The tail end of Day 1 of our trip ended with Tom, Matt and my parents and I making our way to the Fontana del Porcellino, aka the Pig Market. This is an open air market with a metal statue of a wild boar at its southern end. Local legend is if you rub the boar's nose, you will return to Firenze. As you can tell, we are all coming back to Florence. 
My mom then put a coin in its mouth to make a wish. If the coin then drops through the grate at the bottom without touching anything, then your wish will be granted.
Okay, day two. Tom and I got up early and walked around Firenze, waiting for my parents to get ready. We found some odd Italian fashion as we strolled around. We then went to the Loggia dei Lanzi, where we saw some amazing architecture. This is where Cellini's Perseus can be found, amongst other statues. It's right by the Piazza della Signoria, a huge square where, like most of northern Firenze, you can eat, shop, and go to a museum by merely moving 10 feet. The Palazzo Vecchio is also there, and flanking the front entrance is the replica of Michelangelo's David. Even for a replica, it looks damn good. I mean, check this out:
Pretty good for being a copy, no? And the other side of the door is Bandinelli's "Hercules". We then walked by the Uffizi and then under the Vasari Corridor where I just HAD to get this picture:
I mean, really, you would take this picture, too. I'm surprised there hasn't been an entire coffee table book devoted to this shot. Anyways, we then the famous Ponte Vecchio to take some glorious pictures on the bridge while wading through the throngs of tourists.
The rest of the day was spent eating some local pizza (delicious, super thin crust), walking, some more culture at the Palazzo Pitti, and then a nap and then more walking. I think there was some gelato in there somewhere.
Next, Shopping! Leather! Dinner! And Good News!
that dress is whack, yo. also, every single time i read the description of that pig coin picture, i want to know: did your mom's coin touch anything or not?!?!
Posted by: katie d | October 18, 2006 at 09:39 AM
Yeah i'm in suspense too, did the coin hit anything?
The pix look great I wish I could have been there.
Posted by: O. | October 19, 2006 at 08:20 PM
I honestly don't remember if the coin hit anything or not. I don't think it did...
Posted by: Jeez Jon | October 20, 2006 at 10:17 AM