Stop 19 - Pisa, Italy: After another rough night with Cooley, we dragged ourselves out of bed, back up the steep hill to our car and started on our way towards Florence. On the way, we made a stop in Pisa to see the infamous Leaning Tower of Pisa. Although the town was a complete tourist trap, the building really was an amazing sight to see.
Stop 20 - Mercato Delle "Pulci," Florence: Our first stop in Florence was the Mercato Delle Pulci flea market. The market was a bit disappointing since many of the vendors' shops were closed but the walk to the market ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Florence. On the way to the market we wandered through the alleys of Florence enjoying the streets lined with gelato shops and tall buildings. Along our path we walked past a restaurant doing a pasta-making demonstration in the window. We stopped and watched for a bit as the chef ran the pasta through the machine over and over again. As we continued to walk, we also came across a carousel in the middle of a large plaza. We of course HAD to stop for a ride before continuing on our journey.
Stop 21 - Bartolucci's: Our next stop was at Bartolucci's toy store. Since Florence is considered the birthplace of Pinocchio, the wood toy shop, Bartolucci's, is often compared to Geppetto's wood shop. The kids loved seeing all of the wooden toys and getting to sit next to the large Pinocchio doll. The kids even got to sign the store's guestbook and Maeli made sure to draw her own Pinocchio in the book.
Stop 22 - Ponte Vecchio Bridge: After visiting the toy shop, we wandered past the infamous Ponte Vecchio Bridge on our way back to our car. The bridge really was impressive but was packed with people so we decided to forgo a stroll through the many high-end shops lining the bridge.
Stop 23 - The Oltrarno Neighborhood: As our last stop in Florence, we went over to the Oltrarno district for dinner. We had read about this area being a cool old-school Italian neighborhood and decide it was worth the stop. The neighborhood was unique with a large plaza filled with locals enjoyed the beautiful evening. We got some takeaway pizza at a well reviewed pizza place called "Gusta Pizza" and let the kids run up and down the stairs in the plaza while we ate.
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