Firenze…here we come!

May 13, Day four


Before heading to Florence, we had breakfast at the hotel.  As in most hotels in Italy, a "continental type" breakfast is included in their rates; however, we've missed the last couple of breakfasts because the past two days involved us getting out early for our tours.  Expecting only breads and cereal, I was pleasantly surprised to find eggs and some breakfast meats!  As I cleaned off my plate and grudgingly left the cute packets of Nutella I wanted to stash away in my bag, we said arrivaderci to Relais 6 and Rome.

i love how they removed all the crusts!

The 2-hour train ride to Florence was almost uneventful with the  exception of one small snafu.  We got to the train station almost an hour early just to be safe and saw on the departure screen that our train would be departing from Bin 4 so we parked ourselves at one of the benches alongside Bin 4 while we relaxed and waited for our train.  A few minutes before our train is scheduled to depart, Brad hurriedly runs over to me to tell me the Bin number has changed to the next track so with our 2 luggages, we ran over to the next track, climbed onto the right train but the wrong car and eventually found our way to our correct seats but struggled to find room for our baggage since almost everyone has boarded and had alreaded seated…whew!

  

When we arrived Florence, specifically Firenze Santa Maria Novella Train Station, with instructions at hand provided by the Bed & Breakfast owner, we bought our bus tickets and waited for the "C2 Bus" that's supposed to take us to the corner street of the B&B.  Then comes C2 which looked like a "special needs" bus and it was almost full with passengers, standing room only!  How are we supposed to get ourselves in this midget bus with our 2 large bags?  We pass on the first bus hoping the next one will be a bigger bus.  No such luck, another peewee bus just as packed comes along and as the doors opens, we hopped on and squeezed ourselves in like a pack of sardines. 

Evidently, they have these small buses designated for this particular route to ensure it can get through the very narrow roads.  The locals on our bus who didn't speak any English were very gracious...we merely mentioned that our stop is "Via Ghibellina" and they offered to tell us once we've reached our stop…yup, we understood whatever Italian they were speaking as long as they were smiling and nodding their heads and pointing us to some direction. One older local woman even helped to navigate us through our iPhone but appeared very frustrated when the screen moved every time she touched it.  So cute.  


After walking 1-1/2 blocks later and climbing 2 flights of stairs that felt more like 4 (no lift/elevator), we entered B&B Le Seggiole, where we were welcomed by Ulrika whom I've read much about on Trip Advisor to be this very kind Swedish woman who reportedly is very pleasant, hospitable and extremely helpful in providing her guests with useful information such as points of interest, restaurant recommendations, etc.  Reading all the positive reviews on this property and its owners, along with its 5 star-rating was enough to convince us that this would be our home away from home for the next 5 nights.  http://www.leseggiole.com/index_en.html

Based on what I read, I somehow pictured Ulrika as a hefty traditional woman from Sweden, instead we were greeted by a cute, vibrant, petite, young lady with a smile that brightened up the dark stone stairwell with a very cheerful "buon giorno!"  She ushered us to our room which was  bright, spacious and immaculate and  the bathroom was all of  the same except a bit tiny but efficient. I would've given up the bidet for some additional square footage but it all worked out well for us.  I loved our windows as they were the classic wooden shutters that brought in lots of natural light and it overlooked out onto the charming, narrow roads of this medieval city. They were so narrow they’d be the equivalent of what an alley is back home.

 

views from our window

We  proceeded to sit down with Ulrika who gave us a map as she  pointed out the landmarks  and necessities such as markets, pharmacies, etc.  She was so pleasant that I felt comfortable enough to tell her that her physical attributes were not at all what I expected and she giggled like a little girl...Ulrika is such a giggler!  I joked alot with her just to hear her giggle! 

It was way past lunch time and I was hungry so we decided to go to the "hole in the wall" place that Ulrika recommended, Da'Vinattieri, which is just a couple of blocks from the B&B.  Da'Vinattieri, located next door to "Dante's House" (Dante degli Alighieri, the famous poet) serves schiacciate panini.  Schiacciate is a very tasty flatbread kinda like what we call foccacia but denser with sea salt on top, and you pick your meats etc…starting at only €3, what a great deal! 



