Coins equaling $3,000 in Euros are fished from the Trevi Fountain daily. The money is used to help the needy in Rome.
An advertisement in a subway in Rome. If anyone can spruce up the bleakness of tunnels underground, Sophia Loren can.
A small market with fruits and vegetables displayed outside (Alimentari Frutta e Verdura is what the sign reads). This shop was located in the frazione of Bomerano in the municipality of Agerola. 
This is the bridge that connected Bucine, the town where our villa was located, and the neighboring town of Pogi. According to a book I read, Pogi was built on the banks of the river Ambra and this Romanesque donkey-back bridge, with its five distinct arches, crosses it.
It's beautiful from the outside, but when you step inside, prepare to be blown away. This is the nave. And it's stunning. It's overhwhelmingly stunning; you just don't know where to look. The black and white stripes of marble create a fantastic effect. A delight for your eyes. 
It's impossible not to stand and stare at the stripes on the columns; some of them placed there 795 years ago. The thought that someone not only designed, but placed those pieces of colored marble, layer by layer, is kind of inconceivable. I can't even stack coins without getting bored and giving up. What I really enjoyed was touching the marble. Cool and smooth under my hand, I knew I was touching the very stone a workman almost 800 years ago also touched. Astonishing.
And as your eye travels up each of the columns, your eyes will come to rest on the cathedral's dome. The hexagonal dome is topped with Bernini's gilded lantern and the coffers are painted in the trompe l'oeil style in blue with golden stars. This was done in the late 15th century.
The main altar was astounding. Well, to me, not so much the altar itself, but the artwork behind it. So much beauty.
Seemingly endless ceilings...but not really, because when you get to the top of this one, there's a beautiful stained glass window.
Pipes for an organ, that I'm sure emitted the most beautiful music ever heard...
And then, there is the pulpit. Made of Carrara marble and sculpted by Nicola Pisano over 700 years ago. This pulpit is considered his masterpiece.
It was difficult to get close to the pulpit because it was roped off; but the floor was there for the taking. According to Wikipedia, "The inlaid marble mosaic floor is one of the most ornate of its kind in Italy, covering the whole floor of the cathedral. This undertaking went on from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, and about forty artists made their contribution."
Look at that floor. I wanted to get down and slither on it. Each area contained so much detail. And although it's marble, I kept thinking of my brother the "tile-guy", wishing he could see not only the beautiful detail, but the vastness of it. It covers the entire space of the Cathedral. 
From what I read, the uncovered floor can only be seen for a period of six to ten weeks each year. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but I'm thrilled that I got to see it. This was, by far, the most beautiful Duomo I saw while in Italy. 
I propped my camera up on one of the (hundreds of years old) statues to take this picture of Eddie and I. It's rare that we get a picture with both of us in it. It's a little dark and I didn't have a tripod, but it'll do. 
One of the last things we did before leaving the church was to visit the little corner where you can light a small votive candle. This plaque hung next to the box of candles. 
I lit several for my family and friends. The best translation I can find, using online translation, is this:
The heart of the town is the Piazza del Campo best seen in this aerial photo (which I didn't take) and was teeming with people, as you can see in this picture (which I did take)...
We happened upon our second bride of the trip, who was more than happy to honor my request of a picture. Ed thought she was a little emaciated and whispered to me that maybe we should buy her lunch, but I didn't want to ruin her special day by making her have to eat.
After the people fest in the piazza, we wandered through some of those winding alleys...
Turning corners that revealed small ristorantes (and other lost people)...
Stores with delicious displays of meats and cheeses hanging in illuminated windows...
And in their doorway, a teeny baby cinghiale that probably made up some of their tastiest delicacies...
A ring to tie your horse to, perhaps during Il Palio...
And the Red Cross for when that horse breaks free and tramples you...
This is the path we took down (it was very steep)...
And these are the stairs we went up (multiply the amount you see here by 480 and you'll get the amount of steps I had to climb)...
To get to church at the top left corner of this photo. The slope started at the top of the right side of this photo, went down to the center where you can see that open concrete pad, and then the steps went up the other side, above those three little arches. It came out at the top, just below the church where the pointy tree on the right side of the building is...
The best part of Siena to me was not this church, but the amazing Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (my favorite one of all the churches we saw, including the Vatican) and which I will post about soon.
This is the Loggia del Mercato Nuovo. It was built around the middle of the 16th century in the heart of Florence. It was initially intended for the sale of silk and luxury good and then for the famious straw hats. It's also known as Mercato del Porcellino or Mercato del Cinghiale.
These names were coined because of the bronze statue of a wild boar (Cinghiale), which is the focal point of the market. The Fontana del Porcellino (Fountain of the Piglet) boar was cast by Pietro Tacca in the 17th century after an antique original, which can be found in the Uffizi Gallery.
Pizza looked more beautiful than it does at home. We didn't eat at this joint, but there were several others that we couldn't pass by. Pizza there is goooood. 
Here's another random side street in the city...
When we got near the area of the Ponte Vecchio, we saw some street performers...
And some of the shimmering gold...
Took a picture of the view from the bridge...
And on the way back to meet the group, we came across this pretty little store...
I didn't buy any gold, but I did buy a few things at the market and really the best part of walking around, for me, is the people watching. It's the best bang for your buck.