Florence, Italy
43°46'45" N, 11°14'46" E
The heart of the Renaissance and the best food in Italy - sign us up! We headed to Florence, or Firenze as our Italian friends say, after Venice. We arrived in the cover of night after an enjoyable high speed train ride on Italo. A quick walk delivered us to the San Frediano neighborhood across the Arno river. The neighborhood was stunning and our little apartment was cozy and also served as a mini gallery showcasing 90s era work of artist Eduardo Núñez Valbuena. We also fell head over heels in love with the moka pot, what a fantastic way to make coffee at home!
We spent 6 days in Florence and had so much to see! Our adventures began in The Boboli Gardens and to find the entrance we hopscotched through a parade of Vespas. Little did we know, but this would be our first run in with the two wheeled invention built from Mussolini era plane parts. Vespa in Italian means wasp and it is a very fitting name considering the sound and look of these little mobility devices. Watch out! If you don’t look twice when crossing the street you might also get stung!
The history in Florence is impossible to capture in a blog post. One must absolutely experience it first hand. Mary dove into the story of the political and banking dynasty of the Medici family. Which led us to the Medici Chapels where we admired Michelangelo’s sculpting work and considered his incomplete works leading us to wonder “what went down between the Medici family and Michelangelo?” So much to learn, seriously. The cliff notes: the Renaissance started in Florence because the Medici’s funded it because they could afford art just to have it! That led us to consider, what is being funded today? If you are wondering, we skipped David. As our Italian friends said - we have a debt to Florence now and must return.
We also wandered through the Uffizi Gallery armed with a Rick Steve’s guided audio tour because, as Mary said, to see the whole thing would take at least five years! It was powerful to see the evolution of art from 2D to 3D depiction.
The food in Florence is unbelievable! We had the absolute best steak of our lives…and best pizza of our lives…and best white truffle pasta….and best panino (sandwich)....and best three dollar bottle of wine. There aren’t many images of the food because, well, we ate it all before we even thought about capturing a photo. Photos wouldn’t do it justice any way. It is absolutely worth a trip to Florence JUST to eat the food. Let us know if you plan a trip and we will absolutely meet you there!