Our last day in Florence is one of my favorite days on the tour. In the morning we toured the Uffizi Museum with Simone, the very knowledgeable local guide. The Uffizi has some of the best Renaissance works of art – and Simone did a wonderful job teaching us about the art and the changes in Florentine society that made the Renaissance possible. Brian’s favorites are the works by Sandro Botticelli, but we both liked the Madonna and child painting by Fra Lippo Lippi.

After the Uffizi, many of us went with Karin for gelato at her favorite gelateria, Gelateria dei Neri. Then David joined Brian and I for a brief visit to the Santa Croce church before lunch. Many of the famous Renaissance artists and scientists are buried at Santa Croce, and there are several notable art and architectural sights. On the way out of the church we took a wrong turn and ended up in an area that sold leather goods. I found the perfect purse; it was beautiful. The black and brown leather was soft and supple and woven with a long shoulder strap. Unfortunately, I had to leave it there - 345 Euros - way too expensive. Alas, there will be other bags.

We joined David, Karin and Susanna for lunch at Ristorante Giglio Rosso and I particularly enjoyed this meal. I was able to talk with Karin and Susanna about the differences and similarities between living in Italy and the United States. Susanna taught me the Italian way to prepare artichokes, how to use Saffron, and what makes a good Tuscan soup. I had a wonderful soup for lunch and Brian ordered a pasta dish with a sauce made with cinghiale (wild boar) and juniper berries. The sauce was very good.

In the afternoon, Brian and I spent some time exploring the narrow streets behind the Central Market. We were looking for Mona Lisa’s burial site at the Convent Sant' Orsola (which we didn’t find) and an octagonal church Rotonda di Santa Maria degli Angeli (which we did find) designed by Brunelleschi. Later Brian climbed the 413 steps to the top of Giotto’s bell tower. The climb was well worth the effort for the panoramic views. He got lots of photos of the Duomo's dome and the Florence skyline.

That night, we had a wine tasting at our hotel. It was beautifully arranged with just the right cheeses, meats, breads, jams, olives, etc. to complement the wines that we tasted. A first for me was combining cheese and honey, which was really quite good. Everyone had a great time and there was lots of fun and laughter. We were fortunate to share our table with Mary and Doug, a young couple with a real knowledge and appreciation of wines. We closed the evening with a people watching session at the neighborhood café on the corner near our hotel. It was a very full and satisfying day with good art, good company, good food and wine and very good memories.