Florence & Pisa, Italy
"The world is a book and those who do not travel
read only one page " - St. Augustine
Florence
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Florence is is about 60 miles inland on the Arno River. It dates from 800 BC and is the 6th largest city in Italy with a population of about 500,000

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Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore - The prominate Red Dome can easily be seen from above the City. Located on the Piazza Del Duomo, it is the second largest cathedral in the world capable of holding 3,000 people. It was begun in 1296 and took 140 years to complete

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There are ten panels in each of the two ornamental gates of the Cathedral's Baptistry

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One of twenty guilt bronze panels. Every panel is as detailed as this single panel

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Fontana dei Neptuno - The Neptune Fountain was created in 1560-75 by Bartolomeo Ammannati. When Michelangelo saw it, he shook his head and moaned Ammannato, Ammannato, what a beautiful piece of marble you have ruined.

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The old quarter, with its renaissance architecture, paintings and sculptures, could almost be described as a living museum

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David was sculptured by Michelangelo in 1504 when he was 27 years old. The figure stands 14 feet high and its majesty and detail are overwhelming

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By Michelangelo

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By Michelangelo

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By Michelangelo

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Ponte Vecchio - This is the oldest bridge in Florence. It is lined with goldsmith shops and appears to be a normal street until reaching the middle where the Arno River can be seen flowing beneat

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Pisa, Italy
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The Tower of Pisa - Construction was begun in 1172 but, by the time they had completed 3 stories, it began to lean and was abandoned. In the middle of the 14th century it was completed but the lean was never corrected

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The Tower stands 180 feet high. It is built of white marble and was leaning a total of 14 feet from the perpendicular at the time of this photograph. The Tower was moving at a rate of 1/4 inch per year and visitors were no longer allowed in the Tower. - Later attempts to counter balance the lean by pilling tons of lead on the opposite side seemed to work and the Tower was re-opend to visitors

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Duomo di Pisa - Begun in 1093, Pisa Cathedral is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture. Despite its proximity to the eye-catching and tourist-attracting Leaning Tower, the Duomo still dominates the monumental Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa

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The Baptistry of the Pisa Cathedral

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A disastrous fire in 1595 destroyed most of the cathedral's medieval art, but some of the best Renaissance artists were hired for the redecoration work
 
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