Florence - marble is as marble does
10/12 - Arrival in Florence
After the train to Venice and a quick jaunt through downtown Florence with all of our bags, we made it to our hotel. Our immediate impression of the city was - “man, it’s weird to have cars around again, I miss that I couldn’t be run over by a boat.” All the streets in Florence have very tight sidewalks, so dragging our bags around is something we’re excited that we only have to do twice (once on the way to the hotel, and once on the way to the train later this week). Between Venice and Barcelona (where I visited earlier this year) I sort of forgot what a car-centric European city can be like. As Ariel warned me, drivers are liable to almost hit pedestrians just to make a point.
At the hotel, we asked for a recommendation for dinner and the front desk absolutely provided. Salone Barrasca was right down the street and felt like the perfect small Italian restaurant, a classic trattoria. The menu we received was a two page photocopy of a handwritten menu for that week with prices and descriptions scratched on the page. We immediately surmised that there were no bad decisions, and after a chef’s choice Tuscan antipasto and two plates of pasta (tortelli and rigatoni) were proven correct. It was a delicious meal in a quaint little space (probably only 9 tables total)! After dinner, we made it down the street to a gelato spot known for their pistachio (Gelateria Carabè), but were thoroughly impressed by the fig ice cream we got as well. I’ve got no idea how they managed to squeeze that much fresh fig flavor in to a scoop of gelato.
10/13 - Where do they even find that much marble?
The next day was a full court press of sculptures and museums. Starting at the Uffizi in the morning, after a hit-and-run espresso and croissant breakfast to make our designated entry time, we spent the whole morning wandering around the halls and galleries. The flow of the museum was really unique - two large sculpture lined hallways formed the main attraction, with smaller atriums that were often four or five rooms deep off the sides. In an immensely civilized move, halfway through the Uffizi is an espresso bar which was a welcome breather. We got to see all the big famous paintings, but I particularly enjoyed the self portrait rooms. Around four consecutive rooms walked slowly through time, starting in the early 1000s and moving to modern day, showing a range of self portraits done by artists. It ended up being a very interesting way to see different styles through the times.
After the Uffizi we did a quick walk up and down the Ponte Vecchio to window shop for unreasonably expensive rings and watches. After we’d sufficiently explored, we diverted to the Mercato Centrale to grab some pizza by the kilo that was sheared off of the main pizza-plank like a roll of paper. Unsurprisingly, delicious. With an hour to kill before our designated time at the Accademia (can’t see too many sculptures) we legged it across town to the Basilica di Santo Spirito for a once-monthly flea market. Turns out, the second Sunday of every month turns the square into a sprawling flea market. Since we just happened to have lined up the days right, we thought we’d check it out. There were whole stands of stray bronze cupboard handles and doorknobs, and plenty of miscellaneous jewelers. Most were selling probably-not-actually-antiques, with some real antiques mixed in. It ended up being a great way to burn a half an hour, and so we turned back towards the Accademia for the afternoon.
We saw the big man in the Accademia (David!) and explored the rest of this smaller museum. The focus on the process of creating a sculpture, from mold to final product made the wander around the Accademia a very interesting one. After we had seen our fill of formerly large marble blocks, we made our way back to the hotel to crash before Acqua Al 2.
Acqua Al 2 was an immensely tasty dinner, but something was off on the pacing side. I think they got thrown off by an unexpectedly long first sitting (even by Italian standards) which meant we weren’t seated for our 8:00 reservation until almost 9. By the time we ordered and got our wine (9:30) it became clear that they were just running behind that night (again, even by Italian standards where meals are expected to be longer - one person was literally running around the restaurant trying to keep all the tables served and moving). We finally cleared our meal after 10:30, after a delicious few rounds of salad, pasta, and tiramisu. Their pacing was definitely behind, but it was still worth it!
10/14 - Duomo? More like Treomo (there are three things to see there).
The next day (the day I’m writing this) we landed at Caffe Rosano for cappuccinos and croissants. Two people next to us ordered “XXL” cappuccinos, which ended up delivered as approximately 24oz of milk in genuine soup bowls with micro handles – we enjoyed our classically size 8oz cappuccinos. We made our way to the Duomo (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) and explored the basement first. The “Santa Reparata” showed off the layers of churches that had been built over the years, including an old Roman and early Christian church that had been converted over the centuries into the cathedral that is there now. The outside of the Duomo was beautiful and intricate, but we were both surprised by how austere the inside was by comparison to the gilded to the nines St. Mark’s Basilica was the other day. There was one dome with full facing artwork, while the other walls and ceilings were almost entirely bare. The baptistery was under restoration but at least the walls there had more of that classic Catholic “GILD EVERYTHING” flair that we know and love. The tile work all around was exceptional though, per usual.
For lunch, we headed back to the Mercato Centrale and toured through the bottom section (which had been closed on Sunday when we had visited the day before). We nabbed a sandwich and an arancini, then headed back over to the Duomo to walk through the attached museum. Inside was a meticulous reproduction of the statues and structures of the old facade of the Duomo, as well as a variety of robes and clothing, frescoes, sculptures, and miniature models of the Duomo’s walls from different stages of the design of the newest version (circa the 1880s or so).
After our Duomo-heavy day we hit a few yarn shops that Ariel had noticed around Florence to replenish her “future project” stores for when we’re back in the states. And now we’re settled back in the hotel, tip tapping away on this post (and Ariel on one of her applications for her Master’s program). Later on, we headed to Antica Trattoria da Tito for dinner. The walls, ceilings, and even the ceiling fan blades were all covered in signatures from visitors from across the world, and the food was delicious! We had an antipasti platter, as well as pasta dishes with boar and duck. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel to digest and get ready for the day tomorrow. We’ve got a few bits of shopping to try and accomplish (Ariel got me in to a few yarn stores, so now we’re going to a couple of antique and watch stores for me to try and pretend like I know what’s nice and what isn’t) as well as some obligatory Florence leather shopping. Tomorrow is also our Pitti Palace day, exploring the palace itself as well as the garden and grounds. Looking forward to it!
Stats
Running total of espresso shots consumed: 16
Running total of gelato scoops: 7
Running total of liters of wine drunk: 2