Departed Venice on the 8.33am Eurostar Italia train and after a 3.5 hour trip arrived in Florence at 11.22am.

We walked the short distance to our hotel, Hotel Galileo. Checked in and then headed back towards the train station for lunch. Continued over to the train station to work out which trains we would catch for the trip to Pisa the next morning.

Walked around in circles in search of the Tourist Information Centre which was opposite the train station. They weren't all that helpful but we did get a map of the city. Walked past the Basilica Santa Maria Novella before deciding to head into the centre of the city.

Stopped at an internet cafe to email home, then walked past Palazzo Vecchio before arriving at the Duomo, the largest cathedral in Florence. Walked inside to have a look around then decided to go to the top of the nearby Bell Tower. 416 steps later and we were at the top, 80m above the ground, and taking in the amazing views of Florence and the surrounding hills.

Walked on further to the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge lined with shops which although was a bit ugly was interesting. Continued on further to see Palazzo Pitti, a palace that was of some interest but not spectacular.

Walked back through Florence to our hotel, dropped off our bags and then went to dinner at a nearby Chinese restaurant which was reasonably priced and the food quite good. Back to the hotel after stopping for some gelati for some rest.