HERE for Part 2 Venice
HERE for Part 3 Florence (you are here)
HERE for Part 4 Rome
HERE for Part 5 All you need to know + my custom itinerary
Thursday June 14, 2018
Our first day in Florence actually started in Venice. We were up and had breakfast quickly to make it to the packed Venice train station to catch our 9 am train out to Florence. The train ride was around an hour and half with some nice scenery to look at. Upon arrival we exited the train station and picked up our Florence city passes at the tourist office across from the train station. Once we had our passes in hand we made the short walk down the cobble stone streets to our hotel. This was actually the first hotel where when we arrived we weren't able to check immediately into our room. Florence was having a high profile fashion expo with fashion shows and such the first couple days we were in the city so all the hotels were at capacity and working to clear out the empty rooms for us newcomers. We left our bags at the hotel and set out to start seeing sights. Florence is such a walkable city and feels so homey.
We browsed the numerous leather stalls as we made our way to the central market to look around and grab a quick lunch on the second floor. I had a pesto pasta dish and Mom had a rigatoni dish with meat sauce. The market was so crowded but it was a nice experience and from this point on in our trip crowded is a continuing theme! After lunch we headed over to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David. We were able to skip the long line and were in and out of the museum in a few minutes! Again we are more church viewers not museum goers.
After we left the museum we walked around the city center which is home to the Florence cathedral. I wanted to get tickets and reservations to go the to top of the dome but they were sold out and spaces reserved for more than a week out from the day we were there. I was ok with it because I still had a plan to see the city from above. After viewing the church we headed back to the hotel to see about checking into our room before heading out for the rest of our afternoon and later dinner.
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| the church domes are breathtaking- pictures and words can not do them justice |
Once we climbed 7 flights of stairs to get to our room we had to laugh at even more stairs inside the room to get to the bathroom. Mom LOVED this part of the hotel!! LOL. After locking up our passports and getting organized we headed back out. We went to Palazzo Medici Ricardi Museum which was awesome. The Medici home was still furnished and all the rooms were so beautiful. So many times on this trip at night I would google to learn more about what we had seen that day and this night I had to read all about the Medici family and how they once pretty much owned all of Italy. So many buildings are medieval in Florence and probably once owned by the Medici family. I could pick most of them out by the large stones that made up the exterior of the buildings. The big candle/torch/flag holders like below were on the outside of the buildings.
After the Medici palace we just wondered around the city taking it all in. We saw some awesome street artists and a ton more leather shops and stalls. We made our way towards the river late in the afternoon to get a quick glimpse of what was happening on this end of the city. We saw Ponte Vecchio. This is the famous bridge of Florence that is very old. It looks like it has houses built on the bridge but these are actually all jewelry shops now but back in the old days there were still shops just of various things. We also had to try some famous gelato that is said to actually have started in Florence. I will say I had the best gelato in all of Italy here in Florence so it must be true. I had read that you wanted the gelato that was deep in a tub not mounded up like ice cream and this is sooo true. This day I had a lemon that was great and then later a chocolate, which was by far my favorite.
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| beautiful Tuscan countryside that you can see from the city |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
We made our way back to Piazza San Lorenzo where I bought an awesome looking and fitting black leather jacket (can't wait to break it out in cold weather) and got Hendrik a belt thrown in for free. Mom found a really large reversible purse that you can style a few different ways. All genuine leather made right here in Florence of course. We dropped our bags off at the hotel front desk and asked for a dinner recommendation. We ate dinner at Giannino a restaurant serving authentic Florentine food and this is where I fell in love! Literally the best meal of the trip so far and also going forward. From this meal on I knew why everyone raved about the cuisine in Florence. I also started to really understand the love Italians have for wine. I'm not even a drinker but the wine....both white and red....are so smooth and fruitful. But back to the food!!! I really had a hard time deciding what to get but I went with a steak and potato dish. The steak was juicy, tender, and had the best flavor but not really seasoned. And those potatoes...OMG they were like little crispy on the outside but doughy on the inside perfectly seasoned and buttered potatoes to go along with it. I was pretty full once I finished but I had to try the trio of traditional Florentine soups. Even if I didn't eat it all which I knew I wouldn't my Mom and I could share the dish as I was dying to know what all the fuss was about on these soups. Well ya'll I learned those soups were amazing. There was a bread tomato soup, a vegetable soup, and then Ribollita which is a vegetable and bread soup. The ribollita was by far my favorite and I made sure to the get full name of it from the waiter. Since returning from this trip I have already made my own ribollita HERE! So good!!!!! Mom had a spicy spaghetti dish that she really enjoyed also.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to shower and rest as we had a full day the next day with our Florence adventure taking us out into the Tuscan countryside for a day trip! Florence impressed us the first day and I was so excited to learn more about this area and experience it even further! Can you tell that Florence was my favorite so far?!