We ordered Ulrika's suggested favorite, the #3 prosciutto with pecorino and spicy pomodori (sundried tomatoes soaked in olive oil) and a #4 prepared with ham, Tuscan pate and artichoke cream…5 stars for both!  There's a multitude of combinations and we knew we would be coming back.  This place was not much bigger than a phone booth so we decided to take our lunch at the nearby Piazza della Repubblica.

prosciutto with pecorino and spicy pomodori 

ham, Tuscan pate and artichoke cream…look at the cream oozing out…yum!

layers of flavor…and that pate was awesome!

With our tummies happy, we were ready to take on Firenze!  This time, we decided to forego the map and just check out the city blindly.  Fortunately, every major landmark we wanted to see is within walking distance from our B&B! The streets of Florence were simply entertaining…between its medieval and renaissance artistic works like monuments, churches, palaces…it was an open air museum.  While Florence has a wealth of famous museums and galleries, Brad and I don’t do well in traditional museums (we’re both ADD) so this is the perfect place for us.

Basilica Santa Maria Novella

We were enjoying our walk when we realized we were about to cross a bridge…that means this must be the Fiume Arno ("Arno River") and the very famous Ponte Vecchio bridge would be nearby so we looked to our left, then our right and there it was…one of the major icons of Firenze…Ponte Vecchio!  Being here was just surreal…there were many moments like this where I just needed to pinch myself!

Ponte Vecchio!

OMG! I'm really here! 

the opposite view

During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio (“Old Bridge”) was the only bridge across the Arno River that the fleeing Germans did not destroy.  Initially back in the 15^th Century, there were all types of shops including butchers and fishmongers but was later removed due to the stench; thereafter only goldsmiths were allowed to have stores on the bridge.  By night, the wooden shutters of the shops make them look like suitcases and wooden chests. 

jewelry stores -- daytime shot

jewelry stores -- evening shot

cute wooden "suitcases"!

In the center of the bridge, they put up the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, the ingenious Florentine goldsmith and sculptor.

check out the old fart stealing the coins…the nerve!
and he was picky too…look below, he only wants the "big coins"

On the other side of the bridge, we found Gelateria Santa Trinita and by this time, we were ready for our afternoon gelato so... 

Brad loved their melone (cantaloupe) and while I know it's not very Italian,
their strawberry cheesecake flavor was not too shabby either!

Then more wonderful surprises came about!

Uffizi Gallery's courtyard 

Piazza della Signora

Ammannati's Neptune Fountain

Baccio Bandinelli’s “Hercules and Cacus" 

rear view…literally 

 a copy of Michelangelo's David

There was something about the energy in Florence...we were really enjoying the vibe and just continued to walk and walk and walk. It was early evening but we were also trying to build up our appetites for dinner because we knew that tonight’s dinner highlight would be the famous Bistecca alla Florentina (Steak Florentine) and besides the locals tend to dine quite late…after 9/10 pm so we decided to stop for an aperitivo…an Italian tradition where you would enjoy a pre-dinner (or pre-lunch) drink intended to open the palate such as prosecco, and it gives you a chance to socialize, relax, and nibble, typically at an enoteca (wine bar).

i wasn't in the mood to socialize

The locals don’t really consider this to be the equivalent of the American “Happy Hour”…in fact, if the wine bar advertises “Happy Hour” it must cater to tourists.  Brad and I always make an effort to find the local spots and avoid the tourist traps.  Happy Hour in the U.S. is a concept about getting a drink discount, and drinks and/or appetizers are usually discounted or bundled together.  Drinks during aperitivo are not only not discounted, but often they have a supplement added to them to compensate for the refreshments being offered alongside.

