travelogue: florence, italy

stefan and i spent five days soaking in the florentine lifestyle, trying to speak some italian along the way. i loved and felt so at home in florence. and so, reflecting back on our five days in florence, here are my ten favourite things, in no particular order.

1. i loved our cavernous pared-back hotel room at palazzo d'oltrarno with its comfy bed, the fresco ceiling and herringbone flooring located in the oltrarno neighbourhood; the location was perfect for exploring. the only problem with it was the delicious chocolate squares placed on the pillows each night, i would inevitably eat both and then crave more! before bed, i'd help myself to the finocchio tea.

and there's more. we quickly settled into a before dinner drinks at the cozy neighbourhood bar, la cité - libreria café, just next door, which served its cocktails with a little plate of aperitivo, so italian!

  

2. our morning ritual, walking down the street to ditta artigianale for our pastry breakfast. every. single. day. loved the vintage shops on this street. i still think about that reproduction parakeet painting i didn't bring home from studio punk.

they're a gin bar by night!

3. the museums. spending my birthday at the galleria dell' accademia gawking at the statue of david. it was impressive! and i am always in awe of the realism in paintings, incredible. we loved how the musicians from way back when look like metal bands of today :) 

of course, everyone should see gallerie degli uffici. an afternoon laying eyes on botticeli's birth of venus, caravaggio's medusa, michelangelo's holy family painting, primavera, and so much more. 

  

4. the ponte vecchio... under sun and clouds, up close and from afar. 

there has been a bridge spanning this point of the arno since roman times. the current bridge was built in 1345 to replace a 12th-century bridge swept away by flood in 1333. originally the shops were owned by butchers and tanners, it is now favoured by gold and gem shops and is a tourist hotspot.

unless you are looking for a jeweler, i'd stay clear of being on the bridge, well, except to get to antica porchetteria granieri 1916 for one of their pork sandwiches then yes, fight the crowds :) 

5. coming upon the duomo di santa maria the first time was jaw-dropping and breathtaking, i can't even put it into words. inlaid with pink, white and green marble, it soars above the surrounding buildings. in the 13th-century, it was decided that the old cathedral was no longer fit to represent the city's power and wealth. a competition was held to find an architect and the prize went to arnolfo di cambio, a sculptor and architect who trained in pisa. 

the up-close view of its dome from the library's terrace was worth the detour... the library and then the entrance to the library cafe, caffetteria delle oblate are tricky ones to find but if you persist, it's pretty amazing. sit with a pastry and admire, while students around you do their homework.

 

6. the piazzas, both in the city and in the oltrarno area, have a lively sense of community, especially the smaller ones. 

in the city, the piazza della signoria and all its statues; i made a point to walk through here whenever we could; city hall is located here, if you wanted to get married! 

and there's the piazza di santa croce with its lovely cloister and where michelangelo, galiteo, and dante are buried. 

for a merry-go-round, piazza della republica is your spot and you might be treated to a marionette show. good to know, cafe gilli, florence's oldest cafe, sits on its square; it reminds me of les deux magots in paris.

 

in the oltrarno neighbourhood, piazza santo spirito was built by brunelleschi, with a simplistic ocher facade, it's the inside that delights. the daily market was a treat. the pizza place, gustapizza, right around the corner is a must-stop or pick up one of those pork sandwiches in the market, both are excellent. 

piazza della passera is a teeny square but here you'll find what we thought was the best ice cream on one corner and on another really good pasta. and this cute piazza is one where you can sit peacefully with a gelato or a spritz and really not feel like a tourist.

  

7. superb tuscan food! 

in the city first: right around the corner from ponte vecchio, you'll find antica porchetteria granieri 1916 and while we didn't plan on stopping here, thankfully we did because their one menu item, the pork sandwich, was perfection. 

visiting mercato centrale was a feast for the eyes; i picked up a few slices of mortedella to snack on as we strolled around :) this food market is housed in a 19th century glass and iron building and a must for foodies. there's a deli, meat and chicken stalls, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sun-dried tomatoes piled high. plus, cheeses, hams and salamis.

trattoria sostanza is a small one room place, no frills decor, and a tiny kitchen where cooking is done over coals. i must insist you order the butter chicken - a double chicken breast in a browned crust that comes in a sizzling pan of butter - and tortellini in brodo. most old school florentine trattorie will be best, the kind of places where the menus don't change other than with the season and people go to experience the nostalgia of their favourite traditional dishes. it's cash only.

the panino con la mortadella from 'ino was just like my mother made it, with homemade pickled veggies. i think i could eat this alone day in day out.

  

  

in the oltrarno neighbourhood: gurdulu, a cocktail bar / fine dining restaurant, is a beautiful space with creative food (no pics though), so you won't find traditional recipes here. 

i highly recommend the pizza from gustapizza, it was perfection, just be prepared to share a table because it's tiny and busy. 

trying the local delicacy, lampredotto, at the food truck, was an inexpensive lunch of stewed tripe sandwich with artichokes! i know what you are thinking... i'm a bit grossed out too but it was a good sandwich. 

and finally, our last meal at 4 leoni was exactly what i wanted, all the pasta and meatballs!!!

8. cafes, gelaterias and bakeries! okay this list is not at all exhaustive seeing as we only had five days but they are good ones. 

even in october, gelato is a must. sicilian granita from gelateria carabe (or try the pistachio ice cream). other gelaterias include, la strega nocciola, gelateria carraia or gelateria della passera. the latter was our favourite, 100% organic ingredients with flavours exploding in your mouth. i usually order almond, pistachio or stracciatella. 

a note on ice cream, please stay away from the shops that pile it high, the quality is very low which means very little flavour. you want the gelaterias that keep their ice cream covered; it's the real deal.

for coffee shops, head to ben caffe, ditta artigianale, caffe gilli, and pasticceria buonamici. the cafes will have excellent bakeries with a good choice of sweet and savoury treats. our favourite was the latter, a little out of the way in the oltrarno neighourhood, but it's worthwhile.

and, there are ALOT of pics of stefan in this section!!!

 

9. the shops and their attention to detail is so impressive. so many beautiful things to buy. i settled on earrings from florence factory, a shop carrying local brands and tomato leaf soap from aquaflor, a gorgeous shop to peruse. 

the studio galleria romanelli, a sculpture repair/workshop is so beautiful, it was hard to leave. 

for boys, dexter has lovely things; the owner is a handsome older italian dressed to the nines and benheart tempted stefan with some leather shoes. 

frau leman makes handmade leather shoes, belts and bags, i was very tempted! 

and, on via dello studio you'll find pegna, a food specialty shop where we spent quite a bit of monies and just down the way parione, a gorgeous stationary stop.

 

  

10. the gardens! 

last minute, we decided to visit boboli gardens and i am so glad that we did. after days of strolling the city the quiet was a welcome change. the gardens are huge, we entered through one set of gates and ended up in a completely different neighbourhood to explore.

boboli is the only park in central florence, and it was laid out by a number of artists like vasari and buontalenti. be sure to wander along the viottolone, a long avenue lined with cypresses. the impressive gardens were a gift from cosimo de' medici to his wife eleonora de toledo.

views from piazzale michelangelo! i needn't say more :)

i think we love florence because even though it's such a small city, like people from all over the world, we are attracted to its beauty, its art and its history. if that wasn't all, there's the countryside too! 

up next, our day in the tuscan countryside cooking with an italian nonna.