Is it Firenze, or Hell?

No, I expect the city to be wonderful. But it was 97 degrees when we arrived at Firenze SMN station about 30 minutes ago.

We just spent 1 night in charming little Lucca, which is a small town enclosed by a medieval wall with bastions and everything. Can't wait to show everyone pictures of it. Last night we rented bikes and rode around the perimeter atop the wall (it's tree-lined, for which we apparently have Napoloeon's widow to thank) and then dined outdoors on a quiet little piazza and enjoyed the regional specialty tordelli, which is extremely good ravioli. I mistook the green inside for pesto, but we were assured it was meat of some sort. Fantastic meal, and I may or may not have gone slightly turbo on the red wine.

Tomorrow we have reservations at the Uffizi, and Friday reservations at La Accademia to see David. This afternoon, if I can motivate Leanna enough, we'll head out and explore. We have free internet at our wonderful hotel, so expect some email replies and further blog posts.