Venezia

The "Ponte Chiodo" (Nail Bridge) in Cannaregio is unique as it is the only bridge in Venice that has no parapet.

Piazza San Marco, Venice. It is one of the few great urban spaces in Europe where human voices prevail over the sounds of motorized traffic.

Cruising on Canal Grande, Venice

Buon Natale da Venezia! Ponte di Rialto is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal. It is the oldest bridge across the canal, and was the dividing line for the districts of San Marco and San Polo.

Craftsmanship At Its Best: Gondolas are handmade using 8 different types of wood (fir, oak, cherry, walnut, elm, mahogany, larch and lime) and composed of 280 pieces.

United Colors of Burano. Two stories are attributed to how the city obtained its name: One is that it was initially founded by the Buriana family, and another is that the first settlers of Burano came from the small island of Buranello.

The Master of Murano needs only 4 minutes...

...to make a perfect glass horse.

Christmas spirit in a Venetian cloister. Hotel Abbazia has transformed the ancient refectory of the Discalced Carmelite Brothers into a cozy lounge area.

Smoggy Sunday on Canal Grande. It's 3,800 m long, 30–90 m wide, with an average depth of five meters.

Firenze

Holy night, silent night at the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi was designed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de'Medici to house the Granducal Magistratures of Tuscany.
(A few more words about Giorgio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Vasari)

Rudolf is on strike.

An optical illusion at Piazza del Duomo, Florence. Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral is the fourth church of Europe by size, its length is 153 m and its height is 116 m.

The Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) by Michelangelo is accessed from the side of the church in the cloisters.

Ponte Vecchio by night. Butchers initially occupied the shops of the bridge; the present tenants are jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers.

Officina di Santa Maria Novella.

Last minute Christmas shopping.

Legend has it that good luck will come to those who place a coin on the muzzle of Florence's wild-boar "Porcellino" and let it fall into the underlying grate.

Something red, hot and Italian for Xmas:
Bruschetta http://bit.ly/MCKzbD