The church bells rang and rang and rang! Sunday in Florence and the sounds could be heard across the city. The city is crowded with people. The Duomo is closed because it is Sunday but the bell tower and baptistry are open. We choose the bell tower first. The weather is perfect - warm, sunny and blue sky. €10 each and 414 steps to the top (I actually counted 416 right to the pavement!). The tower has several levels where it is possible to emerge from the spiral staircase and walk around (and sit down!) before continuing up again to the very top. We enjoy the 360 degree panorama of Florence before going down and exploring the baptistry. It is believed it was originally a Roman temple because it resembles the Pantheon. The floor is tiled in Islamic patterns with one section of the floor tiled with all the zodiac motifs. The mosaics on the domed ceiling above us are biblical scenes from the bible, from Genesis to the Last Judgement. It is a fascinating mix of of civilisations and cultures. Outside it takes a while for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight. We walk through the Piazza della Signoria which is in front of the Uffizi Gallery, the home of much of Italy's priceless artwork. In the piazza is a copy of the statue of David. A large group of young men is standing in front of him. They are all wearing aprons with David's torso printed on them! We laugh and continue to walk towards Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone arch bridge and the oldest bridge in Florence. During World War II it was the only bridge not destroyed by the Germans. It is famous because it still has all the shops which were built into the sides of it in the 13th century. In medieval times there would have been all sorts of shops, food, leather goods, cloth....Now the shops are all jewellers and artisans of gold. It is very crowded. People are taking photos, browsing the shops, walking their dogs, eating gelatos.... We cross the bridge and meander our way along the river and up to Pizzale Michelangelo high up on the hill. From there we are looking straight across to the Duomo. It's my favourite view of Florence and the one on many of the postcards. We return to Florence past the Santa Croce church. Many of the shops are closed on Sunday morning but open later in the afternoon. We head towards the Venchi Gelataria and the queue is snaking around the store and then outside! It takes nearly 15 minutes before I am served. Today? Two scoops - nocciola (hazelnut) and dark chocolate with hazelnut. Mmmm....