Thank you for the continuing travelogue. I’m enjoying it very much.
Me too, thank you!!
You’re welcome. I can’t say it’s my idea. Someone else on the boards did this a ccouple of years ago and I enjoyed living vicariously through their travelogue
Wednesday April 2
Well…we began our day going to Mass at our favorite local church…Santo Spirito! We finish Mass and head back to our apartment. We text our friends and say we are bringing home cornetti and tortas for breakfast to go with our eggs! Oh my- such a delicious treat!!
We go to purchase our Pitti Palace and Boboli Garden tickets for tomorrow (domani)- apparently it is $3 Euro more if you reserve tickets…we take it! As we head toward home, we pass an artist shop that I have been noticing all week. I love the art and realize that so many artists are working their craft. I stop and go inside. The sweet shop owner (no english) tells me the price and I ask to take it home, but I need it to travel. We manage to understand each other and she gives me cardboard to protect it during travel. She says her daughter tells her that her English is bad…I said no! You sold a painting today! Va Bene!
We take the time to plan our day and set out and go to the RIGHT! Every other day, we always head left, to cross the Arno. At first, we are slightly disappointed, it appears residential, but we keep pressing on and discover new territory! We first discover the Greek-Catholic Church from Romania with a sweet man who asks me to pray for 7 men to be beatified. I promise to pray! Simply exquisite sanctuary.
As we forge onward, we find the Florentine city gate which opens into a beautiful park! WHO KNEW! The gate doors are so large it is mind-blowing. We take our life into our hands crossing the very busy road to enter the “dog” park with a beautiful building at the end. First grass we have seen in weeks. As we approach the building, I go to look inside- apparently a woman is yelling at me that it is a school and not open to the public! I am NOT entering the building just looking at the sculpture. Simmer down . It is indeed a School of the Arts- not well cared for. What we do realize is that the Boboli Gardens is much larger than anticipated as it extended all the way to the city gate! Gonna need walking shoes tomorrow!
Big afternoon ahead…Schiaccia Sandwiches! Right around the corner we find one of the best sandwiches in Florence. On this side of the Arno, it is less crowded, but not less yummy! Oh, my goodness! 8 very small tables, but everyone must order inside, even take away. We sit inside and try to figure how they can make so many sandwiches with one guy! We got there in the nick of time as the line grows out the door! We gobble up our delicious meal and head to Santa Croce church.
Our daily walks average 5-6 miles a day and today will be no different. We choose to walk on the Oltrarno side of the Arno to get a different view of the city. I continue to play my social experiment game to see which direction the head on walker will divert to-it is a consistently to my right right—so odd. Where are we…England? We arrive at Santa Croce which continues to be simply stunning. We get the audio guide and see more treasures that we missed on our first visit.
After an hour, we head to our favorite little Santa Croce enoteca to bring Mattia his first taste of Oregon Pinot Noir. I am pretty sure he does not believe we are coming back. He has not arrived to work yet but we “force” ourselves to taste some wine and chat with the gentleman serving us, who is quite knowledgeable. As soon as Mattia arrives, the employee hurries off to “care for his vines” …I say excuse me…. did you say take care of your vines? He said yes, I have 2 hectares, and it is a busy time of year. So cool! Meanwhile, Mattia is stunned that we have made good on our promise to bring the wine to him…Patricia Green Durant Vineyard 2017. It was the first non-Italian wine that has passed through our lips in 21 days and his first time ever tasting an Oregon Pinot Noir. He does enjoy the wine and is shocked at how “fresh” it tastes for being a 2017. I ask Mattia if he was surprised that we returned and he admits he was surprised. He did, however, remember our names. Thanks to our flat mates for being our wine mules! We enjoy the wine with him and the owner.
Now, off to a proper aperitif. Living in Italy focuses on what meal or aperitif is next! We sit in the Piazza Della Signora and take in the sights, sip our Spritz and freeze! We FaceTime our grandchildren to show them the sights! Our 3 year old grandson sees the Neptune Fountain but is more interested in the crane in the background.
