Day 2- Market, bardini garden, piazza michelangelo

Piazza Santo Spirito Market

Bardini Garden

Piazza Michelangelo

Piazza santo spirito market

A popular open market.

Does this make you hungry?

Give me a piece of meat from this pig please.

It's a fun place to just walk around and see all the things for sale.

Plants without pots... it uses grass-like plants to enclose the dirt so it doesn't fall off. Quite ingenious!

Ashlyn said the truffles look like poop.

Do people really buy pieces of cheese this big?

A popular marketplace in the morning, you can find locals and tourists alike. Everything from sausages, cheese and truffles to flowers, clothing and household items, there’s something for everyone… except for us, we just enjoyed walking around without adding to our luggage.

bardini garden

The Bardini Garden is located high up on a hill, with spectacular views of Florence north of the Arno River.

Ashlyn was our navigator, with map in hand, telling us where to go. She's a great navigator.

Maren was the photographer. She's really improved her photography skills on this trip.

A tree tunnel provides much-appreciated shade on a hot day.

The view from the cafe where we had lunch was fantastic! The food... not so much.

Bardini Garden, smaller than the nearby Boboli Garden, doesn’t get nearly the same amount of visitors. We wanted another break from the museums and churches and had modest expectations for this garden, but it surprised us in a pleasant way. We found this garden more enjoyable than its Boboli big brother. The relaxed atmosphere with much less crowd was pleasant, the views are great, and we had a great time just strolling the paths. Don’t come here for pretty manicured flowers, you won’t find it here. Come for a relaxed garden stroll away from the crowds, along with a fantastic view of the city, and you won’t be disappointed.

piazza michelangelo

Piazza Michelangelo, a square high up on the hills, known for it's spectacular view of Florence.

To get the great view, you need to climb these stairs that keeps going and going; and you get a good workout in the process.

This massive suitcase was a welcome break half way up the stairs.

The wall of the Bardini Garden looks like a mini Great Wall.

This singer provides live music to people resting on the steps.

We loved the view from up here.

The piazza is quite bare other than the statue in the middle and some souvenir vendors. But the view is the centerpiece of this piazza.

Another replica of the statue of David.

All these people climbed up here for this awesome view.

We visited several spots with great views of Florence from south of the Arno River, but this place takes the top prize for the best view of the city. And it’s free! It just requires a good hike up to the top of the hill. There’s nothing else to do here, it’s simply a vista point. If you want the best aerial view of Florence, this is it.