Bologna, bellissimo

Bologna, the city that keeps on giving. Well the christmas decorations are starting to spring up, thank fully no silly old santas in the windows, but some shops have put some incredible effort in their displays, like the Myer windows but on a smaller level. But what really has been extravagant is the chocolate fair that has come to Piazza Maggiore , 70 stands, selling, displaying the best chocolate and most amazing ideas. There is chocolate in all sorts of shapes, forms and styles, there is chocolate as a large spinning lamb kebab, that they carve of slices of chocolate. Chocolate in the form of salami, bread rolls, parmesan cheese, every possible character, mobile phones, cameras, rusty old tool from long forgotten sheds. On the fashion side, shoes formed into stilettos, handbags, runners, shirt and ties. There are so many variations of hot chocolate , white, dark, milk, hazelnut, nutella and hybrids. There of course is the small delicate pieces that nanna likes to get for christmas, and willy wonker wrapped blocks. The question is where to start and when to stop, neither l have done well, who thought l could have spent 35 euro at one stand for myself. The fair has gone for 4 days, and happens every year, great for christmas presents.
The temperature has now dropped down to 10 - 12 during the days, but often with sunshine, and down to 0-3 during the night, but the streets are still full of people in their puffy jackets, l'd love a dime for every puffy jacket, I'm sure they have a better name for it as that does not sound so cool.
Now yesterday we all went on the train to Florence, nice city!
The Duomo really could use a clean, the amount of dark mould or acid rain effect was very disappointing, and i've seen better interiors. The Uffizi was something else, besides no cue to get in and finally able to use our residence cards to get cheaper tickets, made me look at the poor tourists paying the 4 euros more in  a way that felt good. The art is famous, and there was no disappointment, l especially liked Botticelli pictures, particularly Spring, there was a El Greco, which speaks for itself and a few Caravaggio's. There were two Venetian painters , Jacapo Zucchi and Jacapo Chimenti who l found interesting and the Tintoretto portraits. I picked up a book by Georgio Vasari, about the lives of artists of the time, he himself was an artist and friend of the Medici's. Of course there is all the sculptures and the views along the river and on to Ponte Vecchio, so that made it a very good day for me.
My main interest in going to Florence was to see Cellini's  "Perseus" in the Loggia della Signoria, it did not let me down, surrounded by other great works (Hercules and Nessus by Giambologna), it is an amazing porch! and should never be missed.
Maybe l am becoming a bit loyal to Bologna, but l found Florence so so, obviously except for the Uffizi. l missed the portico's, and it really is a tourist city, which is good in the manner that it is clean, but everyone speaks English, and though it is comfortable, it does not help to learn, and makes you feel you are at Disneyland.
It takes just over 30 minutes to get there from Bologna on the fast train, and cost us 132 euro for the family return.
Next time l want to visit the house of  Rodolfo  Siviero, a man who helped return many of the stolen artworks back from Germany to Italy, many of which are in the Uffici.
Tomorrow l see another possible studio, so fingers crossed, l have now set up a table in the entry of the house and painting on  horse scenes cardboard, its amazing how many horses you see in art, still have no interest in  riding them, and think you have to be crazy to want to have them, but they are great to paint, and you can always find some statue of a bloke on one in every city.