Florence

We got back, dropped the bags and of course headed back out for the appertivo hour. We walked across the bridge to get a little different scenery and found several cool new pockets to enjoy. We stumbled up a very cool makers market and got a drink in the Piazza Santo Spirito at Trattoria Borgo Antico (http://www.borgoanticofirenze.com/en). All of the food looked amazing, so we did get one thing— a huge bowl of mussels, clams and langoustine. Sooo good. After a bit more walking, and a quick stop at the hotel for a shower and an espresso martini, it was off to dinner at La Giostra (https://ristorantelagiostra.com/en/). We met a couple named Kevin (half Jewish, very into moon cycles) and Elizabeth (self-made world traveler, from a trailer park, super inspiring) and chatted with them throughout the meal. They actually took home our leftovers, which obviously THRILLED ME. We indulged in a eggplant/zucchini carpaccio, mache salad with oranges and pecorino, rigatoni rosso with fresh mozzarella, a piquant pear and pecorino ravioli and bistecca fiorentina. Oh we also had a tiramisu and warm ricotta cheesecake with red fruit for dessert. The tiramisu was a bit too rich but the cheesecake was unreal. For me, the steak last night was better but I did really enjoy the atmosphere of La Giostra. If I had to pick one, I would go back to Hosteria da Ganino. After a quick exchange of IG handles, and some hugs, it was off to bed! Travel day tomorrow!

General thoughts on Italy so far:
-I thought there would be WAY more American tourists. Our driver today assured us that there are plenty, but most of the tourists seem to be Italian!

-99.9% of the children we’ve seen have been asleep in a stroller. Idk if it’s the heat or what, but it seems like Florentine children sleep about as much as OUR children… maybe more!

-Florence definitely gets busier on the weekends, but it still doesn’t seem THAT busy. Really only two streets are kind of busy, and even then, not PACKED. Maybe Rome will be different, but it seems like you can pretty much get a seat anywhere you want to go within a reasonable amount of time and it’s just not overly crowded in general. Most of the streets we walk on are more or less empty. Oh, also, there are NO CARS. Pretty much every street is just pedestrians. Apparently that is new since the pandemic, but it’s pretty useless to have a car here. On most of the streets in the city center, only cars with a special license are allowed to drive there. It’s like weird when you actually see a car. In retrospect, us getting a cab last night was an actual divine miracle.

-I really need to know what time restaurants close here. Tonight was the first time we shut a joint down and it was 12:30. However, we walked by many people who seemed to just be starting their meal on our way home. Like, what’s the latest I can show up?? IS THERE A TIME??Read more