Just beside Palazzo you’ll find Uffizi museum, with its unrivalled collection of Renaissance art. If you’re an art lover, you don’t want to miss Uffizi, but it’s not something that can be easily covered in a short 2-hour visit!

Alongside Uffizi you’ll find River Arno, with its many bridges. If you take a right turn you’ll arrive at Ponte Vecchio, famed bridge that houses a multitude of goldsmiths and jewellery shops, with its medieval workshops overhanging bridge. The bridge itself was built in 1345 and is only bridge on Arno that wasn’t destroyed in World War II.

Once you’ve crossed bridge, you’ll arrive in area called Oltrano, which literally means “Over Arno”. Here you’ll find Palazzo Pitti – a large 16th century palace. The palace was originally home to Medici family who ruled Florence almost continuously between 1434 and 1743 and it now houses several important museums and galleries.

You may want to finish your day by taking a relaxing stroll in Boboli gardens, which can be accessed through Palazzo Pitti. These gardens were laid out in 1550 for Medici a year after they bought Palazzo Pitti and were opened to public in 1766. Many parts of gardens give stunning vistas over Florence and make a welcome retreat after a day of walking round city. If you have time, it’s worth returning to view Ponte Vecchio at sunset, followed by a walk along bridge after dusk, when lights on bridge reflect on River Arno and everything seems almost magical.

Finally, don’t forget to take a break from your sightseeing – stop for lunch or a drink in a pavement café, take some time to soak up atmosphere and do a spot of people watching.

A weathered but beautiful Nepalese woman greeted us upon arrival. Her hands were dirty and callused from an obvious hard day in vertical layered fields she plowed into mountainside. Her eyes were deep, dark, and told a long tale without her saying a word. She warmly smiled at our tired expressions and showed us to where we would spend night. Her children played and curiously popped their heads in and out of doorway to our room. Playfully they would yell "Namaste" then run away excited for us to respond. They were so content in their world, far away from noise and chaos of city; bare feet and torn clothes, but not a care in world. To them happiness was really within and not in circumstance.

After a warm meal I was

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By Joanna Niebler - Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent - at www.jetsettersmagazine.com