Florence!

Kevin and I spent one night in Florence for his February break! It was so nice to get off the mountain for a night! We also found a sitter for Milo, so the two of us could have a night away! The first night we have been apart from him since we've lived in Italy!

We drove to the train station in Padua and trained from there to Florence! Parking in Florence is really expensive and it was actually cheaper for us to train there and not have to worry about the car. 

Finally able to figure out this train thing after living in Europe for 3 years! It can be so confusing! We took the express train so it only took 1.5 hours!

I just love him! he's gorgeous

Arrived at our B&B Florence Chic! It was so nice and perfect for the evening. Great location and the owners were so friendly and accommodating!

Our room. The bed was very comfortable too!

Our view. Right in the shopping district! Florence is an important city for fashion being ranked in the top fifty fashion cities in the world.

The saying goes that all roads lead to Rome. But the Eternal City wasn’t the first city to have actual roads. In 1339, Florence became the first city in all of Europe to have paved streets. Florence really isn't that big of a city and everything is really close together. So its very easy to walk and site see the entire thing in a couple hours!

Our B&B was located right next to Piazza della Repubblica. The Piazza della Repubblica used to be part of the city's old ghetto but during the time after the Italian Revolution they did improvement work on Florence when it was the capital city of Italy.

Views from underneath my umbrella.. Florence is famous for its history. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called "the Athens of the Middle Ages". The House of Medici  was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century.

Bakery sweets in the window at Caffe Gilli! It must have been siesta when we walked by because it was closed. Dating back to 1733, Caffé Gilli is one of the oldest continuously operating cafés in the city. 

Due to Florence's artistic and architectural heritage, today it has been ranked by Forbes as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and the city is noted for its history, culture, Renaissance art and architecture and monuments. 

Walking the narrow streets together under one umbrella <3

Tucked behind the buildings there, The Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral, otherwise known as the Duomo di Firenze is a historic landmark and symbol of the city. It’s also the 3^rd largest cathedral in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. Pretty amazing that I've seen all three! 

Known as a monument of architectural genius in its time, The Duomo also known as the Cathedral of Holy Mary of the Flowers.

It was built in the late Roman times between 4^th and 5^th century A.D.  The magnificent dome was built by Filippo Brunelleschi while the campanile was partly designed by the great artist Giotto.

The magnificent marble cladding that we see today was only added much later, between 1871 and 1887, in a neo-Gothic style with colorful patterns. As a result the facade nicely complements the design of the cathedral's fourteenth-century bell tower. The tower is accessible to visitors and offers a magnificent view of the city and the cathedral's dome in particular.

The Duomo dominates the Florence skyline. You can climb 463 stone steps into the cupola for a close-up of The Last Judgement and a sweeping view of the city.

Between the 13th and 18th centuries, lions were kept in a den in front of the Duomo for the amusement of the citizens and became the symbol of independence for Florence.

The Wool Guild organized a competition to select a design for additional doors, in 1401. Ghiberti was selected out of 7 artists. His doors depicted scenes from the bible, and are considered his best works. Even Michelangelo described them as the "Gates of Paradise"!

The cathedral's interior is less colorful and decorations were kept to a minimum. 

The exception is the fresco on the dome's interior, painted between 1572 and 1579 by Giorgio Vasari and Frederico Zuccari. The fresco depicts the Last Judgment.

Astor Bar! A regular spot for the cast of the Jersey Shore! The cafe/bar/nightclub is located on the north side of the Duomo and the beats bumpin’ from inside 24/7 makes it hard to miss. Burgers and iced coffees “to go” (definitely not an Italian concept) make this joint an American magnet for homesick college students during their semesters abroad.

Inside Astor! A low-key afternoon... no Snooki dancing on tables.

We had to go to the Hard Rock for dinner our first night. Get some good American Food, wings, burgers, beers, and listen to some good rock n' roll! All we can get in Asiago is amazing Italian food so its good to switch it up ;)

Enjoying a bottle of Tuscan wine in the hotel room before cruising the town! The great thing about Italy is you can buy a bottle for 2 euro, 5 euro, or 10 euro and its all great wine! You buy that same bottle back home and it would be 10 times the cost!

