Florence, Day 4

We enjoyed an early breakfast on the rooftop of the Colonna Palace Hotel before saying goodbye to Rome. We had so many early mornings, but were determined to push through.

We needed to catch our train to Florence, which was a rather luxurious ride.

We trekked from the train station to our hotel in Florence (Firenze) with our luggage in tow. This time our hotel allowed us to check in before heading out into the city.

Florence captured our hearts immediately with its pristine streets and charming buildings, bridges, and shops along the Arno River.

You guys! I visited Dante's house. A few days before we left, we were looking at a map of Florence and I see "Museo Casa di Dante" in the area. I had never known a Dante house/museum existed. A few years ago I did a deep dive into Divine Comedy and fell in love with Dante. It's definitely not a "must-see" stop for a lot of people, so I was ecstatic Julie wanted to visit, too, because it was a highlight for me.

Their website describes it best. "Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265, right where Dante's House Museum now stands. A poet, writer and politician, he is considered the father of the Italian language and is the author of The Divine Comedy, one of the greatest masterpieces of world literature."

Dante adored Florence. So why was he banished? He was a political, principled man, who would never betray his integrity. In a nutshell, he was a member of the less powerful faction when the more powerful one took over.

Dante wrote Divine Comedy while in exile.

He remained true to Florence to the last, writing in The Inferno,

"Florence, rejoice, now that you have such fame,

And over land and sea you spread your wings!"

Next we went to the Basilica of Santa Croce, where a large

statue of Dante graces the outside.

Inside, you'll find the tomb of Michelangelo (seen above) as well as the tombs of Machiavelli, Galileo, and others. They have a memorial tomb for Dante, but his remains are in Ravenna (having been exiled at the time of his death.)

This charming street led to our hotel.

Hotel Berchielli. It's lovely; I would stay there again.

We ended the night with dinner at the nearby "Oliviero." We were SO tired and knew we'd have another early morning for our trip to Cinque Terre the next day.