Mike & Kris - Enjoying The Ride

We are just finishing up four days in Florence and what an introduction to Italy it has been. We arrived by train, our luggage in tow, and made our way through throngs of people and over the bumpy cobblestones to our hotel in the historic center of the beautiful city. We loved the location as we were always close to wherever we were headed next and could get back every afternoon for our necessary resting time! Added bonus that we were just steps away from the amazing Duomo and got to see its plaza at all times of the day. Early morning was quiet, midafternoon was unbelievably packed with tourists, and then a bit quieter in the evening. Once we discovered the side streets in the evening, we enjoyed the experience of being in Florence a whole lot more.

Our first full day started with a food tour that set the tone for many of our treats, wine, and meals over the next couple days. We met a baker who was 97 years old, we went into an everyday market with whatever kind of organ meat/animal heads you may need, and learned other tips to make our food journey through Florence the best. The wine education was great with many different Enotecas (wine stores) to choose from and many wonderful wines to taste. The afternoon included a walking tour through the historic center giving us the names and importance of what we were seeing. We loved the Piazza della Signoria which felt like an open air museum of statues and, of course, the Ponte Vecchio (built in 1345, meaning old bridge).

Day two included an 8:15 morning reservation to climb the dome in the Duomo. It’s 432 steps and, yes, I felt each one. A bit claustrophobic and quite steep at the end. You can check out my face in the picture at the top-I think it is exhaustion and victory that you see. It was awesome being out in the fresh air and we took advantage of all the time we could before starting back down again. After the climb we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce which had the tomb of Michelangelo because it was his home church. It also had tombs of Galileo and Machiavelli. Behind the church is a famous leather school where you can see some work being done and, of course, make a few purchases if you want and we did! In the afternoon we toured the Uffizi Gallery, which they say has the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere.

Next up was another early morning with an 8:15 reservation to the Academia. This is where you will find Michalangelo’s David. We were thrilled to be some of the first people in for the day and were able to see the famous statue before it was overrun with people. The hallway leading to the David had many other important statues from Michelangelo many of which appear unfinished. It is said that Michelangelo considered them complete. It was something everyone should see. There is simply no other way to describe the experience. The afternoon included a walk up a pretty big hill on the other side of the river which gave us the beautiful shots of the whole city. It also had us prefecting our food routine–pizza for lunch, then gelato, a wine tasting before dinner, and then dinner and dessert!! Not sure how long we will be able to keep this up!

Our final day saw many of the outdoor sites again as we made our way over to the Pitti Palace. A former living space for the ruling family that became a museum over time. Very opulent place with every wall covered in famous art. Amazing if not a bit overwhelming. We had our first rain of our trip today but we were prepared. We hate to say goodbye to Florence but are anxious to move on to Rome tomorrow. Enjoy Mike’s beautiful pictures and our wonderful memories.