TRIP TO FLORENCE 23RD MAY 2009

In May, Simon and I went to Florence for a week and we thought we would share with you the cultural sites, restaurants, bars, enotecha's and shops that we thought were worth a visit.

Saturday 23 May 2009

FLIGHTS

·        Flights with easy jet (if you book through expedia – make sure you pay for baggage in advance otherwise this is a hassle at the airport.)

TRAIN FROM PISA TO FLORENCE

·        The train station at Pisa is next to the airport. The trains from the airport go regularly to Pisa central and then you have to change trains to take one to Florence – Santa Maria Novella.

·        Make sure you stamp your ticket before you get on the train – you will see a small machine that does this. All very easy. Loads of taxis at Santa Maria Novella to take you to your hotel.

COACH FROM PISA TO FLORENCE

·        Or take the coach from Pisa airport, you can buy tickets at the airport but coaches go less regularly than the trains.

·        We recommend the train, there are some lovely views on your way into Florence.    

HOTEL

·        We stayed at Hotel Cavour on Via Pronconsolo, which is opposite the Bargello Museum. The hotel is 4 star, there are nice views of the Duomo from the terrace, where you can have your breakfast or a drink. The breakfast buffet is very generous. Our room was clean and comfortable. They have a gym with all the equipment, pretty painted ceilings, a sauna and steam room and treatments. Also there is a fun bar and restaurant called Angels. We recommend the bar!

·        The best bit was the location of our hotel – step outside and only a short walk to the left and you find the Duomo is a two minutes away, to your right Piazza della Signoria is also a couple of minutes away and the Bargello is practically opposite. A little further ahead, is the way to Santa Croce (about 5 mins).

·        If you are not in Florence very long we suggest you stay in the cultural centre because there is so much to see and do and Florence is small, you can easily walk around and quite quickly you'll feel at home.

·        WHAT WE DID – There was a festival taking place in Piazza della Signoria, (see the famous sculptures by Cellini (Perseus holding Medusa's head) and Giambologna (The rape of the Sabine Women) that are in the square. We watched some flag throwing, then walked to Piazza dell Repubblica, picked up a guide book in the book shop, then headed down via Tornabuoni (where all the designer shops are).

·        Then chose a cafe overlooking the Ponte Vecchio (oldest bridge in Florence built in 1345) and had a delicious ice cream.

·        Walked over Ponte Vecchio (which has jewellery shops all along it.) and continued to watch the flag throwing and drum playing festival.

·        Later on, drinks and nibbles at Hotel Savoy in Piazza della Repubblica (we love this bar – the olives are delicious.)

Sunday 24 May 2009

·        Our second venue Villa di Maiano is a very short taxi ride up the hill towards Fiesole and practically next door to Villa San Michelle (one of the best hotels in Florence which has a pool with a breathtaking views of Florence and perfect for a romantic dinner – the views are incredible from the terrace too – you need a jacket for dinner.)

·        Instead of going there, we instead went back down the hill, to the first cultural site we came across, which was San Marco.

·        If there is one thing you do in Florence – we say go there!

·        San Marco – a convent that was founded in 13^th Century, but was taken over, enlarged and rebuilt by Michelozzo when the Dominican monks moved there. There are many dormitory cells decorated with devotional frescoes painted by Fra Angelico paintings. The frescoes are stunning. Its a gem and should not be missed.

·        There are also paintings by other famous artists too, and a library (Europe's first public library) with the beautiful painted manuscripts.

·        Lunch at a Jewish restaurant called Ruth's, near the Synagogue. It was in our guide book as a recommended vegetarian restaurant, the food was delicious (falafel, houmous, Moroccan style vegetable tagines) and very reasonably priced.

·        Then off to Piazza della Santissima Anunziata. Just North of the Duomo is this serene square designed by Brunelleschi in 1419. Here lies Europe's first orphanage – Spedale degli Innocenti. The loggia's are decorated with Andrea della Robbia's terracotta roundels.

·        We went to the Church Santissima Annunziata, to see the Mannerist frescoes by Fiorentino, Andrea del Sarto and Pontormo. There are paintings and a special shrine there that  devout Florentines believe was completed by an angel.

·        I then couldn't resist trying a Granita at a Gelateria called Carabe on via Ricasoli which is very close by. I had lemon and mint one and it was delicious. They had a wide range of different granitas and ice creams. GO THERE! 

·        Dinner – we headed for the stunning Santa Croce, which is lit up at night and there are some good restaurants in the area. So we tried another restaurant in the guide books – Osteria del Cafe in Via Isola delle Stinche.

·        The pizzeria is where the locals ate, we instead opted for the more pricey restaurant and ate outside and had delicious steaks and salty spinach. (If you haven't been to Florence before, its all about the Valdichiana beef in Florence. If you are a meat eater – choose it, its delicious. Of course there are many other culinary delicacies – I've listed them below.)

·        We then walked to Piazza della Signoria and had an ice cream at Caffe Fiorenza on via Calzaivoli and then listened to live opera in the Piazza.

Monday 25 May 2009

·        Breakfast at Hotel J & K place, (a very nice hotel!)