Let me get lost with you <3 In 1817, French author Henri Stendhal staggered around the streets of Florence emotionally overwhelmed at the aesthetic beauty of the city. His symptoms of dizziness, palpitations and panic attacks on seeing so many exquisite works of art gave rise to the condition, medically diagnosed as recently as 1982, known as Stendhalismo (The Wow Effect)

The Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") is the town hall of the city. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany located in Piazza delle Signoria.

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by Michelangelo. This is a copy.

Some of Italy’s finest and most famous artists and celebrities came from or made Florence their home.  The artistic inspirations of the great sculptor Donatello and painters Rafael and Michelangelo were born in Firenze. Other important historic figures who lived in Florence include Amerigo Vespucci the explorer, Niccolo Macchiavelli the philosopher, Galileo Galilei the astronomer and haute couture fashion designers such as Guccio Gucci, Roberto Cavalli and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Perseus With the Head of Medusa. The Loggia dei Lanzi consists of wide arches open to the street, three bays wide and one bay deep. The arches rest on clustered pilasters with Corinthian capitals. The wide arches appealed so much to the Florentines, that Michelangelo even proposed that they should be continued all around the Piazza della Signoria.

The vivacious construction of the Loggia is in stark contrast with the severe architecture of the Palazzo Vecchio. It is effectively an open-air sculpture gallery of antique and Renaissance art including the Medici lions.

The various eye-catching statues in this square include:

• At the entrance of the Palazzo Vecchio, a copy of David. The original by Michelangelo is being kept at the Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts.
• The "bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I" by Giambologna (1594)
• The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1575)
• "The Lion", referred to as "il Marzocco" with a copy of the "Florentine Lily", originally made by Donatello (copy)
• "Judith and Holofernes", by Donatello (copy)
• "Hercules and Cacus", by Bandinelli (1533)
• "The Rape of the Sabine Women", by Giambologna
• "Perseus with the Head of Medusa", by Cellini (1554)
• "Medici lions", by Fancelli and Vacca (1598)

Every inch of Florence is just gorgeous!

Just loved the tracery on this window and had to take a picture! Beautiful detail!

The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.

Walking on this bridge was like walking back in Renaissance times! Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers. 

It is said that the economic concept of bankruptcy originated here: when a money-changer could not pay his debts, the table on which he sold his wares (the "banco") was physically broken ("rotto") by soldiers, and this practice was called "bancorotto" (broken table; possibly it can come from "banca rotta" which means "broken bank"). Not having a table anymore, the merchant was not able to sell anything. 

During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by Germans during their retreat of August 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence. This was allegedly, according to many locals and tour guides, because of an express order by Hitler.

Arno River! The bridge was severely damaged during the flood of 1966.

Being on this bridge really took you back in time and you could picture the locals selling and shopping here everyday! Very cool!

Just located on the other side of the Ponte Vecchio is the Boboli Gardens which has a collection of sculptures from the 16th to 18th centuries. The Gardens, behind the Pitti Palace, the main seat of the Medici grand dukes of Tuscany, are some of the first and most familiar formal 16th-century Italian gardens.

One last walk through Piazza della Signoria on our way to the lunch at Marchesi de' Frescobaldi! www.frescobaldi.it

The Olive Oil (Laudemio Oil) was amazing, they sell it too! So we had to buy a bottle and take it home! Pricey though at 25 euro a bottle but definitely worth it! Its a rich green with a spicy flavor! www.frescobaldi.it/laudemiooil

Frescobaldi is also known for their wine! www.frescobaldi.it/ourwines I got the seared scallops on a bed on raddichio. It was delicious!

Kevin had to get some Tuscan meat! When it comes to eating, the Fiorentini definitely know good food. Some typical regional dishes include: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, a large rare T-Bone steak cooked over charcoal; Crostini Toscani, sliced pieces of crunchy bread with chicken pâté spread on top; and the Tagliata, sliced rare beef served on a bed of arugula, topped with slices of Parmesan cheese. When we left they were so nice to give us a wine bottle stopper!

peace & love,
K . A . M