Italy- Week 1

Arrival in Italy (Thursday and Friday): Despite having a great flight, hour-wise, I was unable to sleep the entire way over making for a semi-cranky mood when we finally arrived 14 hours. Found our hotel easily enough, and after a shower and change of clothes, Scott and I wandered to a neighborhood trattoria for dinner. A bottle of wine, salads, pizza and the sudden realization that we made it to Italy, finally!, restored my good nature. Friday was our one full day in Milan, and we had tickets to go to the Taste of Milan- a food and wine festival, with about 15 of Milan's highly respected restaurants serving mini entrees and enotecas pouring wines by the glass. The sun was shining as we headed to the festival and found it nearly empty.. Guess most people opted for the evening tickets, or were working- which was fine by us! The event was fantastic, and a great way to ease into the vacation. We spent 4 hours eating, drinking wine, and chatting with various wineries that were there pouring their wines. Not much to see in Milan- it really was like any big city. We did go over to the Duomo to take photos and eat gelato, but other than that, the festival was the highlight of Milan.

Saturday: We arrived in Venice around 1 pm, and boarded the vaporetto to take us to the hotel. The vaporetto's are the source of transportation in Venice (other than walking, of course) as the city is on the water. First impressions- the green of the water, the humidity in the air, the nagging feeling that this was all so surreal, the city was exactly how I've imagined and seen it in the movies. The warnings of getting lost in Venice is so true- the city is full of little streets, a maze of cobblestone, bridges at every turn. We were staying near St. Marks Square, something I wouldn't recommend as it was overwhelmingly full of tourists (mostly Americans). But the square--St Mark's Basilica, Doges Palace, the water 200 feet away, the gondolas bobbing in the water- picturesque indeed. Spent the day wandering through the city, taking photos.

Sunday: I got up a little early and got out into the city to explore before the cruise ships unloaded in the square. Wandered through St. Marks Basilica- it's byzantine architecture beautiful. Bought some art from street vendors, chatted up gondolier's, and took tons of photos- every window and bridge more photo worthy than the last. Scott and I met up for dinner that evening, and then went to a Vivaldi concert in a church.

Monday: Train to Florence was easy and uneventful. Found our pension and delighted in that we were near everything, yet far enough removed to have a neighborhood feel. Our hosts, Carmella and Pino, were charming and it was so fun to practice my Italian with Pino. Spent the majority of the day wandering the San Lorenzo market (bought a leather purse), having a light lunch in the square and soaking up the Florentine vibe. Our pension had a great deck, which both of our rooms opened onto, so we took advantage of this every evening, complete with cheese and bottles of wine.

Tuesday: We had reservations to the Academia in the morning; what a smart thing to reserve our

tickets ahead of time. For a few euro, our date and time was confirmed and there was no waiting in line. The star of this museum is the David of course; something you've seen so many times in books doesn't prepare you for what it's like to see it for real. I think I spent a good 30 minutes with the David alone, moving my place to around the statue, taking in the details and the very real feeling of this statue from the early 1500's. The day continued with a walk through of the Mercato Centrale, Florence's large market. Stalls and stalls of pastas, vegetables, butchers, cheese, and

other Italian goodies. I found a great little spot for lunch, Mario's, a predominately locals only spot. Mario's is only open for lunch, the menu is super small, and it's all communal dining. I was happy, and in heaven with the best zuppa di fagiole ever. Spent the evening on our patio, drinking wine and eating cheese before heading downstairs to the trattoria for dinner. Pino, our host, took us downstairs, poured us wine and instructed us to wait here! for the next table. Dinner was simple, delicious.

Wednesday: Maybe a little too much post dinner limoncello contributed to my throbbing headache this morning, so I was moving slowly. I finally got myself out to head over to Pitti Palace- a gallery

and gardens of the Medici family, located on the other side of the Arno river. Walking towards the

river, you are greeted by Ponte Vecchio-the oldest bridge in Florence, with its colorful windows. The Pitti Palace is full of art of the Medici family, the paintings were hung 2 or 3 high on nearly every wall. It was overwhelming, to say the least. The palace also included 7 apartments to view; rooms that were decorated with some of the original furnishings and information on how they were used. The fabrics and wall coverings were beautiful, the furniture regal and ornately detailed. When I had my fill of the art, I walked outside to the Boboli Gardens, a nearly 45 degree incline in every direction- hard to do with the sun beating down on my banging head! Since I was already on the other side of the Arno, I walked over to the Piazza Michealangelo, the original home to the David (it now houses a patina replica). The views of Florence were spectacular.

Thursday: Our last full in Florence, we had reservations to the Uffizi museum, another art museum of the, surprise!, Medici family. Phil and Paula were coming in from Siena to join us, and our reservation was at 1. Spent the morning wandering one last time through the mercato centrale, and hung in the Piazza near the museum, people watching and admiring the replicas of famous sculptures in a pavilion in the piazza.

The museum was comprised mostly of

religious art and portraits (which I'm not a fan of), so while I am glad we went, it wasn't a huge hit. The bright spots in the museum was seeing 'The Birth of Venus' (so beautiful) and a partially finished piece of Leonardo Di Vinci. All of the walking and digesting worked up our appetites, so everyone was interested in trying my secret spot, Mario's. It was just as the second time around. Phil and Paula headed back to our place to drink wine on the deck until the last bus was leaving to take them back to Siena. It was a fantastic last day in Florence, and I for one was a little sad to be leaving. I could definitely come back, rent an apartment for a month and just be in this fantastic city.

Friday begins Week 2 of the trip...