Day 9 - Tuscan Countryside, Florence, Venice

With a lot of traveling before us, we got up early, had breakfast and hit the road. After a quick detour in Gaoili to buy some ceramics, we were headed for Florence. It took about an hour to drive back to Florence, where we returned our Fiat at the airport and took a cab into the city. 

Pear Ravioli

After the amazing meal that we had there on Sunday, we decided that we had to eat at Quattro Leoni again before we left, so with our luggage sitting next to us, we sat on the patio and had another phenomenal meal. Again we started with the tomatoes, mozzarella, and egg plant, but this time we also got a salad with fresh goat cheese, apricots, almonds, and honey that was delicious. This time Mom and Dad had the pear ravioli, which we were smart enough to take a picture of this time, and I had one last sliced steak, to see how it compared to the others I had had. It was right up there as one of the best things I ate on the trip. Finally we wrapped up lunch with another stop at Gelateria en Passera, for more Messer Brunelleschi. 

With full stomachs, we took another cab to the train station in Florence, to catch a train back to Venice. The train was quite crowded, but after about two hours we were once again back in Venice. After a cab ride to our hotel, right next to the airport, we were finally done traveling for the day. We were so tired from all of the traveling, that we just had dinner in our hotel, which was far from spectacular, but I finally got to try Chinagle, wild boar and the Italian equivalent to the Javelina back home.

After a fabulous trip, we were looking forward to going home as we returned to our hotel room.

Day 8 - Tuscan Countryside

Mom and I at a Lookout Point in Radda in Chianti

After a delicious breakfast out the by the pool on the patio of our hotel, we got in our Fiat and set out to explore the countryside. Most of the morning was spent driving through extremely dizzying, twisting roads, but when we got to the town of Radda in Chianti, we stopped to walk around. We ended up having lunch there, which was nothing special, but before we got back in the car, we had gelato at a place just down the street that was one of the better gelatos we have had.

The Pool at Our Hotel

After our gelato we got back in the car, and began the drive back to our hotel. Once we got back, Dad took the customary afternoon nap, while Mom and I sat out by the pool. The pool was quite cold because of some recent rain, but it was very refreshing after a day of driving.

For dinner we decided to venture out from the hotel, and we went to the nearby town of Montegonzi, and ate at Borgoforra. The restaurant was only 1.3 miles from our hotel as the crow flies, and yet it took us about 40 minutes to get there because of the indirect, winding roads in Tuscany.  Once again we tried the pear ravioli which was good, but not as good as in Florence. I had another sliced steak, that had great flavor, but still failed to be quite as tender as the first steak I ate back in Florence, and Dad had pizza, something that we have not had very much of on our trip. The pizza was good, but the Italians seem to be unaware of the existence of the pizza wheel, which would make it much easier to simply eat a slice of pizza.

As the sun set on our last non-travel day of the trip, we made the winding drive back to our hotel, where in the soccer field across the street from the hotel we saw a Chingale, wild boar, which mom claims was the highlight of the trip for her so far.  After a fairly relaxing day we returned to our room and prepared to make the trip back to Venice in the morning, to catch our flight home the next day.

Day 7 - Tuscan Countryside

Mom and Dad With the Fiat

Day 7 was another busy travel day.  After a late breakfast, we picked up our rental car, a blue Fiat Bravo, and began the drive out to the Tuscan countryside.  Originally, Avis wanted to give us a Ford Kuga, because we are American, but we decided we wanted to drive what the natives drive, Fiats. Also, on our last trip abroad we learned that it is smart to rent the absolutely smallest car you will fit in - because the streets and the parking spots will not accommodate anything larger.  We also decided to go for the optional GPS (a good decision) and even paid extra for the English version, but honestly, the language did not make much difference because we had trouble making heads-or-tails of anything it said. After a while, we understood that is because in the countryside, the streets have names that are the equivalent of "the provincial road that travels between Firenze Lucca and Pisa and then goes on to Rome."  After only a little directional confusion, we made it to out of Florence and were on our way to Malborghetto, a lovely restaurant where we had lunch.

