Although we set out for the leather markets, we didn't actually make it there. We did come across some stalls which were selling leather goods, but they did not necessarily have an "authentic" vibe. We therefore turned around and headed back from the Piazza di Madonna degli Aldobrandini which was seen in a previous shot. After a couple of blocks, that road turns into the Via del Giglio, as can be seen from the street sign attached to the wall on the left. The road that we are looking down, however, is the Via del Melarancio, which runs off the Via del Giglio at an angle, heading roughly due west.

The tower that can be seen shrouded at the end of the street is at the back end of the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. What I had not realised at that time (and in fact did not realise until 4 years later when I was writing this commentary with the assistance of Google Maps satellite view), is that the basilica backs onto the piazza opposite the station, and that it was therefore just down the street from our apartment. When we went to the front of the Basilica, we typically went the long way around.

The hotel at the end of the street is, or I should say was, the Grand Hotel Majestic also known as the Pancioli Majestic Hotel. It seems that all that remains of it is the sign, and a listing on Expedia. The last reviews date back to 2008 and 2009, and they were generally excoriating. There is one review on TripAdvisor from February 2016 where the writer claims to have stayed in the abandoned hotel for free; whether s/he squatted there or wrote the review as a joke isn't clear. In any case, all it is now is the sign that you can see.

Clearly cyclists, scooter riders and pedestrians can coexist in Firenze... though it's a much smaller city than Sydney.