Florence – great. Milan – pretty cool. Italy in general – amazing for what it’s known for (delicious food, incredible history, architecture and monuments) and irritating for others (the cost of food and accommodation, the inefficiency of its public transport).

I have many fond memories of our time in Italy, including two of its best known cities, Florence (Firenze) and Milan (Milano). However, as I sit on a sunny Greek island filling my days with little more than sunbathing and eating Greek yogurt, I find that I am not inspired enough to write my usual waffle-y spiel on these two places. Maybe that says something about them, maybe it says something about me (what? The birthplace of the Renaissance is not inspiring enough?), or maybe it just says something about the effects of good old sun, sea ‘n’ sand.

In this instance I’m going to let the pictures do the talking. Here are a few of my favourite photos from Florence and Milan.

Florence Cathedral (Duomo) and Giotto’s Tower

Peace Arch (Arco della Pace), Milan

The Fantastic Cathedral (Duomo) of Milan

View of the Arno River and the Old Bridge (Ponte Vecchio) from Piazzale Michelangelo, Florence

Basilica of the Holy Cross (Basilica di Santa Croce), Florence

The Main Man: Michelangelo’s David, Florence

That’s all for this half-hearted blog. If Greece’s grip on me starts to weaken soon, I shall be back again shortly with more blogs. If not… blame the yogurt.