Me & My Firenze

Day 1

We left Dublin airport for Pisa a little after 1 p.m. and landed at about 4:30 p.m. When we stepped off the plane I felt something I that I hadn’t felt in quite a while – the warmth of the sun. The warm air felt foreign to girls who had spent the past month getting excited whenever the high of the day broke 71 degrees. Since we’re not the type of travelers who pass up the chance to see the big sights, before jumping on the train to Florence from Pisa we took a detour to see the leaning tower – luggage and all. We rolled our luggage through the crowded plaza and took turns guarding the bags while the others took staged pictures. It was a frustrating process trying to get the angle just right, but since we had already paid 12 euro on a cab to get us there we weren’t leaving without some quality pictures. What was interesting was that we were obnoxiously rolling massive suitcases through the crowd, and no one seemed to notice since they were so focused on getting their own perfect picture, with the perfect pose. This was also the first time in a month I had broken a sweat, I’m currently missing the chill of the Dublin air and dreading returning to the scolding heat of a Texas summer. We arrived in Florence at about 9 p.m., and took a taxi from the train station to Hotel San Giovanni. When we walked through the door we took a few moments to let our inner child freak out over the fact that the hotel elevator was similar to the one in the Lizzie McGuire Movie. Not soon afterwards we were beyond thankful for the tiny elevator since it meant that we didn’t have lug our suitcases up 6 flights of stairs to reach the hotel entrance. The hotel is managed by a friendly little Italian man who couldn’t have been more excited to give us maps of Florence and tell us all about the history of the hotel.  Even though the original 16^th century frescos on the ceiling of our room were cool, the view from our window onto the Duomo was unmatched. However one thing that we’re all still trying to acclimate too, is the fact that Italians don’t believe in air condition. So our room was a tad warm at night, despite turning the fan on full blast. We hadn’t eaten since the Dublin airport, so we quickly dropped off our luggage and made a beeline for the door to find somewhere to have a late dinner. Osteria Santo Spirito came highly recommended so we headed there and got seated rather quickly. After trying their amazing apple balsamic vinegar we had to fight the urge to eat the whole basket of bread before our food arrived. We each ordered a 3 euro glass of white wine and ordered 3 dishes to share: their famous Gnocchi Gratin Cheese Soft Scent of Truffle; Spaghetti with Guitar, Garlic, Oil, and Chili; and Pappa al Pomodoro. By far, the best Italian food I’ve ever had in my life. The ingredients were fresh, full of flavor, and even though we cleaned our plates we didn’t feel gorged afterwards. Olive Garden will never be the same. In Ireland, Ella, who had travelled to Florence before, told us that when it comes to gelato “there is a greenish yellow place and a pink place across the bridge. Everyone goes to the pink place, but the yellow place is better.” That evening we found the greenish yellow place and for only 1.50 euros I got a little taste of heaven.

