Destination: Firenze by Jim Langford

All roads in Italy, and a lot of the trains, lead to Firenze (Florence). If Rome is the heart of Italia, then Firenze is the holder of its soul. After all, this is the home of Michaelangelo's David, one of the most famous and photographed statues in the world, at the Galleria dell'Accademia. In addition, the Uffizi Gallery contains one of the most valuable and
significant art collections of all time

A must see for any tour or anyone traveling alone, the statue of David was commissioned as a symbol of the Florence Republic. The statue is 13 and a half feet high and was originally designed for one of the buttresses of the Duomo. Instead, it found a home outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of Firenze's government, before it found a permanent home in the Accademia.

My wife and I had reservations at the Uffizi Gallery our first Thursday in Italy for 2:00 p.m. I've said this before. If you're booking trips during the height of the summer, find out what your clients want to see, develop a schedule with them and then make reservations. It makes all the difference in the world as to how much you can do and you don't get tired or bored standing in line for tickets for three to four hours.

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