Italy
Ponte Vecchio

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
    • Day 2

      Day 2, Part 1/3— Gucci Garden & Panini

      June 18, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 88 °F

      Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. I mean, what’s better than an Italian “continental” breakfast? Delicious Bellini, charcuterie, fresh bread and pastries— divine! I actually also ate a salad, for health reasons. After breakfast, we walked to Ditta Artigianale, a coffee shop Matt has been talking about for months. He proceeded not to get anything, and then we walked over to Gucci Garden. https://www.gucci.com/it/it/st/stories/inspirat… Gucci Garden is an experience unique to Florence, where Gucci originated. There’s a cafe, a museum and a shop with exclusive items that aren’t sold anywhere else— including THE INTERNET. The museum was VERY cool, taking you behind the scenes of some of the most famous Gucci campaigns of the past 20 years. I found a bag I just HAD to have… see pics and you’ll understand!!

      Today was kind of a double lunch day. We headed over to SandwiChic to try some of Florence’s famous panini. https://m.facebook.com/sandwichic/ There are other places that have lines down the street, and I KNOW there are MANY great sandwiches in Florence but these were UNREAL. We got the salame and pecorino sandwich on “pane”, which is a flatter, almost cakey bread and the prosciutto cotto with truffle spread on the “schiacciata” which looks thick, like a focaccia, but is so light, it melts in your mouth. Nothing like the dense and chewy bread you’d expect from the visual. We walked around the back roads of Florence, dipping in and out of shops and grabbed some gelato at La Strega Nocciola. Yogurt flavor got a 10/10. https://www.lastreganocciola.it/
      Read more

    • Day 1

      Day 1, Part 3/3— Appertivo & Dinner

      June 17, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 91 °F

      After our tour, we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and have two very serviceable espresso martinis in the hotel bar. What better to help fight the jet lag?? For appertivo they served the BEST little crackers called “Taralli”. I hope to bring a lot home in my suitcase! Matt’s phone stopped working and he completely lost it.

      Next, it was on to an adorable natural wine bar called Vineria Sonora (https://www.vineriasonora.it). This was about a 17 min walk from our hotel, in a much more residential area. The place was incredible and I think we convinced the main server to come do a pop up in Detroit. I bought a tote bag, obvi.

      For dinner, we went to Casa Ciabattini, also off the beaten path. https://casaciabattini.it We had a beautifu octopus salad and stuffed squash blossoms to start, followed by ricotta and spinach gnudi, tagliatelle al ragu, eggplant tortellini with burrata cream (pure eggplant flavor, divine), double cooked pork, and braised beef. We walked home (about 10 miles total, just since 1pm!), showered and hit the sack!
      Read more

    • Day 3

      Day 3, Part 2/3– Tuscany and Shopping

      June 19, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 93 °F

      After the winery, we took a quick stop in a beautiful Tuscan town called Panzano. There was a lovely open air market, cute shops and more wine. We stopped in an outpost of another Tuscan winery called Vecchie Terre Di Montefili and were treated to a tasting (which we paid for) by a lovely, middle-aged polish gentleman who is just doing a quick jaunt as a wine expert in Tuscany… must be nice! The wine was wonderful. Still ate no food. Again, not hungry since yesterday. Next we headed to the Mall Firenze, an outlet mall of only luxury designer stores. It *was* very cool to see these super intricate pieces up close and even try some on, but overall, I wouldn’t say it was my favorite shopping experience. Matt, however, bought several items, so I am happy about that. From the mall, we drove back into the city, approx 45 min. The drives were the best part of the day, with all the amazing Tuscan scenery. As most basic bitches are, I am totally obsessed with the whole cypress tree/villa situation. It’s so gorgeous. I will never tire of it.Read more

    • Day 3

      Day 3, Part 3/3– Happy Hour and Dinner

      June 19, 2022 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 77 °F

      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

    • Day 7

      Straßenmusik in Florenz

      September 19, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Gestern nochmal den ganzen Tag in Florence gewesen, shopping, lecker Essen und Straßenmusik.
      Zurück ist immer beschwerlich, trotz E-Bike ca. 450m Höhenunterschied auf kurzen wirklich steilen Bergen. Und kalt wird es jetzt abends...Read more

    • Day 36

      Ponte Vecchio, Florence

      May 10, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

      Lloydie found a fabulous apartment for the four of us right by the Ponte Vecchio.
      Wonderful couple of days wandering around the old city with a bit of rain and a bit of sun.
      If you want old buildings, Florence tops the lot. Highly recommended and suffice to say, we will return one day.
      One outstanding meal in an old family run Osteria, and another meal which, whilst the good was lovely, was run by a mad, mad lady. Hilarious.
      Read more

