Viva Italia - Day 6 (Florence)

MONDAY, JANUARY 18TH

Rise, put clothes on, walk. 

Stop, get cappuccino, walk. 

Walk, walk, walk........ Eat. Keeping walking. 

Today we definitely got our steps in! It is still chilly, but the sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It made for a perfect "walking around" day! If we were to have only one day in Florence, I think we crushed every possible historical sighting we could have. With the exception of David, but that was not due to a lack of trying. Apparently the Galleria dell'Accademia was closed today, so we are going to have to squeeze that in at some point tomorrow before we leave for Venice the next day. So much to see!

Because we checked so many sites off of our list today, it may be easier to communicate just how much ground we covered via visuals:

For reference, in order of appearance:

• Palazzo Di Vecchio
• Duomo & Campanile di Giotto
• Basilica di San Lorenzo 
• Basilica di Santa Maria Novella
• Palazzo Pitti & Gardino di Boboli
• Forte Belvedere (Kim and Kanye's wedding venue!)
• Piazzale Michelangelo
• Basilica di Santa Croce

We made it through one site before stopping for some cappuccino. A very tiny, cute little cafe that is near the university. I sat down at an open table after we ordered, but was immediately asked to move. I was at a table for 4, but the workers knew that class would be letting out soon and the students would start piling in. I respected their business savvy and moved to the only two topper available - pinched between the wall and the opened cafe door. We slammed our drinks and were on our way. We didn't have time to sit today anyway!

After the fourth site, we broke for lunch at Trattoria 13 Gobbi. We had a young waiter who did not speak much English, and seemed so embarrassed by it. How shitty to be an American and make a native to the country we are in feel guilty for US not being able to communicate with him. We are kind of the worst... He knew enough to easily communicate with us, but the sense of humor was definitely lost in translation - our jokes flew right over his head. It wasn't long before an English speaking man made his way over to chat us up. Turns out, he was born in Canada and his family moved back to Florence when he was 18. He wanted to stay in North America to go to college, so he didn't move back to Florence to join his family until he was 35. Definitely interesting! 

We were feeling the need for some greens, so ordered a spinach salad with lemon vinaigrette to start. I really hate to admit it, but it felt good to have something without carbs or cheese. Have no fear, we didn't go too far astray for the main dish - Brandon got a traditional pappardelle with pork ragu and I got a "light" and spicy pasta dish, which totally hit the spot. Spaghetti in olive oil with pecorino, black pepper and red chili pepper flakes. We passed on dessert for once, I guess all the walking had us motivated to watch our waistlines today! 

After lunch, we walked through the gardens at Palazzo Pitti which lead us up a gradual incline. Atop the hill at Forte Belvedere (wedding venue of Kim and Kanye for all you pop culture fanatics) was the exit point, and we proceeded down a long and winding vertical decent. Along the trek, which is clearly the road less traveled as we were walking blindly down an actual road, Brandon discovered the olive trees to our left and decided he wanted to try one. Big mistake. Without being salted for days, the taste is extremely bitter. Needless to say, he did not have a second.

Once we found a street with sidewalks - back to ground level, we soon realized the next site required a vertical incline. We had no idea the day would involve such adventures in urban hiking! A little winded, we again found ourselves atop a massive hill - this time with the most incredible views of all of Florence. Totally worth it, but now to get back down...

It was getting late in the afternoon, and we knew we would be losing sunlight soon. Trusted Google Maps found us a trail that cut through from the top of Michelangelo's mountain, all the way back down to the river. We felt very "local" having found a short cut! Soon enough, we were at the last stop of the day. We sat for a minute and enjoyed the very English lyrics of Let Her Go by Passenger, as interpreted by our Italian comrade in the surrounding square. Brandon did not enjoy it as much as I did...

With really only enough time to hop in the shower and get ready to leave again, we quickly freshened up and headed out to dinner. We were super excited to see what tonight's dinner locale had to offer, as it was supposedly a super local hole in the wall that Rachael Ray had raved about in a number of articles I found - La Cucina Del Garga. 

Rachael and I definitely have differing views as to what constitutes as a hole in the wall, but home girl does know good food. That we cannot deny. We had really worked up an appetite with all the cross training we had done today, so we went big tonight on the food front (plus two bottles of wine, but really who is keeping track at this point?!). 

We didn't order it, but the "on the house" offering of fried polenta with buratta to start was a-mazing. Had we known that was coming out, we probably would have skipped the antipasti order of creamy polenta with Tuscan kale and pecorino cheese, but it was delicious as well so we didn't mind. 

For the main course, I was boring and went with the tagliatelle a sugo (more or less a bolognese), but Brandon was adventurous and went with the brandy citrus pasta. It was super different, but really good! Like the true Italians we are becoming, we ordered a secondi of Filetto - a chunk of lean meat, slow cooked in herbs. It's pretty fantastic.

We were so stuffed after the meal, and had totally agreed to forego dessert once again. That was until we saw our waiter convince the older couple next to us to at least split something. I wasn't going to fight with an elder Italian man, so we selected the "healthy" option. Some sort of mascarpone mousse with berries. It sounded the closest to tiramisu to me, so that's why I ordered it. I saw no complaints from Brandon once we dug in either, so all in all a solid choice. 

After we ordered, we ended up talking to the couple a few tables down - the other sugar junkies in the room. They were an interesting couple, the wife from Wales and husband from England. She made sure to note there is a big difference between the two, and I believe they were likely in their 60's. We talked travel and various things with them. It was kind of funny actually, we've been to so many of the same places in the world and had a lot of shared experiences! 

Once desserts came, our respective focus shifted back to our own tables. Brandon and I busted out the markers they have at the table side so guests can doodle. We did not draw, instead we acted like 12 year olds and played MASH. I think I came out ahead this time around....

We settled the bill and walked back to the hotel - albeit very slowly because we were STUFFED. Another Florence observation - in comparison to Rome, the city gets so quite at night. It's really kind of nice. There are still people here and there, but the walk back was nice and relaxing. A great end to another amazing day!