in the fight for Italian independence and freedom in the 1800's, and is the founder of the Royal Italian Army.
This statue was erected in 1873 and created by Pio Fedi, also a big deal in Italy.
The pigeon seem unimpressed, and unspooked by the pigeon spikes, which didn't seem to do much to keep the buggers off of the unspiked parts.
Like every Mediterranean city we visited, Florence is awash with incredible architecture, ancient and stunning buildings, and incredible art. It is impossible to see it all in one short expedition. This building is a prime example: it is San Marco, a former convent and current church and museum. This is said to be built on the place Michelangelo planted a garden.
The Neo-Classical Facade was built in 1777-1778. I would have love to have gone in, but there's too much to see in a city like Florence to visit every interesting museum and church
in a few hours of one day. We were on a ship's excursion, meaning our time was pre-ordained.
The city is a mix of ordinary, simple buildings,
and spectacular works of architecture. This is the cathedral of Florence, the main church of the city.
The structure was begun in 1296, completed in 1436, done in Gothic style. The cathedral was built on the site of a crumbling 5th century church.
The dome is an ancient wonder, the biggest dome in the world for centuries, until modern techniques and materials changed that. It is still the largest brick dome every constructed.
The exterior, built in the 19th century, is made of pink, green and white marble.
To my surprise, our ship excursion paused only briefly to admire the exterior before we hurried on to other sites.
I know. I was disappointed, too.
We also jogged by the Cathedral's baptistery. This octagonal building is one of the oldest buildings in the city. It was built between 1059 and 1128 and is done in a style called "Florentine Romanesque".
Alas, we also scurried by the imposing bell tower. It's known as Giotto's Campanile, stands 277.9 ft high, and houses seven bells. Sadly, we didn't hear them the day we were there. Construction of the tower began in 1334 and was completed in 1359.
I took a few more pictures of the Cathedral as we headed to our next destination.
Our next not-really-a-stop was Piazza della Repubblica, the original center of Florence.
This lovely monument is called "The Column of Abundance" and was originally created by Donatello (the sculptor, not the mutant turtle) in 1431. Sadly, it succumbed to weather and crashed to the ground in 1721, disintegrating into a pile of rubble.
The sculptor Foggini was commissioned to make a replacement Abundance Lady, but this is not her. This is Mario Moschi's version from the 1900's. Foggini's version has been moved to a bank for safekeeping.
Every great ancient city needs a triumphal arch, and Florence is no exception.
Every ancient arch needs a stirring message chiseled in. This one translates: "The ancient center of the city, restored from age-old squalor to new life."
Long shot of the statue, arch, carousel, and an ambiance-enhancing billboard advertising a car.
We buzzed by a number of interesting buildings, like Orsanmichel.
This church was built in 1337 as a grain market. By 1404 it had been converted to a church.
Sadly, we didn't get to peek inside.
Florence has 80 museums and "innumerable" churches. We clearly need a repeat visit. Or two.
The statues are all replicas, the originals having been moved to museums.
Street view of Orsanmichele.
I was a bit surprised to spot this guy, hanging around out in the elements. I soon learned that this is a replica. The REAL David is in the Galleria dell' Accademia, a few yards away. The line for Real David is several hours long. Faux David is an EXACT replica, made in 1910, the same size, the same marble. I really wish we had time to see Real David. Alternately, I wish someone had convinced me they send Real David outside for the day, just for my visit.
Faux David is also located in the exact spot Real David was, in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, until Real David was moved indoors in 1873.
Camera guy was in an annoying and astonishing number of my pictures. I wonder if I showed up in his?
Palazzo Vecchio is the City Hall. Inside are amazing ceilings, artifacts, and works of art. We didn't have time to see them.
The 14th century building is quite stunning, even without the Faux David in view.
The one-handed clock is a 1667 replica of the 1353 original.
We spotted the fleur de lis, symbol of Florence. Florence means "blossom" and fleur de lis a distinctive depiction of a Lily. It's a symbol often used in Europe to represent royalty.
Across the street from the Palazzo is the Loggia dei Lanzi.
