Italian Bonus

Ponte Vecchio

Leaving a day early for the Oktoberfest fun, the broads snuck in a short but wonderful few days in Florence, Italy. The long flight overseas makes for a very long day, but the best way to get in the current time zone is not to crash immediately when you arrive.  With that in mind, we arrived to Florence early afternoon, dropped out bags at the hotel and headed out to find lunch. 

There's a great little spot right behind the leather market that has solid pizza and a tasty risotto.  I've eaten there a couple times now and really enjoy the food.  It's the weakest meal we experienced while in the city, but it still knocks the socks off most Italian establishments in the US. Afterwards, we walked around looking at the buildings, window shopping a little and enjoying our first (of many) cups of gelato. 

Ah gelato.  How I love you so! I'm a huge ice cream fan but it doesn't hold a candle to real Italian gelato.  Now, I'm sure you've had it in the states, but it's just not the same.  Really. Really.  There's a freshness, a flavor-fulness that truly cannot be replicated. That's not saying there isn't good gelato in the US, but this is truly best. Some could argue that it tastes better because of the location.  True.  I will give you that.  However, I still say head to head, the real stuff will win every time.

Bell Tower at Duomo

Fighting the urge to crash, we head to the hotel, The Hermitage, to have a drink on the roof top terrace.  The terrace overlooks the Ponte Vecchio and provides stunning views of the many prominent buildings in Florence.  The Hermitage is my new favorite hotel in Florence. A big
thanks to LaDonna Matura and her booking our group there last year.  The hotel is not very large and feels like you're staying at a relatives house but without the intrusion of family. (Ha!) The daily breakfast is wonderful and the rooms are clean and comfy (with A/C).

Before getting our drinks, I checked with the front desk about an email I sent regarding dinner reservations during our stay. I had requested a booking at one of my favorite places in Florence, Coquinarius. Much to my surprise, we were booked for that evening at 8:30. Now that doesn't seem very late for a Saturday night, especially in Italy, but after a full day of travel it might as well have been midnight.  

After a quick nap, we headed off to an enjoyable dinner at Coquinarius, a small little restaurant tucked away on a side street close to the Duomo.  The menu offers a large variety of traditional Tuscan fare from crostinis to pastas to meats and cheeses.  I highly recommend two of the antipasta crostinis (large piece of toast)...one with melted brie cheese topped with honey and slivered toasted almonds and the other with melted pecornio topped with mixed grilled veggies.  Delicious!!  I really love this place, but I will offer up that the service is at an Italian pace, so if you're in a hurry to eat, stick with the commercialized tratittorias on the main piazzas.  Italian food is meant to be savored, so order a glass of wine, kick back and enjoy the dining experience.  

As I fell into bed a little after midnight, freshly showered and full of amazing Tuscan food, I was happy.  I was happy to be in Florence.  I was happy to be in Florence with two of my best friends.  I was happy to be so blessed.

David in Piazza Signoria

The next morning, we get up early and enjoy breakfast in the beautiful dining room on the 5th floor of the hotel.  Over strong coffee and a little Nutella on toast, we plan out our day in Florence.  First up, we hit the bustling leather market for wonderful scarves, leather goods, and other souvenirs.  B bought a beautiful green bag for work and I found a purple leather portfolio for all my extensive list making. A little gelato stop fueled us for a walk around the Duomo and in search for Il Papiro, an amazing Florentine paper store.  After some wandering and a little luck, we found the paper store.  We bought a few items and the store clerk showed us how they make the marbled paper.  It's an amazing process and the clerk gave us the sample she made as a souvenir.  

Brunelleschi's Duomo

With all our shopping, it was time to eat again.  We wandered down another side street and found a wonderful little place that knocked our socks off!!  I just love finding places like that.  The Caprese salad (fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil) started off the meal perfectly.  All three of us love this salad and it truly tastes the very best in Italy.  Up next, we ordered three different pasta dishes.  A ordered the Carbonara, which was perfectly done despite the ham being a bit salty for the dish.  B ordered mushroom risotto, which is in the top 5 of my all time risotto dishes.  I ordered the pasta with pepper and pecornio cheese.  This dish is amazing!  Pasta cooked perfectly with grated pecornio cheese and fresh ground pepper mixed in just a the right time to perfectly coat each pasta strand.  What a great find for our lunch!!

We paid the bill and headed out to do some more wandering and shopping.  Florence is the kind of city where you just wander and see where it takes you.  I love taking in the architecture, feeling the city and finding prizes to take home.  One prize I found for myself was a huge ceramic plate painted in the reds and blues of Florence with a pattern unique to the city.  It will look great in my house and be a reminder of this trip and my love for the city.  During the afternoon, it rained off and on and while some might see that as a negative, the three of us enjoyed seeing the rain and feeling the drops on our skin. 

Il Porcellino

After our final meal, we stop by the leather market, Mercato Nuvo, now empty and quiet, to follow in the tradition of rubbing Il Porcellino's nose.  With the original statue sheltered in the Museo Bardini, the replica on the south side of the market allows for this tradition to continue.  Visitors to Il Porcellino place a coin in the gaping mouth of the boar's jaws and allow the coin to fall through the grate below for good luck.  A rub of the boar's snout ensures the return to Firenze and keeps the nose of the statue polished while the rest of the body is a dull brownish green.  A, B, and I each took our turns rubbing the boars nose to ensure our return trip and enjoying our final evening in this Renaissance city.

 

With miles walked around the city, Euros spent on goodies for ourselves and our loved ones, cups of gelato and bowls of pasta consumed, we packed our bags and headed to bed for our last night in Florence. In the morning, we were off to another adventure in another country...

Until then, happy travels and many laughs...