Waking Up in Florence

Mornings are my favorite time in Florence. At about 6:15 the sun shines through my open bedroom window as it is rising. As I wake up I can hear the swallows winging round and round above the red tiled rooftops overhead. Looking out, it is so peaceful to see them rising above the tightly packed houses and private gardens below, a clear blue sky silhouetting them as they chirp and dip and soar. Then church bells ring in the distance and I notice how so very quiet it is...all the tour groups who clog the narrow streets in the afternoons are secreted away behind tall wooden doors and sleeping the effects of the long, hot days away. Today is another new day...I wonder what awaits?