Some of you may recall that my hubby and I took a two-week trip to Italy this past spring. Here is a little summary of the first leg of our trip, if you will. It was my first time in Florence and my hubby's first time in Italy... we had an amazing time.
This is a local specialty from the Colonnata region, which is near the marble quarries. Lardo di Colonnata is essentially cured pork fat. The flavour is light and subtle. Yummy.
Pappardelle. My favourite pasta.
Hubs had farfalle with truffle cream sauce. He's a huge fan of sauce so this dish was right up his alley!
Oh Duomo, how I love thee...
The Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella had a wide selection of interesting (albeit expensive) products. The products are displayed at various counters, which are spaced out quite far apart in the museum/shop. You basically select which products you would like to purchase and they are tallied on a plastic card. When you check out, you present the card, pay, and the cashier/associate gathers your goodies for you.
One of my favourite little food places in Florence. Procacci was recommended to us by a friend of a friend and it was fantastic. The little truffle panini don't look like much, but they were heavenly. It was really nice to sit in the little shop with a glass of prosecco and some little nibbles.
Ferragamo shoe museum! We just happened upon the Ferragamo store and discovered the museum in the lower level. The museum changes themes every so often and the theme was fairytales when we went (if I remember correctly). It was a little abstract at first but I ended up really enjoying it. We watched a number of the short films that were showing on repeat, so we ended up spending a fair amount of time there. After the museum, we went into the Ferragamo's Creations store and spent a lot of time chatting with the sales associate.
The light in Florence is magnificent. So golden!
Aperitivo is kind of like happy hour. You buy a drink and you get access to a free buffet of finger foods. The one we went to was just ok. The food selection was limited to mostly sandwiches.
Based on another recommendation from a friend, we hired a private guide to take us to the Bargello and the Uffizi. It was well worth the money! We are not well versed in art history and we got a crash course on Medieval art and the Renaissance. This was our main gallery and museum day so we also went to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David.
That night, we chowed down on Florentine steak. Oh my!
Wish we had more time to spend in the food market, but this was our last full day in Florence proper so we wanted to make the most of it. We walked a ton. From the market to Oltrarno and back again.
Gusta Pizza! I've been having major pizza cravings lately and I blame it on Italy.
Florence captured my heart. The food, the wine, the art and architecture, the narrow streets, the slow pace, the language, the people. Here's a little vlog on our first 5 days. Lots of recommendations with links if you click through to my YouTube video page. :)
