We all love Florence ...

We've all agreed we could stay here for a month. It's compact and easy to get around and everytime you turn a corner you find something that has been standing there since the 14th century.

The designer label shopping is extreme or just appears so because if the concentration in such a small space. There is high Street shopping and there is shopping in Florence. And at Christmas time the streets are magnifico.

This too with with the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) in the background. Literally, at the gaps between so many streets loons the apex of this cathedral. Such a landmark.

Shopping well no, this is your meat selection at so many restaurants. Mostly Chianina beef, Italy's own breed of beef cattle; the giant breed that stands at 6 feet tall at the shoulder. (We even noticed McDonalds advertising Chianina rather than our Angus burgers). This is a selection of T-Bone steak to choose from the whole standing rib 

Ai WeiWei was in town with this exhibition. Life boat rafts stuck to the outside of the museum clearly advertise where its being held.

And you can't go past the Ponte Vecchio. The place to buy jewellery in Florence. 

Mode of transport either a scooter (Vespa, the scooter of choice mostly) or, get a load of this car (term is loose). It's a two seater, one behind the other and enough room for the shopping. Italy, the land where a Nissan Micra is made look like a family sedan. 

And after shopping why wouldn't you then spend some time seeing the plethora of art available either on offer for free viewing 

Of course a visit to Florence isn't complete without seeing the famous "David". This us the replica but still awe-inspiring

Or visit the Uffizi for some more refined masterpieces. The Home of the Medici family a few hundred years ago. 

  The Day wouldn't be complete without visiting the Official Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella

The frescoes are simply amazing and to think they've been here and they've been making perfumes and herbal lotions and potions since the the year 1200.