Easter in Florence

Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna

Along with all of the beautiful houses and bridges, there is also an open air gallery for statues. It is best at night. I think this was my favorite area of Florence. One word of warning though, do not buy a gelato anywhere near this place. They charge 10 euros a cone!

I was lucky enough to be in Florence for Easter. It celebrates Easter in a very unique fashion. A huge wooden box is walked through town by traditionally dressed people (pictured above). There are a lot of parade like activities that proceed and follow it to the town square.

Once the box makes it to the center, a dove is flown into the box (I am pretty sure it isn't a live dove) and fireworks explode from the box for 15 minutes. I got to see it all and it was really impressive. The square around the church was packed and I am pretty sure the noise caused a few heart attacks in the crowd, but it was definitely worth it.