Piazzale della Porta Romana

Austin (girl in my illustration and digital multimedia class), Nicole and I walked to Piazzale della Porta Romana today. It's about 30 minute walk from city center...it's past the Uffizi and Boboli Gardens. I think the piazzale is named Porta Romana becuase there's this huge gate with some wall on either end. Way back when, citys were walled and gated...at somepoint the walls around Firenze were knocked down, and my guess is they didn't knock this gate down...maybe it faces the direction of Rome...since Rome is south and Porta Romana faces south.

Anyway. It was a nice long walk, though my feet are hurting now, but it was definately worth it! We were gone for about 2.5 hours. I had to go there to photograph for my class. My prof, Romeo, made us pick locations from a hat so that we get out of the city center and see more of Firenze, and the not so touristy areas. I used up a roll of film in the few hours we were gone. On our way back, we stopped at a snackbar/cafe and got various things to eat (me: crem caramel, nicole:mozzarella-tomato sandwich, Austin: lemony cake with chocolate layer on top...all were yummy).

(posted in order that I took)

Ponte Vecchio from two bridges away. Ponte Vecchio has all sorts of jewelry shops along the sides of it...really high end shops from what I've heard.

























A really beautifully decorated/painted Medici building. I'm not sure what the Medici family used it for but I know it's a Medici becuase of the oranges in their seal thing between the windows.















Porta Romana (view from what would be inside the walls). The Piazzale is on the otherside.











Yeah...I found a mattress in some bushes...with the frame and some wood pieces!

















Old man who got our attention by pointing at me and yelling "Filippino?" to me. Then he started asking Nicole (middle) and Austin (right) where they were from but it was more just him loudly rattling off names of countries...
"Inglesia....Polka"













Just something I liked...













Feathery bra on display on the 5th Ave of Firenze. We were rather amused by it.