It is my last day in Florence. My flight is at noon so I savor my remaining hours.

I had saved a croissant and Nutella from the day before and the concierge of my hotel makes me a cappuccino. I sit on a folded towel in the chair on my balcony because it is a little damp from the rain and dwell on my amazing trip.

I decide to walk to the Market Centrale to get a sandwich for travel. The stalls outside are already set up.

Inside it busier than I expect but less people than when I visited at lunch on my last visit.

I say goodbye to my little room and head to the airport.

Day seven was a day of rest and relaxation. Day eight was the day we left the castle and it was a rainy one.

We normally ate all of our meals outside but that morning breakfast was enjoyed inside this room.

Our drive back to Florence followed the Arno river.

I checked into a new hotel for the night.

The room is small but has a cute balcony.

I decide to go out and make the most of my last full day in Florence. This includes getting sorbetto at two different places. I eat four flavors: pear, lemon, grapefruit and raspberry.

I take advantage of the rainy afternoon to finally visit the Duomo. Because it is free to the public the lines are usually epic.

Inside I cannot get enough of the dynamic floor.

The marble designs of the exterior are so entrancing. The peachy pink and green are so beautiful.

The neighborhood by my last hotel had many vintage shops.

Even this cafe was called the Vintage Cafe. 🙂

My last dinner in Florence was beef stew. It was warm and comforting. I went to bed early to prepare for a long day of travel.

I had to check out of my hotel after breakfast. I hoped it would not be my last nutella toast/croissant of the trip!

I had wanted to meet up with my sister before we traveled to the Tuscan countyside that afternoon but it did not happen. Instead I had fun seeing many more things.

In a cute shop called Scout I found many American brands and many things with Snoopy emblazoned on them.

I bought myself perfume at Spezeierie Palazzo Vecchio.

I walked around and I mailed many postcards!

I met my sister and her family at the lion door knocker with googly eyes and we departed to the next part of our trip.

I find Castelo Di Ristonchi is as beautiful as I imagined.

For dinner I make a lovely cheese-less pizza and drink a spritz that has equal parts Aperol and Campari. It is a perfect end to this day.

The weather in Florence had been warm and humid with thunderstorm warnings. On day four which was Sunday it was sprinkling and the sky was full of gray clouds. I noticed that many places were closed on Sundays and decided to walk across the Arno to the Altrano neighborhood.

I found a vintage shop that was open and promptly purchased a soft blue cotton coat that I thought was like a cross between a chore coat and a blazer. These are two items of clothing that are better worn in and get more comfortable with age.

Here it is draped over my shoulders.

I found an open air market in front of a church.

The Specola museum was open so I checked out their zoology exhibits.

I loved the building but all the dead things behind glass got to me after a while. Next I went to lunch and got seafood risotto. It was super yummy (and I only chewed one piece of shell). 🙂

The Pitti Palace was next up on my agenda. It was beautiful and golden but I was tiring.

The gardens were larger that I wanted to explore. I had to admit to myself that I was too tired to see much of it.

All along the Ponte Vecchio bridge are jewelry stores.

That evening I went out for a walk and boldly wore my sandals but still carried my umbrella. I found the Rinascente department store and went in. It had lovely clothes and a cafe on the top floor.

When I came out I found Florence wet and covered in huge puddles. It was still raining hard and the lightening and thunder seemed too close. Luckily my hotel was not far and I made it back safely with just wet feet.