We end our day at Enoteca Pitti for another delightful tasting menu. We are now considered regulars. After our meal, we decide to share a bottle of one of the wines paired with one of our courses. It was the wine of the day! We stumble home (luckily, we are close to our apartment) and head off to a well-earned good night’s sleep!
Wine of the Day: Rodáno Chianti Classico 2021 (Oregon wines are not eligible in Italy )
Thursday, April 3
Today is Oltrarno Day. We plan to spend the entire day on our side of the Arno River. We start at the Pitti Palace. The building was commissioned in 1458 by Luca Pitti, a Florentine banker. Construction work stopped in 1464 after he suffered financial losses. It was sold in 1549 to the wife of Cosimo I di Medici. On moving in, the palace was enlarged to fit their tastes and became home to the Medici’s and their EXTENSIVE art collection.
We spend 2 hours just wandering through a series of seemingly unending rooms, decorated wall-to-wall, with priceless paintings and sculptures. And don’t forget the ceilings! You know you have got some money when the ceiling of your bathroom has been painted by Michaelangelo. After a snack of petite sandwiches and vino, we head out to tour the adjacent Boboli Gardens. This is the first day it’s been warm (high 70) on our trip and the local Florentines are taking full advantage. They are scattered everywhere in the gardens, sitting in chairs facing the sun, and soaking up the warmth. As we make our way up to the top of the gardens, the views of the Oltrarno side of the city are stunning. After another 2 hours in Gardens, we head back to the apartment to rest up for our hike to Piazzale Michaelangelo later today.
Around 5 pm we begin making our way to Piazzale Michaelangelo. Of course, there is the mandatory stop at Formaggioteca Terroir to pick up supplies (wine and cheese) for the “rigorous” climb ahead. The crowds at the Piazzale are already significantly more than last week, so we opt to continue climbing higher to San Miniato al Monte. Here we are rewarded with stellar views of Florence below in brilliant sunshine. We consume our supplies, take the obligatory pictures and then eventually begin the trek back down.
Dinner is down in the eastern area of Oltrarno at the cleverly named, Oltrarno Osteria. After our first THREE wine selections turn out to be unavailable, we settle on a chianti to go with our risotto and porchetta dishes. Literally, for the first time since we have been in Italy, we feel full and say no to the offer of “dolce”. Of course, on the way home, our flatmate must stop for gelato to continue his personal investigation of Italian gelato producers.
Back to our apartment earlier tonight because we have to get up early tomorrow for our trip to Chianti Classico.
Wine of the Day: No stand outs today-tomorrow will be better.
Friday, April 4
As a thank you for allowing them to stay with us, our flatmates scheduled a Chianti Wine tour for all of us today!! YAY! We wake up before the sun to catch our tour bus! Candidly, I’m just happy we will be RIDING today…. however, we need to walk to the bus station to meet our tour… 1.1 miles…. nothing compared to our other days. I plan on wearing a spring dress, only to wake up to 45 degrees. NOPE – same warm uniform. The skies are clear, sunny and blue!
We head out to the bus station and for the first time ever…. we are not straying off course and actually know where we are!!! Success! In fact, we are ahead of schedule, so we can stop for a caffe! We go to a place near the train station we have been before. We know it is good because the locals are there as well as the Polizia! Quick caffe’ and onward to our tour.
We check in, meet our guide, Gaia, and bus driver, Gamberino. Hop onto the tour bus and head to Greve in Chianti. Cannot tell you how glad I am NOT to be driving- so grateful someone else knows where to go and how to handle the traffic. Words spoken too soon. The drive is about 45 minutes with the expectation we will be visiting 2 wineries over the course of 6 hours. Did I mention we left at 8:30am…first tasting 9:30 am.?? On the way, there are beautiful vistas, but I notice we pass Antinori Winery (the winery we passed on the Autostrada as we entered Florence on March 19). Then we go over the Autostrada and pass Antinori again??? I think we are lost. Finally, the aggressive and impatient bus driver pulls over and makes a call. I hear enough Italian curse words to know that he is not a happy camper and is a tad confused. His erratic driving on the narrow winding roads brings back suppressed memories of our Italian biking trip taken in the past…jbut that’s another story.
