Florence is amazing! We have the biggest tourists and spent all day at the museums… I even snuck in my camera when we weren’t allowed!

The first thing we saw was Michelangelo’s statue of David at the Accademia Gallery. It was so much bigger than I thought! I didn’t know it was David from ‘David and Goliath’ until I saw that he was holding a sling.

After that we went to the Uffizi Gallery, filled with amazing paintings. My favorite was Botticelli’s famous painting, “The Birth of Venus.” It was so beautiful.

After touring the museums, we walked around and heard music coming out of the door of a building. When we walked inside, we found ourselves in the most beautiful church I have ever seen! It was dark except for the light that came in through the stained glass windows and dozens of candles burning all around inside the structure. It was really breathtaking! My mom is so dramatic — she actually cried!

After we left the church we went for a carousel ride (so much fun) and just explored the local marketplace. There were so many people everywhere, it was great!

If you ever find yourself in Florence, here are my suggestions for the top five things you must do while you are there:

1. Visit the Uffizi and Accademia galleries (and fit in the Museum of San Marco, if you have more time)
2. Go to the opera!
3. Go chocolate and wine tasting in the nearby Tuscan countryside.
4. Take a bike tour of the city and stop off at the cathedrals, especially the famous Duomo church.
5. Take an Italian homemade pasta cooking class (yum!)