Italy, Day 2: Florence Orientation

We woke under a Tuscan sun. We'd all arisen before our alarm. There were no showers, so I just wore the same clothes.



Our conductor offered us espresso and returned our passports. An espresso machine in the conductor's cabin ... what a country.

We shared a cab from the station with an English couple and arrived at our hotel around 8 am. The hotel was very welcoming and we were quite grateful. We were also offered breakfast. We blearily sat down; Margo and Sarah had some toast and cereal and I got an Americano. So far I haven't seen any evidence of drip or instant coffee in this country and I hope that doesn't change. We left our bags there as it was far too early to check in and went out to explore Florence (Fiorenza).

Our hotel is nicely situated centrally, so it was a great surprise to go out our front door, turn to the right, and after a block, see the Piazza del Duomo, housing the Duomo church and its tower. The Duomo is a Florence landmark, and its dome design and construction by Filippo Brunelleschi is a famous work of engineering.







We then visited the nearby Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, showcasing artwork that was formerly housed inside the Duomo, including sculptures by Donatello and Michaelangelo and della Robbia. Margo will write more about the art and include some of the pictures we took.

Next we took a break, getting some cold drinks. We decided to walk toward the River Arno next via the Via dei Calzaiouli pedestrian shopping street. We stopped in a few shops and browsed some windows.





Next we found ourselves in another huge plaza, the Piazza della Signoria. You'll see a David sculpture below, but it's not the real David, just a replica: there are several around the city.





Another block of walking and we were at the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. This is the bridge from the inside, lined with shops selling gold and silver jewelry ...



And here it is from the outside ...



We consulted our Rick Steves guidebook for advice on where to eat lunch. We were in the touristy areas, where the food is typically less authentic and more expensive. We settled on Il Fratellini, where could get a warmed-bread sandwich and a glass of Chianti for four euros. Sarah had a goat cheese sandwich and Fanta, Margo and I had goat cheese and different salamis.



We'd passed a carousel in a nearby square on the way out, and promised Sarah a ride if she was good, so she earned one on our return.



We returned to our hotel. Our room was ready so we eagerly checked in. We've been very pleased with our hotel, the Hotel Perseo. The staff have been very welcoming and helpful and we like our room a lot.

Margo took a much-appreciated shower and Sarah was happy to hang out for a while. I was glad to get out and explore so I loaded a day pack and headed out across the river to the Piazzale Michaelangelo, which is a square (mostly filled with car parking) high up the opposite bank, with great views of the city ...







I took a few shots on the walk back also; here are a few of the better ones ...





When I got back to the hotel I changed out of my stinky clothes and took my eagerly-awaited shower and shave. By then Margo and Sarah were asleep and I took a good nap also.

We woke slowly and read and hung out for a while. I asked hotel staff for recommendations of nearby trattoria where we could get authentic (non-touristy) Italian cooking. They were quite helpful and gave us a few; they also offered to make a reservation for us, so we decided on their first choice, the Palle d'Oro, a few minutes' walk away. Dinners aren't typically served until 7 pm, so we made a reservation for 7.

Like I've been writing earlier, Margo and I really enjoy Italian cuisine, and we were greatly looking forward to our first proper meal; this did not disappoint. We ordered a carafe of the house red (Margo asked for a litre, but we'll probably get a half-litre next time) and some antipasto: a plate of selected meat cuts; the smoked ham made me moan.





We got tortellini with ragu sauce for Sarah. Margo had a penne della casa - in this case, veal with mushrooms and vegetables. I had a primi of tortellinis with prosciutto, a secondi of sausage and white beans in a tomato sage sauce, and spinaci saltati (salted spinach). I thought my sausages were particularly tasty, and I really enjoyed the spinach. It's great when even a simple dish liked cooked spinach can make you moan. But that evening I got the most pleasure from Sarah's ragu sauce. The flavour of the meat and tomatoes was just so incredible.

When it was time for dolci, we got a chocolate torte for Sarah, and planned to get ourselves some gelato on the street afterward.



For some reason - maybe chocolate overload, maybe the few sips of wine we'd given her, or maybe just as a reaction to how much we were enjoying our food - Sarah went giddy. She'd start giggling, then watching us laugh with her, making her giggle more, again and again.



All in all it was a very happy meal.

We got some gelato on the way back but the single servings were way too much for us. We could have easily split one amongst ourselves. As it was, not even I could finish mine, so three flavours of gelato soon ended up in our bathroom sink. Fortunately I'd earlier brought in a bottle of limoncello so I had another sweet to wash down the gelato with and pave the way for sleep.