Gratefully and a little late, we make it to the first winery ‘Zanobini’ where the owner and winemaker Marco Zanobini and his mom share their story and wonderful wines with us. A small operation, but fully 95% of the population of this small village works with the winery- so Italy and precious. The wines were lovely and elegant. We purchase a 2021 Chianti Classico Riserva for 20 euro! We meet a couple of nice women from Trinidad and Ireland and share our love for wine.
Gaia hurries us back to the bus…we did get lost, so we are running a bit late. Luckily the next winery is only 15 minutes away-if you know where you are going!!! Once again, our bus driver gets lost. I’m a starting to feel very good about my own Italian navigation skills in comparison. The good news is we get a full “tour” of the Greve area; the bad news is we have crossed the Autostrada twice, stopped at a grocery for the driver to ask someone for directions, and then watch our bus driver get out of the bus to study a directional sign to make sure he is going the right way…yes gets out and scans the horizon. What the heck!
We finally make it to the winery, Tenuta Nozzole. The Folonari family in the 1970’s owned Ruffino and decided to sell out and make their own quality driven wines. This operation was more “corporate” than the previous winery, but provides a wonderful and informative tour. We meet 2 young women at our tasting table. One has moved from Ohio to Italy! She does not speak Italian, but is trying and has a part time job at a marketing company in Florence. The other one works for Abercrombie in London. Brave young girls! Oh, to be young! Nonetheless, the wine is good and the views are spectacular!
Since we were late to the 2nd winery, we need to leave pretty soon to get back to Florence. We only have had chips, crackers, and a little cheese and are ready to have some real food. Back to the bus and hopefully a quick trip back to Florence. This should be straight forward…not so fast my friend! As we drive along, we notice we are headed back to Greve??? WTH! Now, we are crossing the Autostrada when we should be on it…I doze off and hear in Italian “Oh Mary my Mother!” I wake up to find we have stopped on a busy road…. the driver gets off the bus AGAIN! Cars are honking and drivers are yelling at him. He gets back on, and the guide explains -the driver’s jacket had blown out the window with all the money, so he had to go back to get it. Cannot make this stuff up! Jacket retrieved, we thankfully make it back to Florence without further incident.
On our way back to our apartment, we realize that chips, bread, and crackers is not lunch. We stop at a bistro for a bite to eat. Once we reach home, we take a breathier to prepare for our friends’ departure. Needing a ride to the train station tomorrow, the hunt begins on how to secure/book a taxi. Well, this nice little ‘app’ should do the trick. However, we are in Italy and nothing is ever easy. Red flags pop up due to a “foreign transaction” on our roomates credit card and after speaking to 4 different folks in the USA, the problem is not resolved. Finally, good old American Express does the trick and they are settled for an early morning taxi. Love Amex!
We cannot believe their week with us is over, time does fly. But the night is young, and we have to experience Santo Spirito in the evening. The square is busy, people spilling out of the bars, every outdoor table is full! We have nowhere to be, and we must try Osteria Santo Spirito. The server says about a 30-minute wait and points to some chairs on the square…when I ask if he needs our name, he says to sit in line on the chairs. We wander over and stand/sit in line. The boys go grab some spritz for us- best ones yet, and we patiently wait while enjoying people watching. The people next to us are from Boston, MA and are staying 6 weeks in Florence!! Bill and Lori make their own wine (hmmm?) from Italian grapes grown in California…terroir matters, just sayin’. The wait goes by quickly and we are delighted to have a humble and delicious meal. Truffle Gnocchi is what this osteria is known for, so we must try. I cannot even begin to tell you how yummy! A little wine, salad, and this dish completes a fantastic day! Our watch says it is 10:00pm! In my “American life” I am always in bed by now, but when in Italy….
