I’m very fortunate to have visited the
historic city of Florence, not once but three times, and it took me this many
tries to accomplish the items on my Bucket List. I saw great works of art at
the renowned Uffizi Gallery; toured locations featured in Dan Brown’s novel
Inferno; and sampled unique Tuscan cuisine. But no visit to Florence is ever
long enough.
While my daughter and I were dashing
through the halls of the Uffizi Gallery the rest of our tour group were capping
off a walking tour of the city’s squares with a cold Aperol spritz. I enjoyed
my first taste of this traditional aperitivo a few hours later in the hotel bar
before dinner.
The next morning we used our free time to
visit locations from the novel Inferno. We arrived at the Palazzo Vecchio for
the museum’s 9:00 opening. Then we scooted to the Baptistery of San Giovanni
which opened at 10:00. But the long queue outside Santa Maria del Fiore meant
there wasn’t enough time for a visit inside the city’s famous cathedral. We had
to be at Piazza Santa Croce by 11:30 for an afternoon excursion to San
Gimignano and I wanted my daughter to see the city’s oldest bridge, the Ponte
Vecchio.
In the evening we headed to one of Rick
Steves’ recommended restaurants, Trattoria dei 13 Gobbi, to try some local
specialties. This cozy trattoria was a pleasant walk from our hotel along the
banks of the Arno River and the staff greeted us like old friends. The Tuscan
steak is prepared for two people and served rare to preserve the meat’s
tenderness. I enjoyed the beef with a glass of Chianti wine and delicate
zucchini blossoms, battered and deep fried until crispy. The flowers first
caught my eye amongst the more traditional veggies at Nice’s Cours Saleya
Market and since then I’ve wondered how they’d taste (a fresh, subtle zucchini
flavour).
After two short days in Florence I’d
managed to do most of the things on my list but I ran out of time. A fourth
visit is unlikely so I’m content with my new memories. And 2015 marks the 150th
anniversary of the year Florence became capital of Italy so I’ll keep up with
the celebrations by following the hashtag #FirenzeCapitale.
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