Friday June 15, 2018
We woke up and got ready early this day to ensure we had a quick breakfast and made it to the train station for our short 40 minute train ride out to the countryside of Tuscany. I tried booking us one event per city on our trip that really highlighted the area or made that event special. Paris was burlesque, Venice was the opera, and Florence was the MOST AMAZING Airbnb experience at a Tuscan family farm. I booked this experience really just on a whim it was the first experience that popped up on Airbnb. I had never used this service before but I read the description and thought what the hell! I booked it and after booking got more and more excited for this day. I couldn't wait!!!!! Every part of this day was amazing from our gracious and accommodating hosts, the food, our conversations with the 4 other participants, and let us not forget the scenery! It was a magical and unforgettable day. Upon arrival at the village train station Francesco, our host, was there waiting to give us a ride in his family car back to his home. Francesco and his wife, Isabella, open up their home and farm to Airbnb participants a few times a month for these day trip experiences of learning about the surrounding area, picking and cooking our gourmet lunch, and relaxing in the countryside. They also have one or two guest apartments separate from their own home available to rent on Airbnb.
We all introduced ourselves on the car ride to the house about 10 minutes and everyone but one girl was from the South. Jim and his husband were from Oklahoma City and were on their honeymoon. Come to find out Jim used to have a lake house on Cypress Springs where Hendrik had done some work for him 10 years back...small word. Ali and her cousin were from Arizona and Georgia. Then there was us Texans.. we were a group that had a lot in common and a lot of differences but had constant conversation the entire day. We left with new Instagram follows and I feel like new friends. LOL. Once we arrived we were introduced to Isabella, Francesco's wife. She was in and out of the day's experience because they had just recently had their second baby. Francesco is the main host as he is very knowledgeable and passionate about his farming. He has built the vineyard on his property, kept the olive trees and garden in production and renovated the house on site over the last 12 years (if I remember right). After a quick drink of water our group assembled and headed out with their Weimaraner, Umbro. We walked through the vineyard that Francesco maintains all on his own with the help of one part-time worker. He has something like 5500 plants that he makes the fruits into their own red wine yearly.
We then made it to the top of a hill that over looked a big valley where we could see for a long ways. Here we learned that each village in the Tuscan region and each house is a historic marker. No new builds are able to take place and when renovating the existing estates you have to go to the village office and get the original blueprints and plans. The structure is restored with all original design with modern amenities but no major design changes are permitted. Because of this the Tuscan region maintains its historic charm and character that is noticeable while visiting, watching a movie, or looking at pictures. The tall "Tuscan trees" are actually a variety of the Cypress Tree and are mainly found near graveyards as the root system grows directly down and deep not outward which would disrupt the burial sites.
We then headed to the garden where we all participated in picking vegetables that were currently in season that we would later use to help make our lunch. We also walked through the olive grove on our way back to the house. **Did you know that olives aren't edible straight from the tree? Also the best olive oil is very expensive and most if not all of the olive oil we buy in our grocery stores contain very little olive oil but is made up of a lot of fillers as there isn't any sort of industry standards or regulations on olive oil production.** We later had an olive oil tasting where we all learned what REAL olive oil tasted like.
Once we made the hike back up to the house we all got busy getting our instructions on what portion of the lunch feast we would be helping with. My mom and I were in charge of making the dessert, chocolate salami! We all worked and chatted, we learned about Italian cooking and asked a million questions. Once we had all completed our kitchen duties Francesco and Isabella finished up the lunch as we all sat and started to the relaxation portion of the day.
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| this is their olive oil they make yearly |
During our lunch we had an olive oil tasting, a sampling of a lot of dishes fresh from the garden, and a wine tasting of several years of wines from their own vineyard. After lunch we had a choice to hang out by the awesome infinity pool or take a little hike/walk up to an ancient church. I was the only one who wanted to go for a walk everyone else hung by the pool so Francesco and I set out. We walked there and back in less than an hour which gave me plenty of time to relax with the rest of our group by the pool. I loved going up to the church to get more views and chat more with Francesco. I learned more about his farm and just fell further in love with Tuscany. Wild poppies grow all over this region and I had to snap some pictures of them.
Once back at the house Isabella offered to lend me a swimsuit as I didn't plan on getting in the water so didn't bring mine. Since we still had several hours before catching our evening train back into the city I took her up on the offer to get in the water which was so refreshing. Mom lounged in the shade and napped on and off while also soaking her feet in the cool water.