·        We visited Palazzo Gino Capponi on via di Gino Capponi, (first wedding venue) which is close to San Lorenzo and also SS.Annunziata. If you are staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, this is very close to our first wedding venue.   

·        We headed through the Market at San Lorenzo – (get yourself a sun hat - essential for staying cool in 34 degrees heat), and looking at all the stalls with fab leather goods – gloves, hand bags, brief cases, wallets and belts etc.

·        Lunch – at Oliandole, near our first wedding venue, on via Ricasoli, very light lunches served here, only locals eat here, we had delicious chicken liver crostini, salads and omelettes. (Food was nice but not tourist friendly.)

·        Dinner with a close family friend at il Cantinetti Antinori – in Piazza degli Antinori,  (by Via Tornabuoni)  food was delicious – here we had fillets of Chaina beef in a chianti sauce was was scrumptious, washed down with Chianti.

Tuesday 26 May 2009

·        Back to around San Lorenzo, this time into the Mercato Centrale – if you like food you have to go here, its an amazing food market where all the best Italian foods are sold – the cheeses, oils, meats and herbs etc. I can't help but buy lots of sachets of mixed Italian herbs.

·        Then into San Lorenzo– (buy tickets off to the left of the building away from the main entrance)

·        See the huge and dramatic Bronzino painting (The Martyrdom of St Lawrence), Michelangelo's staircase and the Medici tombs, Donatello's pulpits and the Brunelleschi dome and old sacristy (painted by Donatello.)

·        We spent about half an hour here, but suggest an hour or two.

·        Dinner with close family friends at Nove, other side of the river, overlooking the Corsini Palace. I had Nobu style black cod with misu which was frankly delicious. 

Wednesday 27 May 2009

·        Brancacci Chapel, watch out for opening times, but again this is a must see if you have time. Entrance for the chapel is a side entrance (not the main entrance which will take you into the church.) It's a small chapel and the walls are painted with frescoes by Masolino and Masaccio. Its amazing. There is a film about the paintings in one of the rooms in the court yard before you go up the stairs to the chapel.

·        (If you are over in this area – we suggest you wander up to Santa Spirito, visit this church and there are also some very nice restaurants and pizzerias in the square.)

·        Nearby also is Santa Felicita, close to the Ponte Vecchio, there is a stunning painting by Pontormo (its on the right hand side when you enter the church and is surrounded by a gate and you need to but in one Euro to light the painting up.)

·        Over Santa Trinita bridge, to via Tornabuoni, (we suggest you visit Santa Trinita), then weaving our way back towards Piazza de Signoria, we found that the Davanzati House was open. This is a medieval house, with early frescoes covering most of the rooms and is a museum with lots of antique furniture. Its like the Frick Museum but Renaissance.  

·        Lunch – at an Enoteccha called Canova di Gustavino. This really is a really fun way to eat. Its basically, a wine cellar, so you sit at tables, with shelves on the walls full to the brim with bottles of wine. We ate a large plate of cold cuts and salad. 

·        I bought a beautiful marbled paper diary at R. Vanucchi in Via Condotta.

·        Then off to Santa Croce, (at 4pm perfect timing nice and quite) We did the audio guided tour – which we thought was really good (bring your passport or pay a deposit of 50 Euros.)

·        Gothic Church in a T shape, altars redesigned by Vasari, tombs of many famous men - Michelangelo, Rossini, Macchiavelli, Gino Capponi, Galileo.

·        There is an amazing cycle of frescoes by Giotto.

·        Sacristy, with illuminated manuscripts and robes, frescoed chapel and room.

·        Medici Chapel with del La Robbia sculptures.    

·        At 6pm, we then had a drink at one of the cafes in the square, with the sunsetting on the marbled facade of the Santa Croce and then the bells chime.

·        As if we hadn't seen enough we then listed all the places we wanted to see  – the Duomo and baptistry, the Uffizi, Santa Maria Novella, the Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens, the Bardini Museum, the Bardini Gardens, San Miniato and the Bargello.

Thursday 28 May 2009

·        Uffizi Gallery (early morning – avoid queues, we got our hotel to sort out tickets and went for an early start.) Endless galleries of very famous paintings by very famous artists – Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, rooms full of Botticelli – the Venus, the Primavera etc. When you get to the end or need a break – have a drink on the terrace and gaze on to the Palazzo Vecchio and the Duomo.

·        Duomo, (4pm ish again to avoid the crowds), again opted for an audio guide, which was very good, learnt about the Vasari, last Judgment and the Paulo Ucello paintings.

·        If you are not afraid of heights you can go up to the glass balcony that wraps around the inside of the Dome itself and see up close the Vasari paintings. I did this with my sister and Simon and discovered that I had such terrible vertigo I had to get round, down and out as soon as possible.  There is a very frightening view through the glass panels into the pit of the Cathedral. If that's a breeze then go up to the very top of the Dome, walk around outside where there is a very thin metal bar not protecting you at all from falling off the top of the Dome. (Simon did it and took the most incredible photos.) Rather pretentiously when I was 16 years old I did it too, then sat there and sketched with my fellow history of art students. 

·        IF YOU HAVE VERTIGO THIS IS A NO NO.