    • Day 28

      The day of insane people

      July 25, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌩️ 30 °C

      Not much to report today - we spent most of the day getting from Rome to Florence and only did a little bit of exploring before dinner. Sat next to some bonkers Americans on the train and some insane Aussies at dinner. People are strange all over the world 🥰🤠 we spent a bit of time researching Venice sights and doing uni respectively before heading out to dinner. Dinner was great - we found a super cheap family trattoria that sold €6.50 roast beef with potatoes and sold wine by the litre for €8 😵‍💫 after an ice cream on the way home we were well and truly ready for bed!Read more

    • Day 1

      Day 1, Part 2/3– Tour highlights

      June 17, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 90 °F

      After lunch, we went back to the hotel to meet our tour guide, Laura, who took us to see some of the highlights of the city including he Galleria Academia (where the David lives), the Piazza de la Signora, and the Ufizi. We filled up our water bottle at a local fountain and learned that they offer both both still AND sparkling water, which is a basic human right here in Italy, She told us only to eat at gelaterias that say “artigianale”, meaning it’s made in site. She also told us that restaurants these days are much better that they were 10-15 years ago bc everyone is chasing those good reviews!!Read more

    • Day 24

      Florence

      March 26, 2022 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      Florence is the capital of Tuscany today. In medieval Europe, it was a wealthy economic and cultural center and arguably the place where the Renaissance got it's start. It's literary giants of the time include Dante, Machiavelli, Boccaccio and more.
      Florence was founded by Julius Caesar in 59 BCE and was an important trading center for centuries. It really came into it's own in the late middle ages when the florin (the Florentine currency) was used thoughout Europe thanks to the local bankers financing industry; monarchs and their wars; and even the papacy.
      Arguably the most prominent banking family was the Medicis. The family eventually took over the government. In fact, 2 popes we're from this family.
      The city was heavily damaged during world war 2, but the reconstruction has made the effort to retain the city's character, albeit with modern construction.
      There is so much to see here that I simply cannot do it justice in blog posts. So this and several additional posts will be a sampling of the incredible art this place is.
      The 1st picture looks to the so called parade bridge. This is the bridge that the Medicis used when they paraded from their mansion to their capital at the Palazzo Vecchio. The 2nd picture looks in the opposite direction to the Ponte Vecchio or old bridge. This historic structure was not destroyed during the war. So it is original.
      The 3rd picture looks along the Ponte Vecchio. Those are jewelry shops on both sides. Above on the right side is the "secret corridor" that ran from the Medici's palace to the Palazzo Vecchio or government palace so the rulers could traverse the city unmolested. Those jewelry shops are there because the Medicis got rid of the butcher's that worked on the bridge beforehand.
      The 4th picture is the Sassetti chapel in Holy Trinity church. These frescoes date to the 15th century and are considered a masterpiece of the artist Ghirlandaio.
      The 5th picture is a typical and perhaps the 1st Renaissance palace: 3 stories, local stone, etc. This became the pattern for later palaces of the period.
      The 6th picture is the plaza of the republic. This is the center of the city and it sits stop the ancient Roman forum.
      The 7th picture is Gilly's, a several century old coffee and pastry shop located at Republic Square.
      A chunk of Florence's wealth came from it's wool trade. This is the house of the Guild of the wool merchants. This is one of the few guild halls still remaining. It gives a sense of the wealth and power contained within it's walls at the time.
      The 9th picture is the Palazzo Vecchio that I mentioned earlier.
      Read more

    • Day 5

      Florence Tour

      May 19, 2023 in Italy ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

      Really neat educational tour from a British lady named Kate. Learned about all the buildings. Wish I could say more but after the David, the “private collection” at the Bellini Airbnb, and gelato, I am bushed. David was big. Buildings old. Florence has much history.

      Oh, we ate prosciutto sandwiches from the place Conan and Shlansky went to.
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Ponte Vecchio, بونة فكيو, Понте Векио, Pont de Vecchio, Puente Viejo, פונטה וקיו, Պոնտե Վեկյո, ヴェッキオ橋, პონტე-ვეკიო, Понте Веккьо, 베키오 다리, Pontė Vekijo, Most Złotników, پونٹ ونیشیوبرج, 老桥

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android