We left to go back to the train station with goody bags of little tins of last year's olive oil harvest as well as a little satchel of lavender from the herb garden. We were sure to ask Isabella to send over all the recipes that we had helped make that day for lunch. We all sat together back on the train and just RAVED about what a wonderful day we had. I could see myself making Tuscany a tradition vacation spot to unwind and relax. Francesco and Isabella were the best hosts and treated us like family. They were so open with their home and sharing their knowledge. I left the farm wanting to plant all my own fruit trees, prune my herbs, and enhance the quality of my garden. After spending so much time in different cities up until this point it was so refreshing and a nice recharge to get back to the country! Book your experience with Francesco HERE you WILL NOT be disappointed they really go above and beyond!
Whew so after that energizing day in the country we made it back to the city around dark and headed over to Al Trebbio for a late dinner. We had an avocado and peach bruschetta to start then I had a black truffle pasta dish as well as ribollita. Mom tried the steak and potatoes. Her potatoes at this restaurant weren't cooked as good as the ones I had last night but they were still really good. After dinner we were exhausted from a long day so we headed back to the hotel to rest up for our last full day in Florence tomorrow!
Saturday June 16, 2018
Today was our last full day in Florence so we set out to see and explore the things we hadn't got to yet. Our main to do was to see a Florence sunset so what we did until then was up to us. We first stopped at the Medici chapel, which was full of huge stone sculptures and more beautiful paintings. We then headed over to the Uffizi Museum. The Uffizi is a huge museum and we had to stand in line but thankfully it was the short line that allowed us in with our Florence city passes. Again I recommend these to anyone doing a lot of sightseeing in major cities. Almost all cities have some version of a city pass that allows for discounts, museum entry, and skip the line benefits. The museum had some awesome views of Florence as well as a lot of interesting portraits throughout the main halls.
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| a great view of Ponte Vecchio |
After our museum visit I HAD to grab a panini from All Antico which came highly recommended and reviewed in my research prior to travel. I stood in line for a good 45 minutes but it was so worth it. The sandwich I wanted they had actually ran out of the ingredients so I just had one with salami, cheese, and some other spreads it was plain, tasty, and worth the hype. Mom didn't want that sort of lunch so she sat at a nearby restaurant and had a pizza. AfterI could tell my Mom was feeling tired and worn out after a ton more stairs in the museum. We had also finished all our must see spots so we headed back to the hotel for a rest. I was going to give the pool a shot while Mom napped but it was really tiny and REALLY cold so I went to the room napped and prepared for our last stop that was coming up...Rome!
Around 5 that afternoon we ventured back out to do some more exploring while making our way to Piazza Michelangelo for views and sunset watching later that night. Right outside and down the street from our hotel we stopped at THE BEST IN ITALY (according to me) gelato shop. The dark chocolate is mouthwatering! On our way to the hilltop Piazza we ran into Boboli gardens which I had wanted to see but wasn't sure if we had time. After more stairs and more climbing the views and the gardens were worth the climb. Walking out of the gardens and making our way to Piazza Michelangelo up more steep inclines and stairs...the plus side our way back towards the heart of the city is all down hill! LOL
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| BEST gelato http://www.lebotteghedileonardo.it |
Views from the gardens
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| like a postcard- only could have dreamt it was as pretty as I had seen in pictures |
Once we arrived at the sunset lookout spot we still had a while until dusk and sunset so we deiced to get an early dinner to kill time. We went to a nearby pizzeria that was not good I am sad to say. Mom had a pizza that was ok and I had a horrible pesto pasta. The pesto literally tasted like grass and from my farm experience the previous day. LOL I learned that is because the wrong sort of basil was used because I had a similar pesto experience at home when I tried making my own! The good thing is that it wasn't expensive and it was in a shady spot where we could enjoy some views so it was still a good experience.
After dinner we made our way to claim our spots on the steps on the Piazza that overlooked all of Florence and watched as the sun went down. The steps were so crowded there was literally no room left by the time the sun started setting. Everyone was talking enjoying their group conversations, drinking wine and beer, and just enjoying that moment. We stayed until almost all the way dark and by the time it was actually dark we were down at the river and I was kicking myself for being impatient and leaving too early. If we would have stayed until fully dark we would have seen the city fully lit at night but I still loved our views both during sunset and down on the river at dark.
We took our time on our way back to the hotel and even stopped back by the same gelato shop that was still open for one last scoop of that amazing gelato. Once we were back at the hotel it was time to pack and get ready for our train to Rome the following day.
Florence is my new favorite city. I love Paris but Florence is a different kind of feeling. It feels at home and the food it so amazing. I can't wait to go back for a visit. Now that I know they have a good steak and potatoes I know I can surely get Hendrik there!
Next up Rome!
awesome!
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