Dad and I Walking Through the Cemetery

On the way to the restaurant, we stopped at an America World War II cemetery.  Before we drove past it, we did not even know that there were any American cemeteries in Italy, but 15,000 Americans killed in the Florence area are buried there and  it is definitely just as moving and interesting as the more famous World War II cemetery in Normandy, which we saw on our trip to France.

Mom and Dad in front of Malborghetto

Our lunch at Malborghetto was a highlight.  The restaurant was hidden down a small road, further off the beaten track than we already were, which just added to its charm.  After our experience with pear ravioli in Florence, we decided that we had to try it when we saw it on the menu, and while it was not quite as good as what we had eaten the day before, it was still made for a delicious meal.  Given that there was not a gelato shop in the area that we knew of, we decided to indulge in dessert at the restaurant.  I had a molten chocolate cake with vanilla gelato, but the mint gelato, in Mom's Gelato Misto, was the best mint gelato I have eaten.

As we were finished a half dozen people came in that appeared to be part of a group tour and they were served a fixed menu.  We think they may still be there eating as the antipasto each of them was served was immense (and delicious looking).  They also teach a cooking class at the restaurant and we were kind of sorry we didn't have time to take it.

The Garden and Pool Area at Our Hotel

After lunch, we continued our drive out to our hotel, Villa Sassolini, a tiny hotel in a country home that dates back to the 15th century.  The hotel is beautiful, with breathtaking views of the countryside and a wonderful pool.  After our usual afternoon nap, we headed downstairs for dinner in our hotel.  While dinner was good it was not our most memorable meal.  With dinner complete we headed back up to our room and looked forward to what would be our last non-travel day of the trip.

Day 6 - Florence

Dad and I Crossing the Bridge To Oltrarno

We did not really have anything planned today, so we slept in and then decided to visit Michaelangelo's home that had been turned into a museum.  The home was interesting, but most of the work inside was not his and the work that he had done was his earlier, less famous works so we did not stay long.  We continued on to visit the Oltrarno quarter of the city, which is on the other side of the River Arno from most of the tourist attractions, and as a result was a much quieter, more enjoyable area.

The View From the Top

In the Oltrarno area, we climbed the many steps through the beautiful Giardino Bardini (Bardini Garden) and were rewarded with a breathtaking view of the city.  We were amazed at the amount of land that had been dedicated to the gardens and took time to wander down all of the winding paths through the garden, which provided wonderful relief from the hustle-and-bustle of the rest of the city.  Once we were satisfied that we had seen pretty much all of the gardens, we made our way back down the hill and let dad choose a place for lunch.

Dad and I Ordering Out Gelato

We had lunch at Trattoria Quattro Leoni, which is was undoubtedly one of the best meals that we have ever had.  We started with a caprese salad with eggplant, then dad and I both had phenomenal pear ravioli (well in fact, they they were really "little purses" but we forget how to say that) in a light cheese sauce that was to die for.  Words can not fully describe how amazing the ravioli were.  After our wonderful lunch, we walked across the street to a place that had the best gelato of our trip so far.  They had a flavor called Messer Brunelleschi, which is pistachio, marscapone cheese, and honey gelato that was almost as good as the ravioli that we had just eaten.  After an amazing meal, we walked back to our hotel for our customary afternoon nap.

After our nap, we went to dinner at a restaurant not too far from where we had eaten lunch, in the Oltrarno area, which was good, but not particularly memorable.  Except for the name, Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco which means the white wild boar, the stuff of legends in Tuscany.  Since we were so close, we went back to the same gelato place we ate at after lunch for some more Messer Brunelleschi, though Dad for some reason decided to mess with our success and ordered licorice gelato, which he has very much regretted ever since.  We walked back to our hotel and called it a night as we prepared to leave for Sienna the next morning.

Day 5 - Florence

A Ceiling at the Bargello

After a delicious breakfast in our hotel, we started the morning with a visit to the Bargello museum, one of mom's favorite museums in Florence, because of the beauty of the building, especially some of its ceilings.

