Firenze and Milan

We took a bus from Siena to Florence with the help of a Nonna who helped us locate the ticket office and the Corsa  Rapide bus. Though she spoke no English, we were able to communicate with her quite well through gestures. Among other things, she reminded us that Florence is not as safe as Siena, and we should be careful of thieves. We told her that we found Siena to be wonderful city, which resulted in vigorous and prideful nodding. When we got off the bus in Florence, Nonna made sure we had our luggage and knew where to get a taxi to our hotel. Those sweet moments of travel linger with me.

The Duomo in Florence is huge and ornate on the outside, but looks a bit austere on the inside compared to the one in Siena.

Most of the treasures in this cathedral have been moved to a nearby museum where Jim found a kindred spirit.

The Baptistry of this Duomo was stunning and a bit different than others we had seen. The ceiling was all done in mosaic tile, adding a beautiful shimmer to the dome. 

The Ponte Vecchio is a pedestrian only footbridge spanning the Arno River and is lined with jewelers and art dealers as dictated by city fathers centuries ago. 

The streets of Firenze are lined with tourists even in this "off season" and the gelato shops make the most of this. They pile the frozen yumminess in beautifully sculptured towers. It's hard to pass by without tasting a small sample.

This is Santa Croce, the burial place of both Michelangelo and Galileo. Once again, the doors drew me right in. 

We had some excellent pasta in little neighborhood trattorias. Recreating this white truffle pasta will keep us busy when we get home. We have been inspired to start making our own pasta again, as you just can't beat that homemade taste. 

We visited the Uffizi Gallery in the morning and walked by so much beauty. Rick Steve's podcast helped us hit the high spots. That afternoon at the Academia, I was not aware that  pictures were not allowed and got this shot of David before I was asked to put my camera away. Crafted from a scrap piece of stone, Michelangelo captured a perfect expression on David's face as he stared down Goliath. This was the second piece of art in Italy that moved me to tears. 

The Academia was also a treat for me because in a special exhibition I saw the The Adventures of Ulysses by Apollonio DiGiovani. Having taught The Odyssey for many years, it was exciting to see people tell the story of Odysseus, as depicted by this painting, in their native tongue. I heard parts of the story retold in French, English, German and Italian. It made me happy in a nerdy-teacher way.

Jim, on the other hand, was happy that we were able to walk into one of the five best eateries in Italy, Ristorante la Giostra,  with no reservations and get seated. (Whitney's BFF Sting frequents this place, too.) 

It was an amazing dinner, one of the five best in our 34 years together. Again, Jim walked out with a menu and the inspiration to try to recreate some of their dishes. This wall of Italian wine was hog-heaven for him to peruse. 

In Florence, again on the the advice of Jim and Liz Walker, we stayed at the Hotel Monna Lisa. It is a beautiful property, full of history. These leaded doors, which lead out into the magnificent garden area are from the 1500s. 

We were especially thankful for the help of Loretta, at the front desk, who pointed us in the direction of three places to eat, helped us print our boarding passes and made us feel very comfortable in Florence. 


Rubbing the nose of this wild boar assures a return trip to Florence. We happily took part in this tradition and look forward to coming back to this beautiful city.  

We took a train from Firenze to Milan to catch our flight back to St. Louis. The train ride was comfortable and quite fast. Though it was pouring down rain for all 18 hours we were in Milan, a kind taxi driver who "loves his city" gave us a nice tour, and I even got a picture of their Duomo, which is second in size only to St. Peter's.

We departed as very happy campers. This was the smoothest and most stress-free trip we have ever taken. The cities we visited, the knowledge we acquired, the culture we soaked in, the food we ate, and the beautiful Italian people we met will definitely draw us back for another visit at some point in the future.