Travel :: Florence

Happy Hump day! Today we get to pick Ruby up from the vet after her surgery! I'm both excited to have her back home with us but nervous about this whole recovery process. Eek!

Okay enough of my dog mom problems, today I'm sharing my favorite photos from our 2 days in beautiful Florence! I didn't expect to love Florence as much as I did, its so charming and everything is very walkable.

Our first stops after dropping off our bags was the Duomo, Baptistry (which was covered in scaffolding so I didn't bother taking a photo of the outside), and Giotto's Campanile (bell tower).  In true Steve fashion, we had to climb the bell tower. I got to the first level, which was pretty high, before I had enough and Steve ventured to the top without me. 

Front of the Cathedral {left}, Inside the Baptistery {Right}

View from the Campanile

We also saw the David statue at the Accademia the first day. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed but it was huge! The level of detail is amazing, you can see the veins in his hands! I recommend purchasing your tickets online (here) for both the Accademia and Uffizi Gallery. The line at the Uffizi was huge, even in the off-season, so you'll thank me later.

We walked over to the San Lorenzo market and perused the stands, where leather shop owners kept trying to sell Steve jackets that were "perfect for his broad shoulders." ha! We didn't buy anything but I enjoyed walking through there. We ate lunch nearby at Ristorante Osteria Pepo, it was quick and delicious.
 
After lunch we headed to Ponte Vecchio. Its basically all jewelry shops there now, but you have to walk through because its so charming!

We stopped at Gilli near the Piazza della Repubblica on our way back to the hotel for sweets. It was pricey but everything was so delicious! We got the "Cat Eye" cookies, at least that's what Steve thought was the translation, which you can see in the top left of the photo below. We also picked up a cannolli and some macarons. I would love to have all of those right about now!

We stayed at Hotel il Guelfo Bianco, which was just a couple blocks from the Cathedral. We had a huge room with a view of the Duomo and an extremely comfortable bed. The breakfast was okay, but I did love the fancy cappuccinos!

Our second day in Florence involved a ton of walking, but it was really fun exploring. Our first stop was the Uffizi Gallery, which had an amazing collection including some famous Botticelli, Titian, and Rembrandt pieces. We took a few photos at the Palazzo Vecchio afterwards and then headed to Piazzale Michelangelo.

 

It was a long trek but it was worth it for the views! On our way back down we stopped at Gusta Pizza, which is a must for the most delicious wood-fired pizza! It was easily the best pizza we had and we wished we had each gotten our own rather than sharing... yes, I'm aware that we are pigs.

To top it off we got some gelato from Grom, which is right next to the Cathedral.

Pretty street lined with lots of eye candy in the form of Celine, Burberry, Hermes, etc.

For dinner our last night we headed back to the market area to eat at Trattoria Za Za. We sat inside because the outside tables were packed. The service was slow (I think that's a European thing) but the food was delicious and totally worth it. I'll give you one guess as to what I ordered...

Overall, Florence was a hit! We loved seeing the Cathedral and Duomo lit up at night on our walks back to the hotel. The next morning we headed back to the train station to catch our fast train to Venice! We used the new-ish Italo train company for this leg of the trip, and the "Prima" seats were really comfortable and worth the extra couple euros.

If you missed them, you can see more pretty pictures from Rome (part one and part two) and Siena!