Bellosguardo

Over many centuries Florence has developed to the east and west along the Arno. However, to the north and south one can still find rural areas rich with natural beauty and history. To the north is Fiesole, high on a hill and well known for its charm and a past extending to Etruscan times. Many ride cars or busses or go on five mile treks to take in this pre-Florentine town.
Less visited but with comparable views is Bellosguardo, a small hill community south of Florence. On a hazy, overcast day limiting those views, I decided to walk up through Bellosguardo. The road started to rise passing through a nice neighborhood.

Nice for the most part; not sure how the neighbors must have felt when this corner room was added.  Perhaps it was there first.

Soon, the wall-lined road narrowed and started to curve sharply.  This is a two-way road, in theory.

Early on I noticed cars honking, then realized, as they approached each sharp turn, they would sound to warn drivers coming from the other direction. While the countryside here is lovely, when a few cars would appear simutaneously the experience of enjoying the (honk) scenery and the villas and gardens and the distant (toot) mountain views would fall a bit short of customary rural Italian tranquility (beep beep). Still, it's a good climb.
Florence could be seen through the haze.

One can discern the Duomo on the left and the Palazzo Vecchio on the right, but it was not a day for picture taking.
There is a small hamlet atop Bellosguardo, a hill with much history. Among the persons to have resided on Bellosguardo were Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Florence (named after the city of her birth) Nightingale and, perhaps most notably, Galileo Galilei, who lived near this piazza.

So, for future reference, Bellosguardo is best visited on a clear day. It is a modest uphill walk from the city, on a narrow, winding road. Those choosing to go there by car or Vespa are forewarned to drive cautiously and to you-know-what before every sharp curve.
Ciao.