Nov 15 Day 42 Florence and Back to the Bell Tower

Enjoyed walking back towards the Duomo and stopping into the Medici Palazzo to view the gorgeous courtyard with its ornate columns and ceilings.

The panels on the Baptistry doors are not original, but they are beautiful, nevertheless, and tell many stories.

The contrast would be improved with blue skies, but it is still a striking building in the rain.

Climbed back up the campanile to enjoy the sights without the previously fierce thunderstorm.

Back to cooking school, where I had the distinct pleasure of dissecting a cuttlefish and learning how to extract ink from the ink sack and put it into spaghetti.

I will NOT be cooking this at home.  It was also a challenge to deal with black teeth and lips after eating the black spaghetti.

We also made Baccala alla Vicentina(cod), and dessert was torta sabbiosa. Where is gelato when I need it?

During the walk back, I happened upon a mosaics workshop and got a half hour private tour of the the actual methods used in creating these masterpieces! 
It is hard to believe the detail that the artists can get with these mosaics.
Look at www.imosaicidilastrucci.it and see for yourself!