San Miniato al Monte

On the last day in Florence, we walked from our hotel near the train station all the way up to San Miniato al Monte a couple miles away. It is thought to be one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany. Construction began in 1013 by Bishop Alibrando and endowed by Henry II. The whole area is surrounded by defensive walls built by Michelangelo during the siege and made into a fortress by Cosimo I de’ Medici. These walls now surround a large cemetery where many famous people are buried including Carlo Collodi, creator of Pinnochio, and poet and author Luigi Ugolini. It was a pretty cool feeling sitting in this place by myself, listening to the silence.