The crowds were too big the day we were there and I couldn't get a long view. I found one here.
The building was originally built between 1376 and 1382 for public ceremonies. The roof was modified and became a terrace for princes to watch ceremonies on the public square.
In the 16th century, it became an open air museum. The famous works include (far right) The Rape of Sabine Women (1583), created by Jean de Boulogne from one huge, imperfect block of marble. The center statue is Hercules beating the Centaur Nessus (1599) by Giambologna.
Menelaus Supporting the Body of Patroclus, a 1st century AD Roman statue, heavily restored in the 1500's.
And by heavily restore they mean this is what they started with.
I'm starting to think no one got along in this part of the world.
There is a definite streak of violence here.
Here's Perseus with the Head of Medusa (completed in 1554 after 10 years of work), a bronze statue by Cellini.
I'm not sure who this unhappy dude is.
There were a few dressed, calm, non-violent women. They seemed to have wandered into someone else's nightmare.
Other significant parts of the Loggia include four figures like this, representing Fortitude, Temperance, Justice and Prudence. This is Fortitude.
On the steps of the Loggia are two lions, this one from Roman times. Lions are symbols of Florence.
There were a number of other statues around the area, including the temporary Random Giant Gold Turtle Searching for Utopia, a modern work by Fabre. 
Neptune Fountain (1564) by Ammanniti.
Detail of Neptune Statue.
Horse Rider Cosimo de' Medini, member of the ruling political family of Florence by Giambologna, about 1590.
Our next stroll-by was Uffizi building, the office portion of the old Medini palace. Outside are statues of every Italian artistic master you can think of.
In addition to these well-known guys,
there are these more obscure fellas who will chase you down
if they catch you taking a picture of them.
The Uffizi has this striking two-story catwalk, built so that Medini family members did not have to walk on the street to get to church or home or office. As I write this, our Billings temperature has been below 20 for at least a month, and we've got piles of snow everywhere. I'm going to talk to Stan about building some catwalks for me to allow me to avoid those nasty, slick streets and freezing weather.
This is a close up of the fella atop the catwalk. I'm going to assume it's a Medini.
This building now holds a art museum.
Once again, time did not allow us to visit the many famous paintings and works of art inside.
This is the cleverly named Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), a medieval stone arch bridge. Originally built pre 1000 AD, it has been rebuilt several times although the central piers are original. The bridge was originally built to include shops, and that feature has always been part of the it, up to and including present day.
Tourists of Italy.
Why do pigeons love statues?
Our next stop was shopping and eating. We decided to skip that and hurry back to the Cathedral of Florence and try to get in.
I could wander around this building for weeks, seeing new things every minute.
An exterior this fantastic has to have an interesting interior, right?
I'm feeling an urge to paint my house.
I love all of the unexpected details.
Finally, we managed to get inside.
The stained glass was very detailed. This church has 44 stained glass windows, create by the best of 14th and 15th century artists of Florence: Uccello, Ghiberti, Donatello, and others.
All of the circular windows are depictions of Mary and/or Christ; the others depict biblical saints.
Marble is a prominent feature of the Cathedral, inside and out.
Much of the decorations have been lost over time, or moved to other places.
This statue caught my eye because the child's arm seems oddly long.
I thought the ceilings were the best part of this Cathedral.
When no agreement could be made about the decoration of the dome, it was whitewashed. In 1568, the Grand Duke Medici decided to have a rendition of The Last Judgment painted here. Federico Zuccari and Giorgio Vasari were the artists. Vasari painted until he died in 1574, and Zuccari and a number of lessor artists continued until the dome was finished in 1579. This is considered Zuccari's finest work, although the overall quality of the dome is uneven, due to the various degree of skills of the many artists who worked on it.
The 24 hour, one-handed clock from 1443 is one of the few clocks of its type and age still around and in working order. Beneath the clock are paintings by Paolo Uccello of four Prophets. The round stained glass window is called Christ crowning Mary as Queen. It is the work of Gaddo Gaddi in the early 14th century.
