In 1993 when I was traveling throughout Italy on bike this is the exact piazza where we’d start the tour that ran from Firenze to Elba down on the Mediterranean. We’d gather all the bikes in front of this church, review the maps, and head out for an 8 day trek across Tuscany until we reach the sea. I went back for a visit in 2003 and shot this picture of the main square of the town.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Firenze for a bunch of reasons. Firenze is a very small city that people the world over love. The food in Firenze is very rustic and off the chart good. Tuscan cooking is very hearty and make great use of ingredients and leftovers (such as day old bread in Pappa al Pomodoro or Ribollita). This is a shot I took from the top of the bell tower next to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The story behind this particular dome is also pretty cool. It’s amazing to think that this building was built from 1420 and you can go climb it today.
I used to go to Firenze about six times a year on business and was all but living there. We’d spend a lot of time in Fiesole and the road up to the town was Via Benedetto da Maiano. Right on the corner is this little church you have to drive by everyday that holds probably about 15 people, maybe 20 on a road that is so tight in some places cars take turns coming around the corners. This shot is from October 2001 a month after the 911 attacks and was a very strange time to be flying around the world.
A shot from the archives in Florence Italy on my first visit there (of what came to be many).
