Florence

Wow, am I behind in blogging.  I’m trying! Life is busy and it’s a daunting task when you have let the blog go for months!

Ok, Florence….

It was BEAUTIFUL! Florence was filled with rich culture, beautiful art and friendly English-speaking Italians. The food is absolutely incredible, some of the very best I have ever eaten! With homemade pastas and freshly pressed olive oils Italians take their meals seriously! My favorite is Italian hot chocolate, it tastes like they literally have melted down a full chocolate bar and mixed in some cream. It is super creamy and very good.

Out of the sights I think my favorite was Michelangelo’s David. No pictures are here because they wouldn't let us take any but the photos don’t do it justice. Matthew's favorite part was that most museums don’t allow photos, he was in heaven!

First impressions…

• Smaller than imagined. Everything is in walking distance
• They had the best food in my opinion
• Medieval feel
• Rich in art and culture
• Lots of sculptures
• Paintings resembled a lot of war and nudity
• So much art history
• How cool would be it to grow up in such a place filled with so much history at your fingertips!
• Impressed with all the students drawings of sculptures

      Day 1

The train was delayed back in Venice so we got to Florence a little later than planned. We checked into the hotel which was right along the Arno River. Beautiful view!  After getting settled in we took a walk around the city to get familiar with the area. This is a must for Matthew when we arrive in a new city; he always has to take an exploring first walk.

We were extremely happy that the temperature in Florence was in the 40’s and 50’s. So much warmer than Venice!  We walked around Piazza del Duomo which is one of the main squares in the Florence. Of course we grabbed some gelato along the way and checked out the shops along the Ponte Vecchio “old bridge”. I found some boots that were Ugg knock offs. Not the cutest thing but they kept my feet warm so I was happy! For dinner we ate at this cute little restaurant called Il Profeta. Words cannot describe the food here. It was our favorite find on the entire trip. From the food, to ambience, to the owners….it was all amazing. It is definitely a must if you ever visit Florence. We ate there twice!!

Day 2

On the second day we started out by visiting the Academia where they keep Michelangelo’s David.  The statue is beyond description.  You literally walk into the room where it is kept and it takes your breath away.  The statue is so life like and so large and ominous.  It was very impressive.  We walked down from the Academia and Matthew had to check out this local street market where they sold all types of pastas and meats.  It was neat to see all the types of pastas and olive oils sold by all the vendors.

We then walked and toured the Medici Chapels which had lots of beautiful statues and paintings on the walls and the ceiling.  After the chapels we went and checked out the large Duomo church in the center of Florence.  The Duomo church is the tallest building in the city and has the most beautiful painted exterior.  The interior of the church was rather plain and simple when compared to the outside.  Across a small walkway from the Duomo was the Baptistery with its beautiful brass doors.  We ended the day by touring the Palazzo Vecchio with all of its great halls and artwork.

 

That night we went to a restaurant recommended by our concierge called Parione.  There we got a Florentine Steak.  It is a local specialty but definitely not as good as the steaks back in the US.  For starters it is served very rare and the seasonings were very different giving a different flavor to the meat.

Day 3

Our third day in Florence was filled with Art.  We spent the morning wandering through the famous galleries of the Uffizi and then strolled through the statues of the Bargello museum.  We visited a museum dedicated to former Florence Resident Galileo where they had one of his fingers on display.  We also went and visited the church where Michelangelo and Galileo were both buried.

We grabbed lunch at the best rated pizzeria in town, Gusto Pizza.  When the restaurant is crowded with locals and not tourists you know you have gone to the right spot.  Afterwards, we went to Palantine Gallery and saw even more beautiful art.  We ended the day with a visit to the top of the Piazzo Michelangelo with its views across Florence. Gorgeous!  For dinner we went to a casual Italian restaurant we found on Trip advisor called Da Titos. It was so so.

Day 4

On the fourth day we actually left Florence and took a bus tour across Tuscany.  Separate post coming!