Florence

Florence feels stuck in the Renaissance, in a good way. Cobblestone streets. Statues and fountains in the center of town. Rustic cuisine. We were there for 3 days, and there was plenty to do. It was the perfect amount of time.

We arrived by Eurail and checked into our hotel.

Where We Stayed: Alba Palace Hotel. This hotel was fabulous. The room was bright and felt brand new. A continental breakfast is included and a large room off of the lobby is devoted to it. Every morning we had our fill of cereal, pastries, yogurt, juice, deli meats, and cheese. Great way to start they day. I highly recommend this hotel.

Places to Go:

Central Market: Shop around and buy a something leather for a great price. Then go to the indoor market and browse all of the amazing meats and produce.

Battista Doors: Right next to Il Duomo are the Battista Doors carved in gold. Very powerful.

Il Duomo: The exterior is beautiful. The colored stone looks like painted wood. You must climb to the dop of the Duomo. Even if you're like me, not in the greatest physical shape, afraid of heights, and moderately claustaphopic, it's worth it. The view is spectacular.

View from Il Duomo

Santa Croce: Amazing cathedral that houses the tombs of Michelangelo, Gallileo, Dante (although not buried there), and Machiavelli. These men were buried properly.

Ufizzi Gallery: So many great works of art, most notably, Bottecelli's "Birth of Venus."

The Accademia: Home of the David. Okay, I was not excited about seeing the David. We've all seen it, and it's everywhere in Florence. However, I was really blown away when I saw it in person. The size. His face. I'm so glad I saw it. There are also unfinished Michelangelo sculptures and casts of marble statues that rest throughout Florence.

Ponte Vecchio: Beautiful old bridge filled with elegant shops.

Ponte Vecchio

Loggia: Fun plaza with many statues in the center of town.

Boboli Gardens: Beautiful Gardens at the Pitti Palace. The perfect place to wander aimlessly for a few hours even in the winter. And lots of fat cats!

Capelle dei Medici: Elaborate tombs of important member of society.

Places to Eat:

Gelato, gelato, gelato! There are gelato shops everywhere in Florence, and most of them were open in January. I ate gelato every chance I got. While we were waiting for our train out of Florence, I even made a couple block run to get one last taste!

Food Stands: There are a number of food stands near the Central Market. Whether at the Central Market, or on the street near the Capelle dei Medici, one should try the Trippa alla Fiorentina. Yes, tripe. It wasn't my favorite thing ever, but I liked it, and Anthony Bourdain would have been proud that I was eating innards.

Trattoria Mario: We started out with a bowl of each soup: fagioli and ribollita. Oh my. Ribollita soup is one of the great discoveries on our trip. It's a bread soup, sometimes with beans. It tastes a little like Thanksgiving stuffing as a soup. It's so delicious. I ordered it at almost every restaurant in Florence. But I think my favorite version of it was at Mario. From there, we shared a tortellini pasta and a beef filetto (Mario is known for its steaks). Besides the food being great, the ambiance is also really unique. The tables are all long and narrow. The restaurant gets packed with people from all walks of life, and you end up sitting very close to strangers. We ended up sitting next to another American couple who were vegetarians (in a restaurant renowned for its steaks) which was interesting hearing them try to negotiate with the waiters. Soup + Pasta + Steak + Wine for 2 = 30 Euros.

Il Latini: This restaurant also had great atmosphere. And the food was good. The ribollita was good, although I didn't like it as much as Mario's. Il Latini's specialty is in rustic preparations of meats. I had a cut of beef roast cooked in a tomato sauce that fell apart when I cut into it. Hubs had roast rabbit that was also very good. We shared a dessert trio, but we enjoyed the vin santo and biscotti that was complimentary more than the dessert. All in all, a really fun meal. You know it's going to be a good time when your table has a jug of wine on it and they charge you by how empty it is when you leave. Dangerous :) And the service was top notch. Soup + Entree + Dessest + Wine for 2 = 65 Euros.

Pastries, biscotti, & vin santo at Il Latini

Il Fratellini: Great sandwiches, fast. Perfect for eating on the go, and cheap. 2 sandwiches = 5 Euros.

Trattoria 4 Leon: Solid food, cozy atmosphere. Soup + 2 entrees + wine for 2 + tiramisu = 40 Euros.

La Grotta di Leo: Very unassuming. Decent Pizza. Excellent tiramisu. I didn't write down the exact cost, but I remember it was cheap!

Pizzeria Nutti: I had a really good meat-filled tortellini in creamy tomato sauce. Hubs had pizza that was not-so-good, so even though it's called "Pizzeria" Nutti, stick with the pasta. Pasta + Pizza + Wine for 2 = 28 Euros.