Florence, Italy

Michaelangelo's David - Galleria dell'Accademia

La Bussola Ristorante Pizzeria

Il Duomo

Our next stop on my first trip to Italy was to the capitol of Tuscany, Florence.  We were there for 4 days and it rained for three, but luckily Florence is a very small and walkable city with lots of museums, so we had a lot to do despite the downpour.  

Florence was a center of medieval European trade and finance, and as a result, it became one of the wealthiest and most powerful cities of the time.  Looking around at the tall, magnificent buildings and numerous marble sculptures lining the streets, it's easy to tell that the citizens of Florence had lots of money and weren't shy to spend it on their favorite artists such as Michaelangelo and Da Vinci.  This city is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and was home to the Medici, one of history's most important noble families.

We stayed an apartment and atelier that belonged to a 1960s Fiorentina fashion designer on Piaaza della Signoria.  It was a great central location and just 5-15 minutes from everywhere we wanted to go.

Walking around, I noticed that Florence has a peculiar address numbering system.  If you're standing on the street and look above one shop door, you might see a red 18, shown as "18r" and yet next door, the number above that door might be a blue/black 4.  Shouldn't it be red 20?  Here's what I learned:  shops and businesses are identified by the letter 'r' after the number.  This signifies 'red'. Private residences are numbered in black.  The two numerations are parallel and is possible that a road can have two equal numbers that differ only for the color.  The numbers grow following the flow of the river Arno.  Below are places we enjoyed eating at.  You'll notice the address has an "r" after the number.

Florence is well-situated in a beautiful part of Tuscany and surrounded charming cities easily explored as a day trips.  We took a short 1 hour train ride to Pisa, but had to save Siena and San Gimignano (both take about 1 hour by bus) for another time. 

Places we liked in Florence:

Perché no!, Via dei Tavolini, 19-r, 50122 Firenze, Italia -- take a few steps off the main street of Piazza della Signoria and you'll find this small gelateria that has been making gelato in Florence since 1939.  Don't be lured by the dozens of other shops with gelato piled high in their windows, keep walking and you'll find some of the best gelato you'll ever taste here.

Finisterrae Ristorante Mediterraneo, Piazza Santa Croce 12r, 50122 Firenze, Italia -- when you walk in, you'll find a selection of good quality breakfast pastries and in the back, is a upscale yet casual restaurant that serves good pizza and Mediterranean fare.  

Yellow Bar, Via del Proconsolo 39r, 50122 Firenze, Italia -- this buzzing pizzeria, which also serves delicious, fresh pasta, is a 5 minute walk from the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as, Il Duomo.  From the outside, it looks like a small little eatery, but once inside, you'll see that it's quite large.  Even so, this popular place gets quite busy at dinner time.

La Bussola Ristorante Pizzeria, Via porta Rossa 58/R, 50123 Firenze, Italy -- yet another delicious handmade, wood-fired oven pizzeria in Florence set in a more modern backdrop.  Sit at the bar and you can watch the pizza chef create carb masterpieces.

Others we didn't get to try in Florence, but wanted to:

Trattoria Acquacotta,Via de' Pilastri 51R, 50121 Firenze -- all around good pasta and meat.

Il Pizzaiuolo -- according to my friend, it has the best pizza in town.

In Siena, a friend recommended dining in an old wine cellar and its old grotto cave at Osteria da Divo.

Our Venice guide recommended a colleague in Florence, who was good.  If interested, let me know.