Italy Day 8: A Frenzy in Firenze

It was our earliest morning in the mountains, and I cursed my alarm until I actually managed to drag myself out of bed.  It was at that moment, yawning and stretching at the foot of our cozy bed, that I happened to glance outside of the window.  We've been extremely fortunate to see a good many natural wonders between us, but for some reason, the view off the terrace was especially moving to me.  The sunlight was sporadically streaking through untold numbers of layers of stringy clouds, all of which hung delicately, shrouding the hillside in a grey mist. The scene ambiguously conveyed the drama of the moments leading up to the storm or immediately after one.  My jaw nearly dropped.  Perhaps it was how quickly grumpy, morning Graham became energized, happy Graham--how nature can so completely and suddenly make things feel okay. It was a cool feeling, "cool" being a cop-out way to describe the sensation. 

I ran out to the terrace and just stood there in awe before it occurred to me to snap some pictures.  That's why I'll never be the greatest user of social media and technology. I always look and appreciate first, try to document next.  I guess that's a good thing.  So after a brief, chilly repose on the terrace, we scrambled around the apartment, rounding up the remainder of our things, and singed the BnB guestbook.

Not a bad view to wake up to

Forgive the sleepy faces...

After a brief car ride from our host down to Caprile, we bid our fond farewells and boarded the bus to Belluno.  The bus ride was as beautiful as the first one, with return trips of any kind always offering an almost entirely new and exciting perspective of the landscape. I listened to my next audiobook, The Magicians, and am already enjoying it very much. So thank you to Liam and Maddie for that recommendation!  In Belluno, I bought Maddie a couple of hazelnut chocolate bars, and a prosciutto pressed sandwich for myself. I'm not going to lie, the 4 euro train station pressed panini was one of the most satisfying snack/lunches I've had so far.  Who knew! 

My last photo in the Dolomites

Once aboard the 2 hour train ride to Padova, I soon found myself, to my great surprise, resisting the urge to fall asleep.  I never fall asleep on transit of any kind! I quickly capitalized on this new-found ability, and succumbed to the darkness, falling into a really pleasant nap.  I would like to extend a nod of appreciation for Maddie remaining awake while I got to doze.  In Padova, we got another delicious pressed sandwich--what is it with this delicious train station fare?!--and scurried onto our next leg, a high speed train, to Florence.

It was a rather uncomfortable ride compared to our less populated mountain train trips.  A bit cramped.  But that didn't matter, because before we knew it we were pulling into the Santa Maria Novella station!  Looking at my iPhone map, we decided the distance was definitely walkable, even with our luggage, so we set off down what we arbitrarily determined was a street that would "get us there eventually."  And, indeed, it did...eventually.  It was a warm walk, but the excitement of being in this new place, and pacing beside the river, our thunderous rollers in tow, irregularly clicking the creases between stones on the sidewalk, was fun experience.  We rang the doorbell of our place in the Oltrarno area, and our very friendly host buzzed us in.

The apartment is really really old, furnished in a quirky, eclectic style, but in a very neat and tidy way.  A very pleasant, cool flow of air constantly blew its way through the open shuddered windows, making its breezy way through the hallway to the bedroom.  Our host is incredibly helpful and friendly, an Australian man with so much knowledge to share about the city.  He showed us around, ran and got us a bottle of good wine, and set about walking us through maps of the city and pointing out the best, cheapest food to eat in our large neighborhood.  The Oltrarno is essentially where all the artists--well, hipsters--call home.  Not as bustling or touristy as the city center, but still only a couple minutes walking from the Ponte Vecchio and city center, and even closer to the Boboli gardens and Pitti Palace.  

Ponte Vecchio

Pitti Palace

After he left us to settle in, we quickly set out to wander the streets and get a feel for the place.  As darkness descended on the city, the buzzing activity continued as the streets came alive with light, music, and inviting scents.  We walked around the corner to the gorgeous and lively Piazza Santo Spirito where music was was being played in front of the humongous church, we got some delicious gelato, then overused many interesting shops of local artisans this neighborhood is known for.  Finally, at dinner time, we strolled into our host's recommendation, Trattoria La Mangiatoia, and had the best meal of the trip--and for the best price of the trip!  Rosemary focaccia, grilled veggies, vegetable pizza, and hand made cacio e pepe.  And it was only 1 euro for water (as opposed to the 4-5 in Venice).  It was so incredibly good!! 

Into the heart of the city

The campanile and cathedral--they're huge!

Statues by the live outdoor orchestra

THAT PIZZA!

Rosemary focaccia

More city center

Aaaaand the Duomo

After eating way too much and not even caring, we continued exploring, venturing across the Arno to walk around the various larger piazzas there.  The cool city streets teemed with music and laughter, and we stopped several times to appreciate he numerous live performances.  Truly enchanting.  Finally, after a long day of traveling, we meandered our way back home, and now, equipped with better wifi, are relaxing and ready to call it a night.

Night night

Tomorrow: who knows!