Day 2

During our second day on Florence we quickly remembered how important it is to stay hydrated, our poor little bodies still aren’t used to the blaring sun. We began our morning by eating croissants from a café near our hotel and decided to spend our afternoon at the Palazzo Pitti, where we saw the Boboli Gardens, the Porcelain Museum, The Costume Gallery, and The Silver Museum. My biggest regret once arriving in Florence wasn’t pre-booking a tour of the Tuscan countryside, but the Boboli Gardens were a nice compromise. Once I was in the garden I forgot I was surrounded by the hustle and bustle of Florence because I was enamored by it’s natural beauty. The entrance of the Porcelain museum is located up on a hill that gives visitors a breathtaking view of the Italian countryside, and it was everything I imagined it would be. Walking down the gravel garden paths underneath the trees surrounded by old architecture was like a scene from a movie. Like Glendalough and the Wicklow mountains, no picture can capture the Italy’s true natural beauty. The Costume Gallery was interesting because it showcased the wardrobe of some Italy’s fashion icons from different generations-and no surprise-Italians have always been very well dressed. Meredith, Whitney, and I laughed when we say that certain pieces from decades ago resembled outfits we saw in the window of Gucci on our way to the garden. For lunch we went to Gusta Pizza, a small pizza place where the pies are served in the shape of a heart. Rightfully so, because their flavorful pizza stole mine. At Gusta Pizza we met some students from Wash U in St. Louis Missouri who had been studying abroad in Florence for the past few weeks. They told us that we should make a point to go to Uncle Jimmy’s – an American college themed bar where most American students will hang out. After lunch we went to the Uffizi, because even though we didn’t have pre-purchased tickets, we heard that if you go after 4 the wait won’t be as long. We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and only had to wait about 15 minutes in line to buy our ticket, but unlike the Lourve they don’t given student discounts. In the Uffizi we saw work by Michelangelo and Botticelli’s famous masterpiece Birth of Venus. Plus I know I would’ve made Hannah, my freshman year art history TA, cry tears of joy if she could have seen me recognize Madonna with the Long Neck and Judith Slaying Holofernes. After the Uffizi we had dinner at Trattoria 13 Gobbi. We knew it had to be good when we got there and the line to be seated was out the door. Thankfully even though we were a few minutes late they still honored our 9 o’clock reservation. Famous for their Rigatoni, our waiter grew to love us when we made our order simple by ordering 3 Rigatoni’s and the house wine. As you can assume, it was delicious. Then because they were a little understaffed and we had to wait a little longer, our waiter brought us chocolate cake on the house. I genuinely love the Italians. One thing we all noticed about the Italians is how hard they try to communicate with us when they don’t speak English and we ask them for help. On a number of occasions we’ve asked a local for directions and although there is a language barrier they are very expressive and use their hands to send us in at least the right direction. Meredith, Whitney, and I are very appreciative of their effort because really all we need is a few key words.

Day 3

We woke up bright and early to get in line to climb the Duomo, all 463 steps to the top. Although it was quite the climb, the view from the top was more than worth it. We’re just happy we were one of the first groups to go up in the morning before it got really hot. On the way to the top you’re in close quarters with a lot of people on staircases so climbing up in the afternoon with people who had been outside and in the sun all day wouldn’t have been ideal if you catch my drift. We grabbed a quick bite at a café near the Duomo and then, thanks for Whitney’s extensive research, went to the best market in town. Since Florence is known for it’s high quality of leather each of us had our minds on getting a beautiful leather purse. Vendors tried to entice our attention as we walked through the market since most of them were selling the same goods. Whitney had briefed Meredith and I on the rules of the market before we went and one of them was, “Don’t believe the price on the tag, they’ll almost always go down.” As we walked, I kept picking up the same bag at each stand we stopped at. After about the 4^th time examining the same bag, Meredith and Whitney told me to get it. It was marked at 60 euro but by the time I left the vendor had knocked it all the way down to 25 euro because they know if you’re not buying the bag from them, you’re buying it from someone else. So after some pursuing and persistent haggling each one of us is leaving Florence with a beautiful leather bag for less than 25 euro. We dropped off our market goods at the hotel and left to go to lunch at All’antico Vinaio – the best sandwich shop in the city. Luckily we had the lowdown on how to order, you ask for Fennel Salami and say “Make it how you like it!” Then when they finish you say, “Add some balsamic vinegar.” They’ll tell you no, but you tell them that you insist. I followed all the directions and at the end of the exchange I was eating the best sandwich in the history of sandwiches. Do I know what exactly was on it? I could guess spicy eggplant spread, but other than that I’ll never be able to tell you. After lunch we were all feeling a nap coming on, so we returned to the hotel for a quick break. Then at about 6:30 p.m. We left to hike to Pizazza de Michaelangelo to see the sunset. Like everything else in Florence, climbing a lot of steps was involved. As we grabbed a spot atop the crowded lookout we toasted little bottles of Prosecco to tackling another European city together. As the sun was setting, I started snapping pictures like crazy. Then I took a step back and decided to put the camera down and just enjoy the moment. If it speaks to how good Osteria Santo Spirito is when we went back for dinner only a few nights later. I don’t know how they did it, but it was even better than before.

Day 4-Morning

Before we left for Rome in the afternoon, we were determined to see Michaelangelo’s David. Since we didn’t think to reserve tickets in advance to The Academia we were forced to get to the museum at around 8:15 a.m. and wait in the long “unreserved” line. We didn’t get through the doors until about 9:15 a.m., since they only let in visitors every 15 minutes. Even though it was a long wait, seeing David in person was worth it – the sculpture really is majestic. Now to catch the train to Roma!