Florence, Italy - Aug 21-23

We set out on our next adventure – this time a full two weeks in Italy. This was Amy’s idea and, of course, Anthony was thrilled with the choice. On the agenda for the two weeks was time in Florence (including day excursions to Pisa, Lucca, Sienna), then a few days in a small Tuscan hotel, then Capri, Positano and finally Rome.

We arrived on Friday midday and set out for some sightseeing. The weather was a bit on the hot side, reaching into the 90s and it was also humid. You know what that means – gelato, gelato and more gelato. But first, some of the Florence sights. Amy had come up with a whole list of the places she wanted to go see because Florence was a central location for important art movements. Amy was giddy with excitement.

First, Santa Maria Novella




It had an impressive altar



From there, we headed to San Lorenzo square. There were shops on the streets and bustling activity. We tried then to go to Santa Croce but missed the last entry by a few minutes. Time for a quick photo opportunity.



Time to head back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We passed something irresistible along the way. Gelato –




Our hotel room at the Savoy Hotel was right in the center of town, seconds away from the Duomo and looking over the Piazza Republica. This was a lively square that had live music each night until midnight (so much for going to sleep early). Some cool views from our terrace of the square.



Our first traditional Italian dinner was at Lapa Buca which was in the cellar of the Anitnori family’s wine shop. It is one of the oldest restaurants in Florence. It was a cool space, neatly decorated and the food was amazing.



Some good pasta fagioli (but the Bronx still beats it) and Amy’s first course was incredible.





We walked around Florence a bit after dinner and found our way to the Fiume Arno (river). A nice spot for a picture.



The next day we met up with a tour guide who was going to give us a few hour walking tour of Florence and given us some more educated views on the monuments, buildings and art that we came across. First stop with Maurizio was the Orsanmichelle old church. No pictures allowed in the church, but there were some nice monuments on the outside including one by Donetello.




Next we walked to the Piazza del Signoria which was the headquarters of the government, but is most famous for the original location of Michelanglo’s David as well as other important statues. Maurizio gave us some good history of the square and we learned about the Meidici family and history of the city.





We then walked to a museum, Bargello, which contained a few pieces that Amy was excited about including the bronze doors from the Bapistery, Donetello’s David as well as many pieces by Michelangelo.




The last stop with Maurizio was to the Duomo. Anthony remembered this church from his visit with his family in 1995. It has a very distinct exterior - green and white marble – and the dome is one of the top 5 largest in the world.






We left Maurizio and then had lunch at a great pizzeria in one of the main squares. In the afternoon, we continued our sightseeing with a walk over the Ponte Vecchio. It reminded both of us of our special bridge in Venice, the Rialto, where we got engaged. There was a lot of activity on the bridge and shops on either side, like Rialto. (No one actually buys anything in these shops, Amy!)





After getting over the bridge, we went to the Piazza del Carmine – another nice church.



Anthony decided to actually try to figure out how to use his high tech camera. He was very proud of this shot in the Piazza del Carmine of Amy.



We then walked to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens but got a little tired so decided to get back to the hotel for some afternoon rest.



That night, we had some great seafood at Cestello.




Anthony could not escape work over dinner



The next day was “museum day” in Florence which Amy was very excited about. We were going to the Accademia and the Uffizi museums. Amy had written down a dozen or more things she wanted to see from her art books. Anthony was excited to see Amy’s passion.

First, the main attraction at the Accademia – Michelangelo’s David. It was huge.




Then we had some time before our reservation for the Uffizi so we had lunch and went to visit yet another cute church.





We then went to the Uffizi to check all of the art off Amy’s list. She enjoyed it. Then, back to the hotel for a shower before dinner. Amy caught up with her mom by phone on the balcony.



That night, we had another traditional Italian dinner at 13 Goboli. The food was terrific.