The Bargello is one of the largest collections of Renaissance sculpture in Italy, but prior to being a museum it served as the police headquarters as well as a prison dating back to the 13th century.  We then headed back to the Duomo, but decided that we did not want to deal with the crowds, so instead we strolled over to the western side of the city to visit the Principe hotel, where mom and dad stayed on their first visit to Florence more than 20 years ago. Not surprisingly, they did not remember much about the hotel, but they did vaguely remember some of the restaurants they ate in while they were staying there.

The Famous Sign

On the way back to our hotel, we passed some interesting shops, including one in which we saw a sign that said, "if you were waiting for a sign - this is it."  We really should have bought it, but we could not figure out how we would get it home. We also passed a number of great looking restaurants, including Buca Mario where we ended up stopping for lunch.  After lunch we came to Gelato Lorenzo, where of course we had to stop.

Gelateria Lorenzo

By then it was time to head back to the hotel for our afternoon nap.  We really like the hotel, Gallery Art Hotel. It is one of the hotels in the Lugarno chain which were all designed by the famous Ferragamo group.  It is fairly modern and beautifully designed, which is fitting for Florence, a highly fashionable city.

After our nap, we headed out for our second dinner in Florence.  We went to a restaurant not too far from our hotel called Francesco Vini.  We were discouraged by the appearance of the restaurant, which can only be described as, "a bit past its prime."  In contrast to the appearance of the restaurant however, our food was actually quite good.  We started off with Bruschetta Misto, bruschetta with a variety of toppings, including chicken liver, lard (lard?), and of course the classic tomatoes.  I followed that up nicely with a wonderful sliced sirloin steak on a bed of arugula and cherry tomatoes, which was perfectly seasoned and so tender that it fell apart in my mouth.  Once again we capped off the night with some gelato on our way back to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 4 - Florence

The fourth day of our trip was quite a busy one.  After a quick breakfast at our hotel we checked out and departed for the train station in Venice, just a short way down the Grand Canal.  We boarded a high-speed train, that was not actually that fast, and headed for Florence.  In a little under two hours we had made it to Florence and after a short cab ride we arrived at and checked into our hotel.  After a few days without seeing or dealing with any cars it took some time to get used to having to watch for cars and motorcycles before crossing the street, though it seemed like most of the people walking through the city could not have cared less as they walked down the middle of the road.  We made a quick stop for lunch where Dad had the best lasagna of the entire trip then continued on to the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella.

Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

We enjoyed this Basilica much more than Basilica San Marco, because there were many fewer people there and we were able to take our time walking through the church.  We were impressed by the scale of the church and the tremendous effort that must have gone into crafting such a beautiful building prior to the aid of electric lighting to make the inside surfaces visible.  In addition, it was interesting to see some of the frescoes that Michaelangelo helped paint while he was still an apprentice to Domenico Ghirlandaio.  Next, we walked over to the Accademia Gallery, home to Michaelangelo's David.  The attention to detail and the precision that went into carving the statue is truly amazing.

Eating Gelato on the River Arno

Due to all of the traveling that we had done, we did not really have time for our usual afternoon nap, so after a quick stop back at our hotel, we went out to another delicious dinner at Buca dell'Orafo.  Dad and I both had a wonderful risotto with asparagus, and Mom, who once again proved that she was better at ordering than the rest of us, had Pappa a Pomodoro, Tomato Soup, that also made the list of one of the best things we have ever eaten.  In traditional Italian style we once again capped off the night with gelato on the River Arno.

Day 3 - Venice

Once again on we got up early on Thursday to go see the Basilica San Marco, the church connected to the Doge's Palace.  We we impressed with how elaborate and grand the Basilica was, but because of the tremendous crowds, we did not spend very much time there.  Instead we boarded the Vaporetto and made our way to the island of Murano, famous for their hand blown glass.  While we did not like much of the finished products, we watched a demonstration of the actual glass blowing which mom could only describe as "magical".  It was amazing to see how long the glass stayed pliable and as a result, how much the glass blowers were able to shape it.  In addition to adding a variety of colors they were able to add additional layers and textures to the glass that they were working.

