Florence (Part 1): Back to the Renascence

We got out of Rome the next day and headed on a breathtakingly scenic train through Tuscany to its most famous city- Florence.

We nailed a cheap room with a gorous view (this is key when traveling in Italy). It was on the third floor and overlooked Florence's Famous Cathedral Dome which is considered one of three of Italy's most famous bulidings (the other being the Colleseum in Rome and the Leaning Tower in Pisa). Also supplied a close view of the famous Medici tower and Cathedral which the window was directly above.

We got in at a good time and immediately got dressed up for a nice lunch. We landed by recommendation into the tiny little wine cellar/ bakery/ cafe of a place a few blocks from the old cathedral called Cantinetta dei Verrazzano. The food exploded our minds- we ordered the tagliere di focacce, a sampler platter of many local focaccia sandwiches, as well as a cutting board of cheeses and cured meats from the Florence region. We were well taken care of by maybe one of the most famous servers in the city named "Johnathan". He set us up good.

The wine we had there was also our first Chianti Classico. Can't remember the name of the estate but it was in the Castellina in Chianti area. The 2004 Reserva was a delectable glass of wine all for less then a glass of "house red" back in Canada- ahhh... we were here and living the life in Italy.

After gorging we just spent the afternoon wondering the Florentine streets gocking at the famous cathedral, looking at all the old artisan shops throughout the narrow streets. When turning the corner before facing the cathedral, Alissa literally let out a gasp because it is so utterly beautiful (this in compete contrast to her giggle when seeing the replica David statue in Piazza della Singoria).

Wonderful day capped by a delicious authentic Tuscany style minestrone soup and a walnut and cream sauce, hand made ravioli at a tiny restaurant called Resturante Le Fonticine. We had a bottle of Chianti Gallo Nego- wine, wine, wine, food, food, food.

After the meal we made a pact to never eat two sit down resturants in one day and to always drink at least one bottle of wine per day- a pact which we maintained throughout our Italian trip.