Gelato Consumed
Tiramisu
Chocolate (Cioccolato)
Dark Chocolate (Tartufo)
Lemon (Limone)
Mango
Not to be missed...
Chapel of the Magi in the Medici-Riccardi Palace where you can get up close and personal with both the original Journey of the Magi painting and the electronic version. Rick Steves describes the electronic version as "Star Wars meets art history" in his Florence book, but it's hard to describe how cool this multimedia "tour" of the painting really is...
See pages 406-471to read all about
Florence
Florence (Days 1 & 2)
April 4
Day 1 of the tour, but we don't meet as a group until 3:00 this afternoon. That means I have most of the day to re-discover Florence! I was here 2 years ago on a Rick Steves' Florence tour, so I feel a little smug that I can actually find my way around. (No small feat if you were familiar with my non-existent sense of direction...)
I met my roommate at breakfast and we decided to explore together. Of course we had to climb the Duomo. Very cool to see the dome from the inside and great views of the city! The weather is great by the way... Then on to Santa Croce church and the Mercato Centrale (food market).
Back to the hotel to meet up with the whole group and then on to see Michelangelo's David. Dinner with new tour friends (fresh pasta with calamari/zucchini) and then the Ponte Vecchio at twilight - beautiful!
April 5
Visited the Uffizi Gallery in the morning with the whole group. No line of course, since our guide had reservations! I love the listening system we used with just a small earpiece. Makes it so much more enjoyable when you don't have to strain to hear...
Joined four others from the group for lunch overlooking Piazza Republicca and a visit to a restored Medieval Palazzo Davanzati - a must see! Struck out on my own to hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo and was not disappointed - gorgeous views! Had to hurry back for our first group dinner after I got stuck behind a large crowd working their way up the stairs and stopping at each of the stations of the cross... Dinner was worth it though (riboletta, pasta w/wild boar, and mixed grilled meats) and a good chance to get to know everyone better!
I love Florence...
Day 1 of the tour, but we don't meet as a group until 3:00 this afternoon. That means I have most of the day to re-discover Florence! I was here 2 years ago on a Rick Steves' Florence tour, so I feel a little smug that I can actually find my way around. (No small feat if you were familiar with my non-existent sense of direction...)
I met my roommate at breakfast and we decided to explore together. Of course we had to climb the Duomo. Very cool to see the dome from the inside and great views of the city! The weather is great by the way... Then on to Santa Croce church and the Mercato Centrale (food market).
Back to the hotel to meet up with the whole group and then on to see Michelangelo's David. Dinner with new tour friends (fresh pasta with calamari/zucchini) and then the Ponte Vecchio at twilight - beautiful!
April 5
Visited the Uffizi Gallery in the morning with the whole group. No line of course, since our guide had reservations! I love the listening system we used with just a small earpiece. Makes it so much more enjoyable when you don't have to strain to hear...
Joined four others from the group for lunch overlooking Piazza Republicca and a visit to a restored Medieval Palazzo Davanzati - a must see! Struck out on my own to hike up to Piazzale Michelangelo and was not disappointed - gorgeous views! Had to hurry back for our first group dinner after I got stuck behind a large crowd working their way up the stairs and stopping at each of the stations of the cross... Dinner was worth it though (riboletta, pasta w/wild boar, and mixed grilled meats) and a good chance to get to know everyone better!
I love Florence...
A word about...Our illustrious, intrepid and of course, informative guide, Jamie. A British "expat" living in Italy, he not only had the patience of a Saint, but he also kept us endlessly entertained with his stories. Not to mention that he knows more about Italian food and wine than I could ever dream of...