Valerie's Italy Trip Journal 2012: Florence September 10

Florence

Monday, September 10 (4.3 miles total on the pedometer)

We were up early so we could be packed and ready to go by 8:30. I was a little anxious. We had been warned repeatedly in the Rick Steves’ literature to pack light because you could have to drag your suitcase over uneven pavement for up to 15 minutes from the hotel to the bus. Seeing as the closest the bus could get to our hotel was on the mainland, WAY over on the other side of Venice, I thought this must be what they had been referring to. The tour company also makes everyone sign a NO GRUMP clause, so you can’t even complain. Boy, was I glad when Donato bought us all tickets for the Vaparetto. We got one last boat ride that helped me transition from the magic of Venice to the mainland filled with cars, buses and parking lots.

Our bus was large and comfortable. It probably seated 50 so there was lots of room to spread out. On the way we stopped for lunch at an “Autogrill” which was a cafeteria-style restaurant/convenience store that straddles the highway, with access for visitors coming from either direction. After all of the seafood that I had eaten, I was thrilled when I got a plate of chicken with olives, a side salad, potatoes and fresh fruit.

The real prize was in the convenience store where I got a Coke Zero from a soda fountain with ice. Amazing. Italy has very little “junk food,” and I got a chuckle that you could buy imported Pepperidge Farm “Milano” Cookies in Italy. The bus ride was nice, Donato told stories to entertain us.

We arrived in Florence around 2:30 pm and checked into the Hotel Silla. There was a chance that the bus would not be able to drop us off close to the hotel. Happily, the driver just stopped in the middle of the road and we quickly disembarked. To top it off the hotel pampered us by taking our bags to our rooms, while we were treated to a welcome reception with wine and snacks on the terrace.

Our room was huge. No really HUGE! It had really tall ceilings, four beds, (two pushed together to make a “double bed”), a dresser, a desk and an easy chair. A foyer led to the bathroom complete with a tub/shower and a bidet.

I literally danced around in all the open space. Ironically I would discover that the small room in Venice, forced me to keep track of where everything was, while this room had so many places to put things, I could never find anything.

The shower was interesting. The showerhead was mounted on the wall in the middle of the tub. There were hinged shower doors attached to the wall that when extended, only covered half of the tub, which caused some water to spill out.

This was still a far cry from a shower that I had encountered on my previous trip, which had no enclosure or tub at all, just a showerhead and a drain in the floor. The whole bathroom would end up soaked, but you could wash your feet while sitting on the toilet.

After settling in, we met in the park outside the hotel and Donato led us on a walking tour of the city. It was strange to have to think about cars and traffic again.

The sidewalks were narrow and uneven, so the streets were filled with cars, hundreds of motor scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians. Somehow it all worked; sometimes it was scary, but you just got out of the way.

There were a lot of two-seater Smart cars, which were created by the same company that sold Swatch brand watches. They were so small they could create their own parking space, by parking sideways between two cars.

The famous Ponte Vecchio was the next bridge over from our hotel.

We walked by the Uffizi Gallery, and then saw lots of fun statues in the Piazza della Signoria, including a copy of the statue of David.

Donato then led us past the Duomo, Florence’s enormous cathedral.

We walked through the leather market until we ended up at a leather store owned by his good friend, Massimo. It seems that Florence is THE place to buy leather, but it is easy to get ripped off. His store offered the members of our tour his high quality leather jackets and handbags at a discounted price.

Donato made a point of telling us that no one associated with Rick Steves’ tours received kickbacks from any sales. I hope for the amount of money that members of our tour would end up spending at his store, that Donato at least gets invited over for dinner on Massimo’s yacht every once and awhile.

We ended our walk at the Bapistry near the Duomo, where we would meet up again later for dinner. Pat, Lou, Greg and I decided to go back to the hotel to rest.

On the way we stopped at a small grocery store. Lou wanted to get some grapes. She had trouble putting them into the plastic bag, until she realized it was actually a plastic glove.

After finding the real bags, we learned that you weigh and price the fruit yourself in the product section. There was a scale that printed a sticker with the price on it, that Lou gave the cashier when she checked out.

It ended up taking us longer than we expected to walk back to meet the group for dinner, and we arrived 10 minutes late. The group was not pleased. Thank heavens for the “no grump” clause. Dinner, in a private section of Giglio Rosso Ristorante, was delicious.

We feasted on a trio of pastas including gnocchi, ravioli and a penne dish that was a terrific “mac and cheese.” We learned that “penne” is pasta, but “pene” is penis. I will be much more careful when ordering.

Our second dish was a large plate of not very tender strips of beef, with arugula and balsamic vinegar, with a side dish of potatoes.

For dessert, the owner brought over a huge cart filled with cakes and pastries. Patrick got a laugh when he pretended to steal the whole cart. I had a yummy slice of chocolate cherry cream cake.