Wine of the day: Chianti Classico Le Lame 2020 from the Zanobini family Winery
Saturday, April 5
The day begins with us wishing our roommates safe travels as they head to the train station for their journey to Rome. In true Italian fashion, their train, scheduled for an 8:59 am departure, was not assigned a platform until 8:58am. The rail service made up for their late start by making sure the train had to stop in route to Rome, due to another train breaking down and blocking the rails. Consequently, they arrived over an hour late…stressful because they were scheduled to meet their tour guide for an extensive day of touring Rome.
For us, back to the “pilgrimage”. We head to Chiesa Santa Margherita dei Cerchi. Built in 1032, it is famous for being the ‘church of Dante”. It’s lunchtime and we skipped breakfast, so we eagerly head over to an enoteca opens at noon according to Yelp. Nope. Not open. We check their website which says they open at 12:30 pm. A little weird since it’s a BUSY Saturday in the Florence streets, but we decide to wait. We head back into the church to wait and pray the rosary (might as well be spiritually productive while we wait). At 12:30, feeling pretty good about our piety and feeling pretty hungry, we go back to the enoteca. There’s a line of people taking advantage of the “wine window” as we head inside. We are greeted with a “No, we don’t open until 1:00”. Really? Well, there goes all my spiritual good will.
My wife is starting to show signs of “h-anger”, so we quickly find an alternative restaurant. We get seated and sit in amazement as one Korean tour group after another file in and out for their lunch time meal. Well, you know the old saying, “you know it’s a good Italian restaurant when you find all the Koreans eating there.”
With renewed energy we go a couple of blocks over to the Badia Fiorentina. It is an abbey and church originally founded in 978 AD. In 1307, part of it was demolished to punish the monks for non-payment of taxes. The IRS has nothing on the city government of Florence. Now rebuilt, it is as beautiful as expected.
We decide to complete a Holy Trinity of church visits today by going to the Chiesa Santa Margherita in Santa Maria de’ Ricci. Interesting backstory: a guy in 1501 lost money at dice, got drunk and flung some horse dung at an image of the Annunciation. He got arrested, imprisoned and despite his pleas and admission of repentance, he suffered nothing less than the death penalty by hanging. That’s some pretty powerful horse $h!+. The church was founded in 1508 to repair the offense. I’d like to tell you what it looked like, but once again we wander into Dante’s 6th circle of Google Maps hell. We walk repeatedly back and forth over the same sets of streets. No church. Every time Google says we have “arrived”, we find ourselves standing in front of a Starbucks. Sounds to me like the medieval guy has exacted his own type of revenge. We give up and head home, picking up some fresh produce and eggs on the way. After 2 ½ weeks, we have at least figured our way around OUR neighborhood.
Around 6 we head out to Piazza Santo Spirito…. its hoppin’ on a Saturday evening. We decide to go for a Cosmopolitan and a Gin & Tonic to change things up. Pretty darn good. In your face, Spritz! We head back to the apartment for a dinner of tomatoes, olive oil and fresh bread that we bought on the way home from our local baker. Of course a great bottle of Brunello seals the deal.
Wine of the Day: 2018 Franco Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino
Sunday, April 6
After a good night’s sleep, we wake to a chilly morning and get ready for Mass. We grab some coffee and head to Santo Spirito. I am encouraged that the sanctuary is fairly full. The couple from Boston are there, so we are not the only non-Italians. We are really trying to take in all the sights and sounds and not taking for granted the beauty around us. After Mass, we head to the market right outside the church. For whatever reason, the Sunday market is the best! We grab 2 cappuccinos at the bar (2.60-euro total- why do we ever sit?) The market is bustling, and we realize that in just the short time we have been here, the leaves in the trees trees are filling out so much we can barely make out the church. Back to our humble abode and plan for the day!
We confirm the next two churches to visit. We need to get there quick because the first one closes at 1:00 pm. We sprint over the Santa Trinita bridge to the Chiesa San Salvatore in Ognissanti. We make our way there (without any mistakes) to find a gorgeous sanctuary filled with amazing frescoes, art, and relics. A Gregorian chant plays softly in the background while we wander through, reading and taking it all in. The nuns begin preparing for Mass, so we head to church #2.
