On to Florence

The almost 3 hour drive from Venice to Florence went by quickly.  We enjoyed the green hilly drive and I think everyone but Chris got a nice afternoon nap.   Our Rick Steves book says “Don’t even attempt driving into the city center.”   Well, we ignored that caution and headed straight for our hotel which was exactly in the city center.    Following our GPS we drove down tight streets until it seemed the road let straight into a large pedestrian only square.  Right then a Policeman stopped us.  Chris rolled down the window and said, “Hotel Duomo?”  Immediately he said, “Oh, right this way” like we were royalty or something.  He ushered us into the crowded square and 10 seconds later we were parked in front of our hotel in complete shock.  We knew our Hotel was called Hotel Duomo because of it’s obvious close proximity to the largest cathedral in Florence, the Duomo… but seriously, it was literally in the center of town, 20 feet from the Duomo’s geometric walls.   The next day I think it was Lindsey who said, “I wish I could get a good picture of our Hotel but there’s this big Dome in the way!”

{The Hotel is located on the 4th floor of a 14th century building, which in 1700 became the GONDI family residence, from which the building actual name derives. The Gondi's, whose origins go back to Charlemagne, covered an important role in the political and religious history of Florence.}

Nikole, Ashlyn and Lindsey had the two windows in the very top left corner of the picture above, and our room was right next to theirs… right above the HOTEL sign.

Our hotel concierge had arranged for a nearby parking garage to come and pick up the van.   We unloaded our suitcases, and one at a time took our luggage up the old ‘2 person maximum’ elevator to the 4th floor.

  

This wasn’t actually our room (I took it from the hotel’s website) but ours looked almost exactly like it.  It was so interesting that our hotels seemed to match the cities.  The simple square patterned bedspread and headboard seemed to match the plain square marbled Duomo walls right out our window, whereas the fancy Venetian wallpaper and ornate detailing was exactly Venice.    We opened the windows so we could hear the sounds of the busy square below as we unpacked.  This hotel gave us an old fashioned key to open our door and we were to hand our key back to the reception area as we left and receive it when we came back each time. 

This was our view of the Duomo from our window…

Once we were settled we grabbed our cameras and Rick Steves book and headed out the door to wander around and head up to Piazzale Michelangelo.  We walked through crowded streets lined with shops and gelaterias and then crossed the Ponte Vecchio, “Old Bridge” in Italian… a large medieval bridge on the Arno River with shops running across it.  From the middle of the bridge we checked out the Arno River…

Europe has a thing for locks on bridges and gates.  Actually, let me rephrase that… Tourists travelling Europe have a thing for locks on bridges and gates.  Supposedly you write the names or initials of you and your sweetheart on your lock, lock it to part of the bridge and then throw the key into the water… then the lovers become eternally bonded.  I love the idea!   On one of these trips we’ll be prepared with a padlock to ‘lock up our love.

      

Walking along the old stone wall (above) we hiked up the stairs to the Piazzale Michelangelo… a square with a replica of the huge Statue of David in the center.  The square overlooks the city from across the river giving us a stunning view of Florence and the Duomo.  The square was speckled with vendors selling purses and artists selling watercolors.  We checked out a few of them and I fell in love with this man’s work.  I wish you could see them better.  All of them were fantastic.  Nikole and I looked through a portfolio of a few more and picked out our favorite ones.  (The next day I checked out the artists where ever I walked and didn’t see anything I liked as much as this guys.  I was so happy I got it!  I did, however, find an oil painting of the skyline of Florence and fell in love with it. It was 200 Euro!… but I was seriously tempted.   I kept walking past it and staring at it over and over… the artist knew I was interested and kept telling me to offer a price.  It was gorgeous, but I ended up not getting it and now I regret it.  I would have loved it forever… I guess I’ll have to go back.)

Mine…

Above, a musician sings an a song in English to the relaxed crowd.  Below you can see the Duomo (where our hotel is) and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge (the one that has enclosed stores along it)… which is where we walked before climbing up to the top of this hill.

We took a ton of pictures up here.  It was such a pretty view of the city.  

Boy do I love this man.  He is SO fun to travel with.        

Next we climbed even higher to the San Miniato Church… “according to legend, the martyred St. Minias (this church’s namesake) was beheaded on the banks of the Arno in 250 AC.  He picked up his head and walked here…  where he died and was buried in what became the first Christina cemetery in Florence.  In the 11th century, this church was build to house Minias’ remains.   The church’s green and white marble facade (12th century) is classic Florentine Romanesque. 

Oh, even though Lindsey is in last place in the photo… she was first to the top!

Lindsey has a thing for doors.  So do I, actually.

View from the very top…  

Hungry and tired we walked down the steps, through the Porta San Miniato old wall and into the Oltrarno Neighborhood of San Niccolo.  We quickly scanned Rick Steves list of dinner recommendations in the area and walked for a while and stopped in a courtyard where Chris scanned the map looking puzzled.  Confused he said, “We should be right here.”  And we were.  The sign of the restaurant was on the door just steps behind him… Trattoria 4 Leoni. 

We had to wait for a table since it was packed with locals.  20 minutes later they seated us at a big round table, brought cold tap water and handed us ‘Italian only’ menus.  We tried our best to interpret it, but when our happy Italian waitress came back she asked if she could describe the dishes and we happily agreed.  I asked if they had anything with Alfredo sauce.   “Alfredo sauce is American”, she said.  Silly me.  She recommended some dishes, and we ordered.  What followed was probably the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten:

The Menu:

• Appetizer: wonderful bruschetta al pomodoro
• Salad: Insalata 4 Leoni: rucola, emmenthal, avocado, pesto di rucolae pinoli  (a unique and amazing avocado and pine nut salad)
• Chris’s main course: Pici alla salsiccia e finocchietto (spicy meat sauce spaghetti)
• My main course: Lasagne ai carciofi (goat cheese, white sauce with fresh homemade pasta and artichokes)  It was divine.
• Dessert: Cheese cake di Maurino ai frutti di bosco ciocco late (cheesecake with chocolate sauce and raspberries)

Nikole, Lindsey and Ashlyn shared some main courses… the best of which they took a bite of and IMMEDIATELY ordered a second helping…

• *** Fiochetti de pera in salsa di taleggio e asparagi (Ravioli filled with sweet pear with white goat cheese sauce and asparagus)

OH.  MY.   It was seriously the best thing I have ever tasted.    We could NOT stop talking about it.  It was not just food, it was an experience.  After eating it Nikole said,   “Honestly and truly my life is better because of this pasta.”  And the truth is, we all agreed.

 

European restaurants are slow and relaxed.  The waitress talks to her customers, laughs with them and may even sit down with them for awhile.  She’s not in a rush… no one is.  You are there to enjoy your evening.  And that’s exactly what we did.  We were seated at maybe 9:30ish.  I can’t really remember… but we didn’t get out until almost midnight… and that was without after dinner coffee.  When we told the waitress that we might be back tomorrow she said, “If you come in the afternoon, say 6:00 then you won’t need a reservation.  At dinnertime you’ll need to make a reservation.”    6:00pm – afternoon?  That’s European alright.  Dinner doesn’t really start until 7:00 or 8:00.  We left the restaurant feeling full, tired but oh, so, happy.