On our must-do list is to experience Bistecca alla Florentina and while we've had a few restaurants listed from Chowhound recommendations, we opted for Trattoria Il Teatro which was suggested by Ulrika.  Since she scored a 5 with lunch, we figured we'll trust her again this time.  Il Teatro, appropriately located across Teatro Verdi (a theatre), was getting busy already at 9pm due to the theatre patrons dining before the show. 

We started with the server's recommendation of crostini misti (assortment) which included porcini mushrooms that I was eager to try since they were in season; there was also some with tomatoes, goat cheese and paté. 4.5 stars 

We ordered our Florentine Steak cooked medium.  I was a bit concerned because I heard that the locals and chefs cringe when their bisteccas are ordered beyond rare (al sangue) but hey, I wanted to enjoy this pricey meal and didn't need to have my beef mooing.  This menu item is priced by the gram and was worth every €. 5 stars.  This bistecca is 1 kg or 2.2 lbs…perfectly grilled and more than satisfying for us two!

Americans consider this hunk of meat as a mere porterhouse and wonder what the fuss is about. And they'd be right in most cases although this bistecca is featured prominently on the menus of almost all the restaurants in Florence and I’ve read that finding a good one isn't at all easy. But when you do it's heaven on earth, delightfully rich, flavorful meat so tender it can be cut with a spoon. Much of the secret is the breed of cattle, Chianina beef...Chianina cattle is one of the oldest breed raised in the Italian regions including Tuscany for at least 2200 years.

Another regional favorite was fagioli all'olio di frantoio (beans with Tuscan olive oil) which were so delicately simple and paired very well with the steak and house red. 

yes he did

To finish off our meal, we were served a complimentary limoncello which was sweet, tangy and strong! 

Ulrika's recommendation for gelato was at Vivolo which had a line when we got there just before they closed at midnight.  It was very good except I didn't like that they didn't have any cones (cono)...just cups (coppa).  I like having options!  I had the rice pudding flavor and cioccolato, and Brad enjoyed his combination of melone and meringue although we thought the gelato we had earlier at Santa Trinita was better.

 Before calling it a night, we took an evening stroll which involved some goofing around at the Piazza della Repubblica…

…and a visit to Il Porcellino to rub its snout to ensure our return to beautiful Firenze. 

This tradition has kept this bronze cianghiale’s (wild boar) snout polished sheen. This reminds me of the same tradition at Seattle’s Pike Market where people pat the mascot pig, Rachel.  Who comes up with this stuff and why do we inherently follow?  Because it’s fun, and I want every luck I can get.

with Rachel, Pike Market's mascot in Seattle

Ah, the river view of Ponte Vecchio at night is romantico!

We came across a madonnaro, a street painter (also called chalk artists). These performance artists are called madonnari (singular: madonnaro or madonnara) because they recreate images of the Madonna.  Check out their other works at www.madonnarifirenze.it.

the image he was copying

Isn’t it amazing? Sadly, they get washed off the next day by the street cleaners. 

On our walk home, we stumbled upon the grand Duomo!  Here’s a sneak peak…I’ll post more in the upcoming posts.

Every day in Italy thus far has been a long day since we generally start our day at 6/7 am and usually get back to our hotel after midnight.  There's just so much to see and we've really enjoyed exploring every city.  Going to sleep hasn't been difficult except for tonight.  In the middle of the night, around 2am, I was rudely awakened by various groups walking down the streets with loud chanting, singing, cheering by young drunken kids that were bar hopping around town.  This continues on til past 5am and what was my beautiful medieval alleys earlier have become my nemesis as they were the bullhorn of echoes from these annoying party-goers...all countries united including local kids, Americans and other foreign nuisances.  Ugh!  I shut the windows which kept the noise levels way down but after awhile, the room got too warm.  In Italy, to conserve energy, there are government-enforced limits on air-conditioning and heating where there is a period in the spring and fall when neither is allowed.  In order to keep internal temperatures comfortable or even bearable, we needed to keep the windows open.  Fortunately for Brad, who fell asleep wearing his headphones, was not bothered by all the noise.  I got a clue from this and put on my headphones and listened to my iPod. Needless to say, this was not such a buona notte for me. :(