Florence

Loggia dei Lanzi
(Canon F-1/ Kodak Tmax400)

To say that Florence has 'earned it's place in history' would be a bit of an understatement.  Originally a Roman garrison on the river Arno, Florence would grow into a mediaeval commune and eventually the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. In 1301, Dante would be exiled to there. In 1504, Michelangelo's statue of David would stand there. And in 2023, I would have the best pizza of my life there.

Doina, my travel wife, and I arrived in Florence on a Trenitalia train from Milan (Business Class seats, naturally).  Being only 2 hours from Milan, we decided to take on Florence as a day trip.  As always in Europe, be prepared for a bit of walking!


As Doina and I are utterly predictable, our first mission was to secure a cup of coffee.  Unbeknown to us, we would be having that coffee in the oldest cafe in Florence.  Cafe Gilli was founded by Swiss immigrants in 1733.  In 1917, it moved to it's current location in the Piazza della Repubblica and has become known as "The coffee of the Florentines".  Not bad for a random place Doina saw out of the corner of her eye!

The author in from of Michelangelo's 'David'

Florence has a plethora of beautiful piazzas, and the first that we encountered in our walking tour was the 'Piazza della Signoria'. This particular square is famous for it's statues.  My favourite is 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' which stands in the Loggia dei Lanzi along with other famous works in a corner of the Piazza.  Immediately to the left of it is an exact recreation of Michelangelo's 'David' (the original is under guard in a museum).  Doina insisted on photographing me in front of 'David' to send to my mum and dad.  I resisted, and eventually gave in, as they had no idea I was in Italy...I am one of those sons who just disappears overseas sometimes.

Ponte Vecchio
(Canon F-1/ Kodak Tmax400)

After shocking my parents with my current location, Doina and I continued our journey through the old medieval centre of Florence.  We crossed Ponte Vecchio, which is one of the most famous bridges in the world, and only stands today because local Florentines convinced German commanders to ignore Hitler's orders to blow it up as the British 8th Army advanced on Florence.  It is the only bridge in Florence to survive the Second World War.

Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

We were heading towards 'Piazzale Michelangelo' to take in the best views of the city, but on the way we felt it was time for a drink and a snack.  We randomly chose a small corner restaurant: Spaccio Alimentare Firenze, and although we had no idea at the time, two miracles would take place here.  First, I would have my first Negroni cocktail in Florence (Florence is the birthplace of the Negroni, refer to my article under the 'Libations' section of this website). Second, Doina and I would both have the best pizza we have ever had in our lives...EVER.  The funny part was we didn't even order it!!! The restaurant was completely empty and after we received our drinks the hostess came over with a pizza and said, "Compliments of the chef".  It's small, yet lovely, occurrences like this that make Italy so special.

Basement seating in the 'Fiaschetteria Osteria Nuvoli

After a few more hours of site-seeing, it was time to consider dinner. Doina had already selected a restaurant for us: Fiaschetteria Osteria Nuvoli. By the time we were done it would be one of my favourite restaurants in the world.

Sitting in the basement of a nondescript building on a side street of the Piazza dell'Olio, the Fiaschetteria Osteria Nuvoli is a cozy and classic eatery serving up traditional Tuscan food. The atmosphere is utterly lovely and you feel like you have stepped back in time at least 100 years.  Even better than the ambience is the food! 

'Hunter's Special' consisting of wild boar and charcuterie

We left Florence that evening with full stomachs, opened minds, and plenty of memories.  Not bad for a day trip!


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The French Dispatch, Vol. III

Image
A Politically Incorrect Review of Marseilles Over the years, I had heard that the French seaside city of Marseilles was know to be a bit ‘dodgy’.  Much of this comes from the zeitgeist, such as the film “The French Connection” which was based on a real heroin smuggling operation that ran from the 1930s through the 70s.  Unione Corse, the Corsican mafia that makes the Italian mob look like a bunch of cupcakes, ran copious amount of heroin from Southeast Asia to the United States and Canada via the port city of Marseilles.   Are these characterizations of Marseilles being a “Gotham City” of Europe valid in 2024? Well, like all stereotypes, there is an ounce (or two) of truth in them… I arrived in Marseilles via train from Avignon.  Full disclosure, Avignon is a very clean and quiet city (they have four homeless people and all of them are quite charming in their way); so that certainly influenced my opinion of Marseilles.  When I arrived, the train station was pack...
Read more

24 Hours in Paris

Image
  As the great Anthony Bourdain said, “The journey changes you”.  Notice he said ‘journey’ instead of ‘delicious meals’, or ‘sunsets’, or ‘beautiful experiences’. No, it’s the JOURNEY that changes you…and part of the journey is getting out of your comfort zone and doing things you don’t really want to do.   I landed at Charles de Gaul Airport at 6.30am, Saturday morning.  The flight had been a terrific First Class affair from JFK, and I was very excited to go spend the day in Paris.  I booked a hotel at the airport as I was flying out to Istanbul the next day. After dropping off my bags and changing my underwear, I fired up Google Maps to figure out my plan for the day.  I have been to Paris many times, but shockingly I have never seen the Eiffel Tower!  I always felt it was too touristy; but it was a winter day so I figured the crowds would be light. This is the moment disaster struck.  From my previous journeys I knew that getting to Paris from ...
Read more

The French Dispatch, Vol. IV

Image
(Absinthe in Avignon) French Drinking Culture As my good friends will tell you, I enjoy a good drink!  Other than that time in Rotterdam which all parties involved agreed to never speak of again; I rarely drink to any serious level of intoxication. Just enough to relax and enjoy myself. I also genuinely enjoy the taste of certain alcohols (and I only consume drinks I like the taste of).  You will never see me having beer (aka, cat piss). The past two weeks of living in France has shown me how shockingly puritan America is when it comes to alcohol.  Yes, the drinking age is 18 in France (21 in America), and yes you can buy hard liquor in just about any shop you can think of (NOT happening in Pennsylvania); but it goes much deeper than that. In the mornings, in France, you will see people at their local cafes having an espresso or two to start the day.  You will also see people having a glass of wine or a beer. Indeed, even the local indoor market in Avignon has a bar ...
Read more