Italy
Oltrarno

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    • Day 19

      A Taste of Florence - and Gelato

      October 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

      After riding the train from Venice to Florence - as fast as 264km/h (164mph) - we found our way along busy streets to our SOBE (guest house) about a 30 minute walk from the train station. We’ve yet to use a taxi, Uber or public transportation around the many cities we’ve been in on this trip. We always walk. We then ventured out to find a quiet place for dinner. The arugula salad, vegetarian lasagna and grilled veggies were excellent. The bread? Not nearly as good as expected. Quiet? Not really. It was still a wonderful meal. We found some delicious gelato for dessert - mixed berry. Florence is a beautiful city, and tomorrow we head out to see the many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture that Florence is known for.Read more

    • Day 6

      Firenze Againze

      May 20, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Today we grabbed some espresso and walked back across the Arno to visit the Ufizi gallery. Saw some famous paintings and had a snack. After yesterday, my uffitizis are real sore aka my dogs are barking aka my feet hurt. So many paintings of Jesus and statues of roman myths under opulent painted ceilings. After ufizi we went to palazzo vechio to view the Medicis’ collection of maps. Walking back we stopped for a bite of a traditional tripe sandwich which was flavorful but too weird to finish. Explored a bit of the streets and rested in a cute green area outside a church. Icing my feet now back at Gallery Bellini. Good day but I think we’ve had enough of these herds of tourists and have seen enough fine works of art for a lifetime.Read more

    • Day 1

      Day 1, Part 1/3— Portait and Sostanza

      June 17, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

      WE HAVE ARRIVED!! Once we got to Florence, we checked into our hotel, the Portrait, which is part of the Lungarno collection, owned by Ferragamo. https://www.lungarnocollection.com/portrait-fir… . The toilet paper and toilet brush are housed behind their own little doors in the bathroom. So chic! There’s also a tiny dishwasher, a fridge and a microwave in the room. It’s a whole *now you see it, now you don’t* kitchenette. I’m in love!!

      Immediately after check in, we headed to lunch at Trattoria Sostanza (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g… ) for salty Parma ham with sugar sweet melon, tortellini en brodo, butter chicken (lightly egg battered, cooked in brown butter and finished with lemon— sopping up that sauce with the bread… heaven!!!) and artichoke pie (swirly soft eggs with fresh braised artichoke hearts). It was both delightful and delicious. I did they ordering and it made our waiter highly uncomfortable, in this male dominated culture! He kept checking with Matt to make sure he was ok with everything I ordered and that we were indeed sharing.
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    • Day 15

      Ponte Vecchio and the Cathedral

      July 29, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

      Our favorite sites were the Ponte Vecchio and the Cathedral, especially seeing the Duomo and learning about the Medici family. Although we didn’t do an official Cathedral tour, it was massive and there was an incredibly long line to enter. The piazza where it was located was lined with cute cafés, restaurants, and shops. Clearly jewelry and leather are the hot items in Florence.Read more

    • Day 6

      Letzer Schultag, von der ersten Woche .

      January 12 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      Definitiv, die Zeit rennt. Die ersten 5 Schultage sind schon vorbei. Habe ich doch schon einiges gelernt, meistens die Grammatik begriffen 😜 und schon ziemlich meinen Wortschatz vergrössert. 🥳
      Leider schlief ich letzte Nacht wieder nicht so gut. Bei meiner Unterkunft ist Heizen ein Fremdwort. Zudem es ist sehr kühl in dem Zimmer. Im Bad bist Du froh , wenn du nicht erfrierst. 🥶Bei 15 Grad ist es auch mir zu kalt.
      Zu meinem Glück, hat ein Kollegin aus der Schule, ein Appartement gebucht mit 2 Schlafzimmern. Ich durfte heute bei ihr einziehen und „e che Fortuna „ es ist warm in der Wohnung. 🤩
      Grazie alla mia collega.
      Heute Nachmittag schauten wir ein grosses Haus an, das der Familie Davanzati gehörte. Sie waren eine sehr reiche Familie in Florenz. Es war spannend zu sehen wie sie gelebt haben. Dazu hat die Dozentin interessante Sachen erzählt. 😊
      Ein bisschen k.o. gehe jetzt sehr gerne in mein warmes Bett und kann sicherlich besser schlafen.
      Buona serata 🌟🌟🌟
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    • Day 4

      Pisa to Florence

      May 18, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

      Flight to Pisa in a tiny plane over the alps 🙀. Then explored a bit of Pisa for a few minutes before taking the train to Florence. Languid countryside, lots of old stucco homes with small olive or grape orchards.

      The building we’re staying in is truly ancient with old statues and an 1930s elevator. The apartment is like an archeologist’s study. Fancy with a little view of the river.

