Not only in the beautiful often photographed architecture, people, art, church’s, streets, or even the glorious David, for me it’s in the details. Everywhere you gaze there is incredible beauty if you just choose to look for it.

I first visited Florence as a young backpacker in the 80’s and stayed for over a week. I still have my guide book which I took with me each morning to explore the city.

I wrote little notes in the margins and did little sketches on the back cover. I totally fell in love with Florence.

Not the outward tourist side of the city, rather the back roads, the shady night life, the lusty man selling me pizza near the train station as it was the cheapest place to get a meal on a tight budget.

The men who would pinch the bums of the ‘foreign’ girls on the bus from the youth hostel I was staying in. The way we would all keep a look out for the ticket inspector and jump out the back door.

Rubbing the snout of the boar at the market after being told that it meant I’d one day return.

When we visited with our children I had Carina rub that snout especially hard and told her one day we’d be back here for her wedding.

One afternoon wandering  Florence my husband got talking with someone working at the Palazzo Vecchio. Soon after we were following him up tiny spiral stairs where he granted us a view over the courtyard below the window.

Incredible….this is Florence the  city of my heart.

Most of these images were taken that afternoon, some by our then five year old daughter Carina. I love seeing what happens when we give our children a camera.

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