A look from our terrace

Waking up in Florence wasn’t quite as expected. It was 1:00AM, and I felt like I was sweating more in this moment than I had when I ran a half marathon last year.  I stepped over to the large window in our low-lit Romanesque bedroom, just two blocks from the Duomo, and opened up the window. Within minutes, swarms of mosquitos flooded into our room. I quickly shut the window but paid the price as it seemed American blood is sweeter than the canolies and treats around town. I tossed and turned as I heard mosquitos flying around my head until 5:30AM, with welts appearing around my entire body. My childhood is full of bad memories with mosquito bites, including one that wrapped around my entire quad and overlapped. I told Bethany that apparently the mosquito’s know something that the French women haven’t picked up on yet, because to them I am incredibly sweet.

Needless to say, espresso was going to be a big part of this day. We woke up, made some espresso and biscotti, then headed off into Florence. We have an absolutely beautiful location that we couldn’t have ever imagined. In 2 minutes we can walk to the Duomo, the largest open-air market, the biggest city center, and the Ponte Vecchio bridge. I really enjoyed seeing all of the sights in the daytime. My mind was blown by the Duomo, one of Italy’s most popular sights. The cathedral was once the largest on earth and built in the late 1200’s. But next door sits the Baptistery of St John and Giottos Tower. The doors of the Baptistery are incredible ade of bronze, but with the most intricate displays that I’ve ever seen. Each panel told a story of its own, and I gazed at each one for minutes at a time, imagining the artists as they worked on this piece in the middle of the square.

We took a vertical hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo, a square with the best panorama view of Florence. This area was build in the 1860’s to redeem Michaelangelo, who many in Florence despised for leaving to Rome when he was 21. A bronze replica of David stands at the middle of the square along with other pieces.  Just to our left was the Giardino di Boboli, a beautiful park and the greenest grass I’ve seen in Italy.

We had seen a lot of history and my mind was still pretty blown, so we headed into the antique market area for some small gifts, then headed to the Italian Leather market. On the way we met a gentleman who grew up in Northwest Ohio, about 10 miles from my parents. He lived in Florence now, but grew up in Bryan, where I was born and joked with a “I’m sorry you were born there“. It made for a brief but fun interaction proving again just how small and connected this world is. Bethany spent some time trying on jackets and checking our purses and ended up investing in an incredible jacket, custom-tailored and a really neat experience for the price. I was fully content to get back to our place and bash on some complimentary espresso, which we gladly did.

Street art done right

Bethany and I split up this afternoon as I was eager to check out the Uffizi Gallery, one of the world’s greatest art galleries and Bethany needed to get some shopping done.  For 11 euro, I spent several hours captivated by the most beautiful Renaissance art imaginable. The most popular pieces include Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annuniciation”, but there were many pieces from the other greats including raphael, Rembrandt, Michaelangelo, Uccelo, Giotto and more. When I wasn’t looking at artwork, I was staring at the hallways of ancient sculptures that served as a special treat, including some that I had recalled from early high school art classes.

Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi Gallery

After a few hours in Uffizi, I roamed around Florence checking out the shops, stores, and cafes. I never realized that Florence was a hotbed for the fashion industry. There were beautiful displays at every store and some of the nicest designer outfits I’ve seen. Bethany and I met up and had a steak dinner at one of the nice restaurants on the Piazza della Signoria, right next to a replica of Michaelangelo’s “David”.  I had my first try at Chianti wine, a specialty to this region. It was a bit pricey for a glass of wine, however well worth it and the best glass of wine I have had since wine tasting my first cabernet sauvignon’s in Sonoma, California. The wine here tastes much different than that in California, but I can’t say with certainty which I prefer. Chianti was not as dry and was more refreshing, but much fruitier with tones of cherry. Any time you drink a Chianti, check the neck of the bottle for a black rooster, a sign proving that the wine has met standards and isn’t a cheap wine, which Italians strongly hate after years of dealing with the poor stigma of straw flasks.  I’ve also learned that unlike the common wine myth, go after a younger Chianti, never exceeding 2-3 years in age.

We continued to walk around Florence and ended up at a cafe located on the 5th floor terrace above a local library. It was a shop intended for students and locals, but we made our way to the seats overlooking the Duomo and enjoyed a drink with practicing musicians, no English, and a sunset that capped off our evening. This cafe was found on Yelp, but only had one English review. Fortunately, we scored big, but missed out on a delicious-looking buffet that would have been about 1/4 of the price of our steak meal. Anyone heading to Florence needs to check out the Caffetteria Della Obiate. It’s connected to the cafe/bar and is open until midnight each night. Drinks are a bit pricier but incredibly well-made. They are also noted for being one of the top espresso-spots in the city. We wrapped up our final night in Florence walking the streets, staring dumbfounded at the architecture, and sat on the street curb enjoying live music on the Ponte Vecchio.

Tonight I sit in bed and am fully clothed in jeans, socks (something I NEVER do), and my REI jacket. It’s all I can do to try to sleep while avoiding those pesky mosquitos. We head to Rome in the morning, which should be quite the adventure as it is their national holiday.