·        Baptistry, (we didnt get to do this again however its a must and its directly opposite the Duomo you cant miss it.)

·        Duomo Museum – Don't miss this – Many of the amazing original sculptures from the Duomo and the Campanile are here and there are reconstructions so you can see where they once stood. There are the choir balconies that are amazing. Also there is Michelangelo's Pieta.  

·        Lunch – Buca Niccolini Pizzeria, on via Ricasoli, with a side view of Duomo. We had a flat bread with cheese and ham and a crostini with mushrooms, both were rather unexpectedly large portions. They then gave us a complimentary lemon sorbet.

·        Dinner – try “aperitivi”, choose a bar that serves aperitivi and you'll find that included with the price of your wine is a first course meal. We loved this – perfect when you only want something light for dinner.

·        Try Kitsch the pub, Tormalera SNC, via S. Gallo near Via ventisette Aprile. (7 Euros for cocktails and 8 Euros for an aperitivo – a generous buffet of grilled veg, cheese, hams, pasta etc..) Its studenty, there's a bar and nightclub there for later but its fun.

·        We of course didn't go clubbing, but enjoyed wandering the streets back towards the Duomo.

Friday 29 May 2009

·        Lunch – La Grotta Guelfa, Porta Rossi, near via pellicceria. (Near the Davanzati Museum), found a delicious cheap eat. We had the set menu, generous portions of grilled vegetables, crostini with cannellini beans and prawn and zucchini pasta and arrabiata. (9 Euros each.) VERY NICE FIND.

·        Shopping - Then off towards via Tornabuoni, right down via Parione before Santa Trinita (where we lived for a month) shopping in the two marbled paper shops on via Parione.

·        At the end of the road, there is an interesting book shop called BM Bookshop that sells English books, second hand books and children's books, its on Via Borgognissanti.

·        Dinner – Trattoria 4 Leoni, Via dei Vellutini, Piazza della Passera (book if you want to be able sit at a table outside).  Pizanella, Mixed Salad, Cod baked with tomato and potatoes, Sliced steak and spinach. Followed by a Tiramisu.

·        We didn't get the chance but there looked like some very good Osteria's in the area..........

Saturday 30 May 2009

·        Santa Maria Novella and the Spanish Chapel, if there is just one thing you do, this could be it.

·        When we went before, we were blown away by the Ghirlandaio frescoes but there is so much more that unfortunately we missed - the Spanish Chapel. Don't do that. Its a must, its in a convent and to get there you need to go back outside and to the left hand side of the Church, when you are facing it.

·        We then decided on a three hour walk, off to San Miniato (Church at the top of the hill overlooking Florence). However on the way we discovered the Bardini gardens were there and decided we were going to spend time there. We also found that we could get a ticket at the Bardini gardens, for the Boboli gardens without having to queue at the Pitti palace.

·        If you like gardens, this is a wonderful escape from the city and with brilliant and clear views of the Duomo and the whole of Florence from all levels of the gardens. We enjoyed these gardens more than the Boboli gardens.

·        After walking around these gardens, we went to the Boboli gardens (don’t miss the famous Giambologna fountain)

·        We were too exhausted to go to the Picture Gallery at the Pitti Palace (Again there are very famous paintings here.)

·        Lunch – La Mangiatoia on via Romana, cheap and delicious. We loved this place – I had a delicious gratin of vegetables – basically a melanzane parmigana and a baked fennel with parmesan. Simon had a delicious spag bog.

·        Dinner – Enoteccha time again – for a light meal that was all about the wine. We found, what has become our favourite place called Cantinetta dei Verrazzano, run by a Boston educated but native Italian manager who is larger than life and effortlessly flitted between the tables conversing with the customers in French, German, English and Italian. Given that his family are long standing wine producers, we suggested that he chose the wines for us. We then proceeded to drink a range of Chianti's which were all delicious and eat a selection of pecorinos (goats cheese) with cold cuts, all yummy. Our sweet was a mellow soft pecorino drizzled with a sweet syrup.

·        Then off to the Opera to see La Traviata at the Duomo theatre.  

Sunday 31 May 2009

·        Bargello  - on via Proconsolo. This museum is in a medieval prison. It houses many famous sculptures by Michelangelo, Cellini, Donatello, de Rossi, Giambologna, Luca de la Robbia,  some Gibherti panels (Baptistry) etc. as well as a collection of majolica, glass, ivory, coins and textiles.

·        That was it – that was all we had time for and there was so much more.

·        BOTH OF US FELT SAD LEAVING FLORENCE!   

Here are Some Culinary delights (as if I had not said enough about food), this is what you must try:

Soups – Ribollito (as very think bean and bread soup) or Pappa Pomodoro (a very thick tomato bread soup)

Meat – Bistecca alla fiorentina, crostini alla Toscana (chicken liver crostini), prosciutto di cinghiale (wild boar ham)

Funghi – Porcini and Truffles

Cheeses – Pecorino with a chilli jam, ricotta and muccinho as well as cacciotte

Cantucci (hard almond biscuits) with Vin Santo (a dessert wine)

And washed down of course with Chianti!

Enjoy!