      Walked around, ate some pasta and apperol spritz. Went to grocery store. Claire went to a book store. Then a lot of sleep.
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    • Day 5

      Claire’s Corner: Trattoria Sabatino

      May 19, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

      The Friday night mood was festive and relaxed as we queued for almost an hour next to a 13th-century gate. Locals drank aperol spritzes in line, laughed with their friends, and even made out a little. We wondered if the spikes on the medieval wall were for impaling decapitated heads or a less grisly purpose. Ollie gamely embraced the social challenge of a communal table with non-English speaking Italians and the busy, no-nonsense wait staff. We ate minestrone soup with puréed beans, rice, kale. Tortelli con patate al sugo. Vino della casa. Some Florentine steak and tender, roasted potatoes with caramelized edges. I wish I spoke Italian.Read more

    • Day 8

      Florence

      September 6, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

      How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Such is Rome - the 'bellissimo elefante' of Italy.
      I think we did Rome almost right. Almost, because we needed just one more day. A day to just walk, eat, drink coffee and absorb. No, you can’t do Rome in three days, or four. Rome is many trips. A bite at a time.

      But our trip was planned around 3 things, Rome, relaxing in the beauty of the coastline and taking the Bernina Express over the alps to Zurich.

      Florence was a self indulgence. I am quite simply amazed by Da Vinci. Therefore, Florence was to be a stop to see the Da Vinci museum, and then on to Cinque Terre – a primary destination.
      I was wrong on at least two accounts. The Da Vinci Museum (at least the one we visited) was a swing and a miss – more research required for our next trip. And two, Florence is not a stop over, it is a primary destination.

      My words will be sparse, but pay attention to the photos and know that we absolutely loved Florence. It is beautiful, but more importantly, has more charm than anywhere I have visited in my life.

      Florence is where my heartbeat was melodic. My 'lovely' took me to dinner overlooking the Arno river after visiting the Ponte Vecchio. We saw lovers walking hand in hand at the pace of a slow dance. We watched boats slide effortlessly down the Arno. We heard music in the streets and saw the glow of the moon.

      As we walked back to the hotel afterward, strolling down the alleyways that act as streets here, I completely melted. A booster shot for romance, it feels good even if you don't need it.
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    • Day 2

      Florenz

      June 17, 2020 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

      So leer wie wir Florenz erlebt haben, war er wohl seit Ewigkeiten nicht mehr. Wegen des Coronavirus sind nahezu keine Touris unterwegs.
      Leider haben noch teilweise Museen oder Gärten geschlossen.
      Da wir nicht soo kunstbegeistert sind, haben wir mehr Priorität auf Stadt genießen und essen gelegt :D
      Unser airbnb war sehr zentral und schön mit hohen Decken. Direkt nebenan war eine Garage (mit Rabatt 25 Euro am Tag). Ich würde es jeder Zeit wieder wählen.

      Unser Fazit
      Bestes Eis: Gelateria Santa Trinita
      Beste Pizza: La Bussola
      Must Do:
      - Giardino Boboli & Giardion Bardini. (Letztere wurde uns wärmstens empfohlen, hatte aber leider geschlossen. In der Nähe ist auch Gustapizza. Gute Pizza aber Plastikbesteck)
      Aussicht von Basilica di San Miniato al Monte und - Piazza de Michelangelo genießen (damit lässt sich auch gut der Giardino delle Rose verknüpfen). Wenns passt bei Sonnenuntergang.
      - Sonnenuntergang in Fiesole (Linie 7 fährt direkt dorthin. Toller Blick auf Florenz)
      - (Pizza)kochkurs bei Barbara im wunderschönen Chianti mit Marktführung
      - Mercato Piazza Sant'Ambrogio: super Qualität. Keine Touri Abzocke. Nur essen. Sehr nette Verkäufer

      Weitere Emfehlungen:
      - am Wochenende unbedingt reservieren.
      - Santo Bevitore: ausgefalleneres, sehr gutes Essen. Steak war sehr zart.
      -Pastation und Neromo (hat uns unsre Vermieterin empfohlen, hatte aber leider geschlossen. Wir haben aber nur gute Tipps von ihr bekommen)
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    • Day 2

      Pitti und Boboli

      June 7, 2023 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Gleich als erstes heute früh habe ich den Palazzo Pitti besucht. Das Ticket hatte ich zuvor gebucht, um nicht lange anstehen zu müssen. Der Palast war einst Residenz der Herzöge der Toskana und sogar der König von Italien hat hier gewohnt. So prachtvoll erschien mir das Ganze gar nicht. Die Gemäldegalerie jedoch war sehr imposant. Hier haben die Medici einiges zusammengetragen, was einen Besuch lohnenswert macht. Direkt hinter dem Palast befindet sich der Giardino Boboli. Dort habe ich mein italienisches Croissant gefuttert und mal wieder festgestellt, dass die Franzosen das einfach besser drauf haben. Insgesamt hat mir der Garten nur mäßig gefallen, bis auf den Giardino Cavalieri, dort gab es Blumen, einen Brunnen und eine tolle Aussicht.Read more

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