Alternative title, "That Time We Ate Our Way Through Italy"
While Kevin's parents were visiting earlier this month, they watched the kids while we took some much needed time away, and visited Tuscany! We are so thankful to them that that they were brave enough (and had the energy) to watch our kids in a foreign place for FIVE days!
This was sort of a last minute trip so we flew into Pisa on a Wednesday then took the train home from Florence on Sunday. The timing ended up perfect as we were a little lighter and quicker sans les enfants!
After flying into Pisa, we headed straight to the Piazza dei Miracoli to check out the leaning tower, cathedral, and baptistry. This sight is absolutely stunning, and the people watching here is amazing! We didn't go to the top of the tower, as we still had our roller bag from our flight. After touring around the Piazza, we headed to a delicious hole in the wall, for some authentic panino's. This place was so great and the giant panino's could feed a small country...we ate two...
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
We spent the next few hours walking through the Pisa market, and enjoying the city.
After we toured Pisa we hopped on a train for the quick trip to Siena, where we met up with the owner of our airbnb and got some excellent tips on where to go and most importantly where to eat! She recommended her neighborhood's local restaurant (Trattoria Papei) and it did not disappoint!
After dropping our bag, we wandered down the winding medieval streets to the heart of the city, it's Piazza del Campo for an aperitivo and some major people watching.
The Piazza del Campo was full of people of all types meeting up to enjoy a drink and the beautiful spring evening. In the summer the Piazza hosts the famous Palio, where the local neighborhoods or contrades complete in a a horse race around the campo. The Sienese have been doing this since the middle ages and someday I hope to see it!
After dinner, we did a little late night tour of Siena and it was so neat to see all the gorgeous churches, alley's, and squares in the night light. The black and white striped cathedral dating back to the 1200's is a sight!
Here Kevin is being dwarfed by the giant frescos and sculptures in the colorful Cathedral library. Just amazing!
One of the things that is so amazing about Siena is that is is almost like a medieval time capsule. The city was not on any major travel routes, and they lost it's statehood to the Medici family in the 1500's, so consequently the ancient city didn't change much over the years. When meandering the streets inside the city walls one feels as though they are stepping into another time! As Kevin says, this is the coolest and most unique city I've ever seen. I mean, look at this place!
We had a picnic lunch from the shop above, then hoofed it 289 feet up to the top of the Torre del Mangia, Siena's bell tower and enjoyed the dizzying views of the city and surrounding countryside. Here's a shot of Kevin part way up!
After a night in Siena, we hopped back on the train to spend a few days in Florence. We dropped our bag at the airbnb, and hit the streets for an evening stroll before a late dinner.
While planning this trip we did a ton of "research" and made reservations for dinner every night. As we have been traveling more lately we started doing this and I think it's a great way to eat well while traveling.
So often when we traveled before, we would just grab something easy near the tourist sights, which is fine but kind of boring. I feel that I get a much better feel for a city when I eat their specialties at the local places.
Here's where we ate in Florence-
Gesto- This hip place is great for a pre dinner aperitivo and also has a ton of small nibbles if your stomach can't wait for your 9pm dinner reservation! I recommend the negroni or a campari orange.
Culinaria de Gustibus Bistrot- This little neighborhood gem serves organic, locally sourced mediterranean food that is creative and delicious.
Il Santo Bevitore- Which is a really nice place with a gourmet take on some of the local dishes.
Trattoria da Tito- This place serves all the florentini dishes the way your Italian Nonna makes them! no frills, and NO special orders! It's a real good time...
Mercato Centrale- If you are human and you eat, you must stop here! It's a feast for the senses, and a busy amazing place for people watching. The ground floor is filled with food stalls of every imaginable type. If you don't feel like cooking, just head upstairs and take your pick of rows and rows of restaurants cooking up all the best tuscan food. I recommend the Ribollita or the Pappardelle al Cinghiale (wild boar with pasta) and if you're extra hungry settle into a gigantic freshly butchered Bistecca!
In between all of our eating, we managed to see quite a bit of the city!
Our favorites include-
The Duomo- This Cathedral is huge and amazing, it's structure was finished in the 1400's, the architectural feats to complete this thing must have been amazing! Walking by it at night feels as though your looking at some sort of movie set, because something this colossal and intricate cannot be real!
The Basilica of Santa Croce a beautiful Franciscan Church that is the burial site of many, many famous Italians including Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli.
Galleria dell'Accademia where you can gaze at Michelangelo's David and many other renaissance works, is a must. We got there early and were able to see the highlights of the museum without too many crowds. I was so inspired by David, that I picked up a copy of
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone to learn more about the life of Michelangelo.
On the left is the real David, and on the right is a copy in the Palazzo Vecchio.
Head to the
Uffizi Gallery and be sure to look at the amazing Botticelli's and the tiny, but very ornate Tribuna room where the Medici's showcased their most prized treasures!
After a morning filled with awe inspiring art we needed to get out and stretch our legs a bit so a stroll along the Arno River was just what we needed. Florence has so many bridges, but walking across the Ponte Vecchio to check out the shops along the bridge is pretty neat. These shops used to be where the city's butcher's did their business.
One afternoon we took a stroll across the Arno to the
Giardino Bardini located on the side of a steep hill with beautiful views of the city. It's the perfect place to watch the sunset! We were there just as spring was starting to wake up, and after a long Swiss winter it was just perfect to walk through the winding paths and explore the grottos.
On the final full day of our vacation we headed out of the city and took a bike tour through the Chianti region of Tuscany. It was a really amazing adventure and I am so glad that we popped out of the city and got to experience the countryside by bike.
We stopped at a gelateria, visited a local street market, tasted the region's local wines and olive oils at several small family run estates, and ate a delicious tuscan lunch. And even managed to cycle 10 miles through the Chianti countryside. It was a day I'll always remember!
Italy, we love you the best. Don't tell Switzerland!
