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My 2024 winter trip began in Milan where a sunny afternoon brought bocce players out to Parco Sempione
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My second day in Milan was a rainy one so I was happy to come inside Peck, a famous delicatessen
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Piazza del Duomo, busy even in the rain during the Christmas holidays
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That famous Milan arcade
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The old yellow trams remind me of Budapest's; this one is in front of La Scala
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Inaugurated in 1872, this statue of Leonardo da Vinci and four of his students was politically charged, and its sculptor almost didn't get paid
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Day three started with a disappointment: the botanical garden was closed
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In a nearby park, a cherry tree was blooming early
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A picturesque spot in the Parco Indro Montanelli
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At the other end of the park was a Christmas Fair next to the Natural History Museum
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My final stop of the day was Villa Necchi Campiglio where I appreciated a dry seat in a warm spot
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The view from my room at the Croce di Malta Hotel
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One room of the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella where I bought my favorite potpourri
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A wood worker's shop in the Santo Spirito neighborhood
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Brass stall in Piazza Santo Spirito
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A cooking school as part of Florence's redo of an old market
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Claire at the Duomo
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What was in Dante's neighborhood when he lived here
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Care to purchase an indulgence?
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Coming out of the Palazzo Vecchio into the Piazza della Signoria
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A copy of that famous fellow
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My glorious hot chocolate at Rivoire, opposite the Palazzo Vecchio
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Dinner at Il Santo Bevitore with a lovely Morellino di Scansano
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These kids were singing "Venite Adoremus" (Oh Come All Ye Faithful) while waiting to go into the Duomo
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Maybe I should enroll the next time I'm in Florence
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Impressive pieces in the school's vitrine
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Back to Santa Croce and Dante, where Claire brought me last evening
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An idea for my kitchen floor
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Looking east over the Arno at midday
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And now, looking west towards the Ponte Vecchio