I tried really hard to get a picture of the the stained glass in the drum of the dome. It's a famous work by Donatello. I just couldn't get a good picture.
Detail from the dome. I like those life-like men along the top.
Random detail of Christ and apostles.
When the church was restored in 1966 after a flood, it was discovered that the marble floor was made of leftover marble, turned upside down.
More of the numerous stained glass windows.
No Florentine building is complete without a fleur de lis.
A few more exterior shots.
The bronze door of the cathedral.
I think this may be the most impressive exterior I've seen to date.
The brilliant Florentines invented gelato. We had probably the best gelato of our trip here, thanks to Ken who did a little research pre-trip.
The Dome and tower are visible from nearly everywhere in the city. Here's a shot from our bus window.
We also drove past the old city wall, built in 1186 AD, replaced in 1282 with a larger wall, and finally with the 1333 version. In 1865, Florence became the capital of Italy and there was a grand city-wide renovation that included the tearing down of most of the wall. This section is what's left. Ironically, just five years later the capital was moved to Rome.
Another peek at the Dome.
Our final stop for the day was the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Pinch me! I saw the real, live Pisa!
These two need to coordinate their lean.
The tower is a free-standing bell tower.
The Pisa Tower is part of a three building Cathedral Square and includes a baptistry and the cathedral.
The tower's tilt began during construction which started in 1173, and was unintended. The tower was completed in 1372. Soft foundation caused the problem, and the building continued to tilt until late 20th-early 21st century when it was stabilized
All three buildings were beautiful, but lines were long and time was short and once again, we only had time to admire the exterior.
Only a limited amount of people can be inside the Tower at any given time, making it an all day wait to enter.
The baptistry and cathedral are also sinking, but at a slower rate.
It's like Ken holds up buildings all day.
Shelly needed two hands, still impressive.
When you visit the tower, it's hard to believe it's not going to just topple over any second.
You can see the different colors of pillars, some which were replaced or heavily repaired during the last renovation.
Pisa reminds me of a fancy wedding cake.
As tempted as I was to poke my head inside Pisa Tower, those three gun toting soldiers managed to dissuade me.
When the tower began to lean shortly after the third floor was added, the government made the decision to let it sit for 100 years, hoping the ground would settle and the leaning would cease. Giovanni di Simone took over construction. His "solutions" caused even more leaning, and it's a testament to the skill of Italian architects that even the heavily leaning tower still stands.
The marble work is exquisite.
Animals around the first level.
On the lawn between the tower and the baptistry is this great statue called Fallen Angel by Igor Mitoraj. Did he fall from the leaning tower?
It's quite a long fall.
This detail from the baptistry is fancier than the tower, but clearly matches the style.
The baptistry is currently undergoing some remodeling. You can see the scaffolding on the left.
Baptistry tiers, much like tower tiers.
Any chance that's a squirt gun?
Details from the cathedral.
More cathedral.
You can see the roof renovation at the baptistry to the left of those vaguely familiar tourists.
There were works like these on the bottom of many pillars. Are they architects? Builders? Donators?
Ancient gratifiers?
Cathedral gargoyles.
I've heard so much about the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I did not know before our visit there is also a beautiful cathedral.
I've noticed that when the locals didn't use marble, they used bronze, like this elaborate door.
Construction of the cathedral was started in 1063. It was constructed outside the safety of the city walls, a sure sign that Pisa was so powerful there was no fear of attack.
After various enlargements, improvements, and changes, the cathedral was finished in 1180.
Tiered like the more famous tower, it includes classical, Byzantine, and Islamic stylistic elements.
It's quite amazing.
I guess we will need to make another trip someday to take a peek inside.
All too soon it was time to leave Pisa and head to the ship.
Back in the bus, we passed the snowy mountains that were not snowy at all. The "snow" is marble, used for centuries for the local cathedrals, buildings, palaces, and even the David statue. It is considered to be among the most beautiful and plentiful marble in the world.
We also drove past many marble yards like this one. Florence produces some of the world's most beautiful and expensive marble.
Some mountains seemed to be more marble than rock.