As we make our way, we encounter an American couple cursing their travel agent under their breath while they drag their luggage through the cobblestone streets. “It’s only a 3-minute walk said the travel agent”. We wish them well and giggle. They are just starting their adventure.
We arrive at Santa Trinita but notice the church doors are closed and it won’t open again until 4 pm. However, our disappointment is assuaged by the sight of a native American playing the theme from Titanic in the street beside the church. Full on head dress! What could be more Italian!
By now it is 1:00pm and shockingly, we’ve had no wine yet today, so we head to Enoteca Pitti. We consider cancelling our reservation for Tuesday (it will be our 3rd dinner here) and order a glass of wine to ease their disappointment. However, after a ½ of the the glass, my hubby says, “We should eat here Tuesday for a proper send off.” Good ploy for a glass of wine. We have a Verdecchio and Timarossa- both light and delicious. Telling them “a presto” (see you soon) we leave and go to Osteria le Pietre, across from Pitti Palace, to indulge in Bistecca Florentina.
My husband never orders steak out- because he truly cooks the best steak at home. However, the Bistecca is…different. Besides, we have been deprived of meat for several days and this is a treat! We pair the Bistecca with their recommended Super Tuscan wine, Beccaia Bolgheri. It proves to be the perfect pairing. Osteria le Pietre was a definite win! Before leaving, we notice a sign that denotes all the allergens that could possibly be in this restaurant. Some of the pictures do not make sense so, we ask our server to explain a few. #9 is my favorite…who knew celery was an allergen?? After a good laugh, and a complimentary limoncello, we head to our apartment for ‘il pisolino’ (nap) and prepare for a quiet night at home.
Indeed, we do just that. We clean up, sit on the couch, watch some Netflix and call it a night with a delicious Brunello di Montalcino for dinner with some leftovers in our fridge. Quiet and restful evening.
Wine of the Day: Super Tuscan Beccaia – too perfect with the steak.
Monday, April 7
Today, we decide to address our VAT issue. As you might surmise, my lovely bride has managed to spend a bit of money in Italy, which has a 22% value added tax. Turns out that there is a customs office at the airport. However, with a 7 am flight out early Wednesday, I’m a bit worried that this office will not be open at the crack of dawn. I mean, it is Italy and oh, did I mention, there is a scheduled airport workers strike that same day at 10:30 am? So, we call and set up a taxi ride to the airport this morning.
The ride in is a bit difficult as we still are experiencing some PTSD from our last trip to the airport and the car rental return from hell. We walk in with all the necessary paperwork and receipts only to find out…you can only file the paperwork within 3 hours of leaving the country. Great! Now we can get up even earlier Wednesday and we immediately begin praying for Italian bureaucratic efficiency at 4:45 am.
Not wanting to pay for another cab home, we grab a tram ride from the airport to the city center. Our second attempt at trying to visit the Basilica of Santa Trinita is a success. Of course, it’s not a day in Italy if my wife cannot shop, so we make our way to an “Art of Marbling” shop. I must admit that it is pretty cool and for now this is not an art that AI can reproduce. We grab a few examples and then get a quick pizza and glass of wine before heading home for a short break.
Back out at 4:30 to make our 5:00 appointment at the Medici Chapel. Of all the impressive things we’ve seen on this trip, this place is right near the top. Wow, spectacular. Amazing what unlimited money can do. After spending a couple of hours with our mouths open, we need to “moisturize”. We wanted a cocktail for a change, so we stopped at a fancy hotel that had a great bar. It was a blast people watching and we had no trouble picking out the Americans. Loud and heavy, just like us .
