More Cinque Terre and Florence, Italy

Ciao! We left Cinque Terre early because the weather was bad. (BOO!) I will definitely need a trip back there during a summer or at least May when the weather is better and more is opened up!! It was still beautiful and I loved all of the little villages and the charm and local flavor they offered. It is SO RAINY here. I expected rain but it poured today almost all day today and the forecast changed from a few rainy days to all rain. It does not make for great pictures when there is cloud cover and fog everywhere! However, I'm thinking positive thoughts for the sun to come out. :) Here are a few pics from the end of our CT stay and the last two days in Florence. Tomorrow, we will climb to the top of a Duomo at Santa Maria Fiore and Giotto’s Campanile, a bell tower. The weather has to cooperate so I can get some great shots of all of Florence! More to come in a few days when I have time to get on again (we are currently just in our hotel keeping dry and warm after 10 hours of getting soaked. ;) Cant' complain too much though!!! It's still Italy! WOO HOO!

Of course, I'm showing some Matty B love while in Italy! I realized just how jet lagged I am when I saw this pic. ;) haha.  This is on the balcony of our room in Riomaggiore (the first village in Cinque Terre).

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Nighttime at the marina in Riomaggiore after a fabulous dinner of Red Snapper and wine at a restaurant (which is just to left of where this pic was taken). 

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The next three pictures were taken at dawn. I got up hoping the clouds would be clear and I could get some nice color at sunrise (about 6:30am). Not much good color or sun but it was still awesome to be up and out in the quiet of the early morning. I smelled fresh pastries baking and saw people getting their shops ready and just listened to the waves crash against the rocks. It was breathtaking. (If you click these three pics, you can see them bigger.)

The next two are later in the morning. Brit (my sis) and I walked around the village and ended up on a hillside looking down. 

Great views of Florence and the Santa Maria Fiore Duomo which we will climb tomorrow (all 463 stairs) plus a trip to the top of the Bell Tower right near it (another 414 stairs). (click to see larger)

The next 8 photos are from I Giardini di Boboli (Boboli Gardens). They are absolutely gorgeous and offer panoramic views of all of Florence. The flowers and plants are not in bloom yet but the rain has made for colorful greenery and the cloud cover help to bring it out in the pics. The first is (I think from what I read) an 18th century coffeehouse. The next is the Statue of Neptune in a beautiful pool of water (the following picture-#3). The fourth is a fountain in the middle of another garden where you can see vineyards of Florence below. Next is one of many statues found walking through the many walkways and then, Isolotto's Basin, a beautful mix of water, art, and plants. The next is just one of many covered paths through the gardens. The last is the Buontalenti Grotto which is an amazing work of art. (click pics to enlarge)

Lastly, here are two photos of the Arno River. The bridge is the Ponte Vecchio, where jewelry shops are found from beginning to end on both sides as you walk across. (Click pics to enlarge)