Out To Lunch

After the glass blowing demonstration, we continued on to the very small island of Mazzorbo.  While the island is not really known for much anymore, there is a beautiful hotel, restaurant, and vineyard there called Venissa where we had lunch.  We knew that we were in for a treat when the waiter brought us a delicious seared veal to start the meal.  Dad and I both had great ravioli in a cheese sauce, but mom's dessert, cherries soaked in wine with a scoop of homemade fennel gelato stole the show.   

Dad and I Drinking Some Wine

After the lunch, once again we took the Vaporetto back to our hotel for our early afternoon nap.  Unfortunately we discovered that the restaurant we had reserved for that evening was one we had wandered into and eaten at on Tuesday, so we opted to go somewhere else. After wandering around the Dosudoro area, we found a pizza place that was only average.  However, good gelato for desert made up for the disappointing meal. 

Day 2 - Venice

The Courtyard of the Doge's Palace

In our continuing attempt to avoid tourists, we got up fairly early on Wednesday to go see the Doge's Palace, which served as the center of the government, housing everything from the leader of Venice to the judicial system and the legislature, and even the prisons -  from the late 12th century until Napoleon's occupation began in 1797.  We were once again impressed with the stunning architecture of the palace and the tremendous amount of hand-carved marble that made up the building's facade.  After finishing our tour in the palace, we briefly walked around Piazza San Marco, which was difficult given the wall-to-wall people; stopped at a small gelato cart for some amazing gelato; then took the Vaporetto across the canal to the Dosoduro area for a quick lunch and to see the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Dad, Max, and I at the Entrance to the Collection

Mom on a Bench in Front of the Collection

While our lunch was less than spectacular, the Guggenheim collection was great.  The museum is located in Peggy Guggenheim's home and, with the exception of one small exhibit, was filled with the stunning art that she had collected.  It is also the burial place for all of her beloved pets.  Once we had made our way through the collection, once again we boarded the Vaporetto, to travel up the Grand Canal back to our hotel for what was becoming our customary, afternoon nap.

Dad Enjoying His Tagliatelle

Our second dinner at La Zucca (The Pumpkin) was just around the corner from our first dinner, but was even more spectacular.  Mom had La Flan de Zucca (Pumpkin Flan), one of the best things we have ever eaten; I had another great Lasagna with zucchini; and dad had a scrumptious Tagliatelle Gorgonzola e Pistiche.  This time we made sure that we found some gelato on our way home and with that, day two drew to a close.

Day 1 - Venice

We arrived in Venice on Tuesday morning, a little tired but feeling better than on previous trips to this side of the pond.  Dad and I are still unsure of the logic behind building a city in the middle of a lagoon, but that's not important.

Dad and I on the motoscafi ride into the city.

Our first impressions of the city were from the motoscafi, water taxi, ride to our hotel.  We were surprised to discover that for every truck we are used to seeing on the streets in the U.S. there is a boat.  On our way to the hotel we passed a variety of boats including a UPS boat and a Staples delivery boat.

After arriving at and checking in to our wonderful hotel in the the San Croce area of Venice, we decided to venture out for lunch.  We ate in a great restaurant, then stopped for our first gelato.  By the time we had finished our gelato, we were exhausted so we returned to the hotel for a quick nap.

Feeling refreshed we took our first ride on the Vaporetto, the Venetian

The View From Our Dinner Table

 equivalent to to cable cars in San Francisco, to the famous Rialto Bridge.  The architecture of the bridge was interesting, but overall the area was packed with tourists, something we have tried very hard to avoid, so we quickly moved into a less crowded part of the city for dinner.  At this point it shouldn't come as a surprise, but dad picked a great restaurant for dinner (Trattoria al Ponte), with an amazing, iconic, Venetian view. Mom had a wonderful ravioli in butter and sage, I had the first of many lasagnas and dad tried the famous Venetian calves liver.  All were wonderful. We were somehow unable to find any gelato on our way back to the hotel, but we called it a night anyways, agreeing to make up for the missed gelato later on.