Back across the river, we get another drink, of course, and spend a lot of time talking with Andreas. Andreas is a Canadian civil engineer who has been working in Brussels. He’s taking a month to travel in Europe before he heads back to Montreal to work for the government. The next time we complain about taxes, we need to think about him. He said that in Canada, if you make over $115,000 you are taxed at 55%. In Belgium, it’s 42% at over $55,000. Yikes! But of course, if you work for the EU, you get to keep 98% of your income. Why is it that with any government, it’s always “do as we say, not as WE do”? Anyway, Andreas is a delight. We give him some advice on sightseeing and wish him well on his travels before we returni home for a dinner of a schiacciatte sandwich and the obligatory bottle of wine. Good times.
Wine of the Day: Meh…no standout
Tuesday, April 8
Il nostro ultimo Giorno in Italia! Translation- It is our last day in Italy!
The morning has a good and rough start. We awake to learn our beloved Gators have won the National Championship! Now, it is time to check-in for our flight tomorrow. Should be no problem, but our Delta app won’t work and tells us to check in with Air France (their partner who we are flying home with). But Delta only gives us the Delta confirmation number…NOT the Air France confirmation number. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to log on to the Air France system, we are forced to wait until they open at 9:00 am.
We are eager to go to our local church, Santo Spirito, for one last Mass. This sweet priest is so enthusiastic, and I get some nuggets of goodness each service. He speaks slowly and very clearly! After Mass, we walk up to him and in my broken Italian, tell him that today is our last day and ""thank you for your joy! He does not speak English, but he says thank you and that he wishes us much happiness. Then, he grabs our hands and blesses us (and says some other things- not completely understood but delivered with smiles and warmth). Tante, tante benedizioni! And, he kept saying tante, tante----Many, many Blessings! I am so glad we spoke to him, and he knows he touched us.
Off we go to grab our morning cappuccino from the local bar. We belly up like we know what we are doing…no English spoken here as well. They are kind and let us struggle with our Italian…I appreciate it. The piazza is all a bustle with market clothes, vegetables and fine leather goods. After looking at some items, we wander home to do battle with Air France check-in.
I try the Air France app one more time in hopes that it was a technical glitch- but alas, no luck. I call Air France, and the very nice, well-spoken attendant is eager to help me, but needs my confirmation number. Again, all I have is a Delta Confirmation number that does not compute in their system. It is the middle of the night in US, so I do not bother my dear travel agent. I can do this. Air France works with me and finds a number that VOILA- works in their system. Thank goodness we are checked in. Remember, we need our boarding passes in order to even apply for the VAT tax return…Mamma Mia! Thank goodness we now have it! Total time lost to this process- about 2 ½ hours. Nothing is ever easy. On to packing. I have to see how much room is left for goodies!
Time for lunch- we finally make it to Le Volpi e l’uva. A cute wine bar and lunch place we keep passing every day without visiting. But today is the day. We choose a nice table on the small piazza and peruse the menu. Time for lunch and this place is the real deal. The owner is inside creating each dish per order-they are not phoning it in. We order “crostone finocchio with smoked burrata” – basically it is a crouton…a smaller version of bruschetta. Easier to eat and each bite is full of yumminess. Meanwhile we make friends with the young, engaged couple next to us. They are from Bournemouth, England and of course, my hubby can’t help but to talk football with them. They are delightful, and we spend the next 2 hours chatting and drinking wine. They are considering a “destination wedding” in Italy, hence their visit. Since they tolerated our conversation, we treat them to their lunch while we make a quick exit before they realize. Truly lovely couple!
On the way home, I stop in this linen shop I have been eyeing all week and purchase some white linen pants- yes, I do still have room in the suitcase. Our day ends with our “Last Supper” at Enoteca Pitti and our favorite server, Namoi. It does not disappoint!
Wine of the Day (and maybe the trip): Le Chiuse 2019 Brunello di Montalcino. Maybe it tastes so good because it is our last. We stroll home through the lighted streets one last time soaking in the sounds, sights, and smells of sweet Firenze. We set our alarm for 3:30am to get to our flight with ample time.
Have thoroughly enjoyed your travelogue! much appreciated!
You are very welcome! We had a great time.
Ciao, Rhodes
I enjoyed it as well, thank you!! I also love Oltrarno, so it was great to see the fun you had in the area.