Our second day in Florence began with a tour of the Uffizi Gallery. Unfortunately, photography was prohibited inside the museum. We did however see the early Renaissance Town Hall with a copy of the “David” out front as well as the Neptune Fountain. The original “David” stood in front of this governmental building for over 300 years before it was moved inside to preserve it. Ferragamo has a museum as well as Gucci and a few other famous fashion icons. The Wild Boar is the place where visitors to Florence rub his snout for luck and place a coin in his mouth for a wish. The Ponte Vecchio is a bridge that has stood for over 500 years and has been a shopping area for all that time. Today it houses many fine gold and leather stores. The Palazzo Pitti was the home of the ruling Medici family who accumulated a wealth of fine art and sculpture over the centuries. The palace is now a fine museum with the beautiful Boboli Gardens attached.

The fun part of the day came at mid-day when we went for our Italian Cooking Lesson. We split into teams and prepared a Tuscan Feast of Bruschetta, (made from scratch) Pasta Pomodoro, Turkey Cutlets in White Wine sauce, and Tiramisu. It was great fun and we enjoyed the feast we had prepared in a cool wine cellar.