Wednesday, July 2nd: Florence

Florence

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

We didn't let the blackout shades get us again! After a late night, an early wake up call and some light breakfast in bed. Matt and I set off for "Nude and Food". We met Nathalie, our tour guide, outside of the Galleria dell'Accademia at 9am and began our tour of Michelangelo's sculptures. After learning about the history of Michelangelo, we finally saw him, David, the perfect male specimen. We circled him a few times, admiring his muscles and veins, snapping a few pics, before beginning the "Food" part of our tour.

We started out at a historical coffee shop where we learned the "do's and don'ts" of Italian coffee. By ordering a decaf coffee with skim milk to-go, I have been committing at least 3 coffee felonies. We then chowed down on a custard filled Italian pasty.

Following that, we went to a local wine store where we had Prosecco and small Italian sandwiches on "salty savory donuts". Mine was filled with fresh mozzarella and tomato- Matt's with prosciutto and cheese. We were both very happy. We learned that Italians drink Prosecco before meals to allow the bubbles to open up their stomachs (a custom I have become quite fond of).

We then followed our guide into an indoor local food market where we sampled different olive oils,  balsamic vinegars, and other Italian treats made with local ingredients. We discussed how no matter how hard Americans try, the food in Italy just tastes better- it's just the way it is!

Our tour continued with tastes of cheeses, red wines, grappa (gross) and gelato- needless to say, we are not starving.

After our food tour, Matt and I walked across the Ponte Vecchio, window shopping in each and every jewelry store. Along the way we were able to find a beautiful shirt for Matthew and had a leather belt custom fitted for his new "trim&slim" size.

We then found ourselves at a small wine shop where we sampled many different red wines from all over Tuscany. We became the newest members of the "Pitti Gola e Cantina Wine Club" and will have a case of red wines on our doorstep when we return home.

After a short walk across the bridge, we returned to our hotel for a short nap before dinner at Osteria delle Tre Panche, which translates to "Restaurant of Three Benches". A literal translation as the tiny restaurant actually had only 3 long tables with 3 benches.

Tomorrow we will spend our last day in Firenze, doing some shopping and some more sightseeing, before heading off to Rome. I have fallen in love with this city and can't wait to return!!