Florence's fine food, art and views

Florence 16/11/07

We left Rome on Friday afternoon , our first time travelling on a European train, and it took 1 ½ half hours to travel the 300km to Florence – not bad! I had bought Mike a new suitcase (since his injury prevented him being able to carry his backpack) from one of the guys set up on the side of the road who are everywhere trying to sell you stuff. My haggling skills were in good shape though after all those weeks in Asia! This guy at least looked like a legitimate stand – a lot of the people we see just have a sheet with a heap of fake Gucci or Dolic & Gabanna bags and are constantly on the look out for the police which when they do they make a run for it!

Our accommodation at the Hotel Montreal in Florence ended up being super close to the train station (and primarily downhill for Mike's convenience) – also cheaper than in Rome, with free wireless internet, breakfast (just a buffet of bread rolls, croissants and spreads, cornflakes and average coffee) and cheery helpful staff. It was also very very cold in Florence and got down to below zero at night but at least clear skies (and also gave me another cold which was not fun). On our first night we went to a nearby trattoria that was recommended in a guidebook – and it was on the mark! The Trattoria Contafino was a family run restaurant, full of locals enjoying the fantastic meals – primo (a pasta or soup), secondi (meat or fish) plus bread and side salad/veg and a ¼ litre vino for 11 Euro. The presentation of the food was simple but the flavour was sensational and the service homely. People often queue up out the front for a table. Also the dolce (dessert) was fabulous for an extra few euro – these Italians know how to make a fresh baked cheesecake and tiramasu!

On Saturday we started on the sightseeing and there is plenty of historic sites in Florence, (Firenze is the correct Italian pronunciation), many originating in the Renaissance period around the 14^th century. We took the bus (public transport system pretty comprehensive in Italy and we are getting the hang of it with Mike's injury and reliance on the system) to Accademia. Despite the warnings we did not need to wait in a queue and when passing the xray machine they did not refuse our entry with a backpack (listed on the forbidden sign)... There was no audio guide but the descriptions on the arwork were in English also and provided enough detail – but we received more when eavesdropping on a nearby American tour group! Most astounding again was the age of the artworks, in particular Michelangelo 's various sculptures.... and his masterpiece David really is that amazing when you see it in person and just how detailed of a sculpture it is. Leading up to the David in the gallery are four other sculptures which Michelangelo deliberately left unfinished, to give an idea of the characters coming to life out of the marble – for us we could begin to understand how talented at his craft he was. As we mentioned it does not do it justice, but check out the photo – Mike got busted by security sneaking some shots, “I caught you twice” were the words of the security guard.

After the Accademia we wandered down the street to the awe inspiring Duomo (officially called Cattedrale Di Santa Maria Del Fiore), the third largest nave in the world after St Peter's in Rome and St Paul's in London, first constructed in 1296 with the goal to be “impossible to either make it better or more beautiful with the industry and power of man”. Many believe they succeeded and we thought so too. There was also the option to ascend to a viewing platform – not only did it provide a a close up view of the fresco artwork painted on the interior of the dome but you could climb futher and take in a view of the entire city from the roof of the Duomo – 100 metres high. Amazing view and a highlight of the visit.

Lunch at a nearby caffeteria, wander around the nearby piazzas and a taste of the city's gelato and we wandered back to the hotel. That night we could not resist popping into our already favourite trattoria just around the corner – Mike tried rabbit for the first time and I had chicken with some fabulous artichoke sauce, of course there was primi and I had the most delicious ravioli with ragu (bolognaise) sauce and Mike was in heaven with the freshly rolled egg pasta fettucine with pesto. I washed down the meal with great house red however Mike was still on his best behavious as he finished his drug therapy (shoot shoot). We are not exaggerating – of all the meals in Italy prior to Florence and also the ones after (as we write this we are actually in Venice at the end of our Italy stay) it really did set the standard by which we would measure other meals – conceding that we were privileged to experience such an establishment (we went three times by the time we left Florence!).

On Sunday we continued the sights – first taking in the Uffizi Gallery which houses works by Da Vinci, Bortticelli, Raphael and Michelangelo. We had pre booked which saved a slightly longer queue (and only cost a few extra Euro) but meant queuing to pick up tickets, then queuing to get in (and if you include first queuing in the group queue accidentally it was a fair time queiung!). We stopped for a coffee at a funky cafe on the walk to the Chiesa Di Santa Croce which holds the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. It was a beautiful cathedral of which construction started in the 1200s and was of extra interest due to the damage done to the building and artworks held within during the floods in 1966 where a watermark was left eight foot high on the interior wall. The piazza outside the church was a good back drop also and was a good resting stop for Mike's recovering leg!!!

We took the bus back to Stazione (central train station) and then took a different bus across the River Fuime to the Piazzale Michelangelo. Quite humble in our expectations we were pleasantly surprised (again) when the bus seemed to ascend the parklands were quite some time and when we stopped at the Piazzale were rewarded with beautiful views and a new perspective of the city. It was also late in the afternoon so the lighting made the view even better (it was still freezing!!) - a feature of our photos from Firenze.

The bus back to central took a while due to peak hour traffic and you guessed it, we thought for our last night in Firenze we would head back to our fave trattoria... unfortunately it was closed on a Sunday!! Mike said it was “rude” them taking a night off but in fairness one night a week for such good food is deserved!! A recommendation from the hotel lead us to yet another “turistico” menu so we passed it by and found an inviting wine bar. This was where we first experienced an expansive array of canapes available to patrons who purchased beverages. We enjoyed the wine very much and to celebrate Mike's first night off his buffet of drugs (off the wagon) HE purchased a rather nice bottle of Chianti (local Tuscan wine) = great night.