Riportami in Italia! If Google translate has done right by me, that means, take me back to Italy! If not…hopefully it’s not something offensive?!?!
Florence, Italy was an absolute treasure. I feel like Italy is always on people’s lists of places to go because the country has so much to offer between the delicious foods and wines, the history, the scenery, and the romantic culture, and it certainly did not disappoint. And to think, we only had a small taste of Italian culture!
For this trip, we flew out of the more local airport (Manchester is about an hour and a half away), so we were able to get a decent price out of Leeds Bradford to Pisa, Italy. Leeds Bradford is only about half an hour from our house so that was really nice; however, smaller airports come with different quirks too. Check-in was pretty simple, especially since we had checked-in and printed tickets prior to arrival at the airport (because Ryanair charges you if you don’t…yes, again, they nickel and dime you!) so all we really had to do was drop off our checked bag. Why did we check a bag for a long weekend you ask? Well, first of all, Ryanair’s carry-on bag dimensions are somewhat laughable, but also because we have a child who requires a lot of different things. Plus wine. You don’t go to Tuscany, Italy without the intention of buying some wine.
Anyway, our hiccup came at security. So, I’m still breastfeeding Asher and I bring a little bit of frozen milk each time we go somewhere so that we have it if need be. Traveling with breastmilk is always interesting, but a necessity. So, we get in line, and then they separate Brian and I after telling us that baby milk/food has to go down a different line. I take Asher and the diaper bag to the other line while Brian stays with all of our other stuff. The nice security lady offered to hold Asher while I broke down the stroller and put it on the security belt, which was appreciated. I give her the cooler with milk, and then take Asher through security myself. Now, in the States, you can travel with a reasonable amount of frozen milk; however, our experiences in the UK have been that the milk cannot be frozen, but obviously can be cold. So each time we’ve travelled, we thaw it the night before in the fridge and travel with ice packs. However, apparently at Leeds Bradford, ice packs aren’t allowed. The security officer was somewhat apologetic and said that she needed to take the ice pack. Now, I am the last person to fight anything or anyone in security. I recognize that everything they do is for our own safety; that being said, we’d never had this problem before and breast milk spoils if it gets warm, especially if it’s been frozen. So I politely ask how I’m supposed to keep it cold then. She then reports to another superior who was NO HELP and was basically like “yea, you can’t have it back, so if you want to keep it cold, you have to check it.” Yea, no. Breast milk stays with me. The lady knew I wasn’t happy either, but there wasn’t much I could do, so we frustratingly gathered all of our items and left. We figured someone around the airport would have ice and might help us out (which we did!).
Our flight was a bit delayed, but nothing too terrible and soon we were on our way to Pisa. Navigating through the airport at Pisa was really simple because the airport itself is quite small. We quickly got our bags and headed outside to find a taxi. Now, I will say, never in our lives, have we walked outside an airport and not been greeted by lines of taxis waiting, except in Pisa. We wandered a bit before we found the taxi stand, which we were standing in a line about 5 groups deep waiting for a taxi. Later in Florence, a tour guide explained that in Florence it’s illegal for taxis to just pick you up outside of a taxi stand or through a pre-ordered call. Perhaps this applies in Pisa too? We didn’t have to wait too long and our taxi got us to our hotel pretty quickly since Pisa itself isn’t large!
We stayed at the 4Rooms Bed and Breakfast which was right around the corner from the Leaning Tower. The owner, Luca, was incredibly warm and welcoming. He took us up the stairs and showed us our room, which was really spacious for a European hotel. He had the baby cot ready for Asher and was happy to give us some recommendations for food, etc. The room itself was set up really well for us, and the only down side, which we found in both of our hotels on this trip, is that the pump for the plumbing in the bathroom was really loud, so it was hard to shower and even use the toilet without fear of waking Asher. However, we really rate hotels on cleanliness, location, safety, and the courtesy of the staff and this B and B was really nice.
Now, since Italy is an hour behind us here in the UK, it give us an additional hour with Asher, which is helpful! We didn’t get to the hotel until 7, so we knew it was going to be a bit of a late for Asher since we needed to eat, but per usual, he was a champ. We left our stuff at the hotel and meandered towards the tower and the main area of Pisa for some grub. Now, you see all of the touristy pictures of the Leaning Tower and expect it to be this grand thing standing by itself, but it’s totally not! We walked through some of the remains of the city wall to be greeted by stunning buildings. In the Piazza del Duomo, or the grassy area surrounding the tower, there was also San Giovanni’s Baptistry and the Cathedral of Pisa, which were both stunning pieces of architecture. Now, of course the Leaning Tower of Pisa is cool to see as well. It’s only on a 4% tilt, but it certainly looks significantly more than that (more like 20%). Yes, we took the typical touristy pictures of us holding up the tower itself, because, you can’t not, right?
We headed towards the town center to find a bite to eat. We tried to go to the place Luca recommended but it ended up being closed, so we went to a restaurant that a friend of ours recommended called Peppercino’s. This is where we quickly learned that Italians LOVE their babies. Asher was a hit. The owner and our server both doted on him, ignoring what we call Personal Space, but not in an uncomfortable way. The restaurant itself appeared to be a family operation. Now, when in Italy, you plan on eating all of the pasta and pizza you can fit because they’re so good. So, for our first meal, we ordered a pasta dish and a pizza to split. We ordered gnocchi with walnuts in a gorgonzola sauce and then a pizza with prosciutto and mushrooms. Both were delicious. Asher really enjoyed his pizza too. Asher’s had enough pizza to last a year (but, we’ve already had pizza once since we came back because we can’t help ourselves…)
On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at a gelato place to grab some dessert. Gelato actually originated in Florence, so when there, or even in the surrounding region, you eat it. Or, if you’re us, you eat it whenever because who doesn’t like gelato?! I got a scoop of ginger and cinnamon, and a chocolate hazelnut. Both were really good. The ginger cinnamon flavor was really different, but I liked it! The chocolate hazelnut was simply delectable. Brian got a scoop of the peanut butter gelato and the Italian Cream one. He also enjoyed both of his. Asher didn’t get any this time because it was way past this bed time and sugar was the last thing this boy needed!
In the morning, we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. Luca made us a delicious espresso and we ate what we would equate to a continental breakfast. We then walked to see the tower during the daylight and to get the picture of Asher with the tower. It was amazing to see the difference in security during the day versus at night. At night, there was hardly anyone there; however, during the day, it was packed and there was a heavy police presence. It was definitely a different viewing experience. Aside from that area, there is not much to do or see in Pisa, so we grabbed our stuff and walked to the train station, which was roughly a fifteen minute walk. The train ride from Pisa to Florence was only one hour and cost us 17 total euros. It is amazing how efficient train systems are over here! I was hoping Asher would sleep a lot on the train; however, he really only took a half hour nap, so we were a bit apprehensive how the rest of the day would go, but spoiler alert: he was awesome. Again.
In Florence, we walked to check in to our hotel from the train station which was about 15 minutes as well. We stayed in the Florence Dome Hotel which was in the same entryway as the Michelangelo Museum. The hotel was pretty nice, and the staff was really welcoming. They had a fridge (just like the room in Pisa), which is nice because many European hotels do not. We were able to check in early (around 11:30) which was really helpful since we had booked our wine tour that day.
On our way to catch our tour busy of the Chianti wine region, we grabbed a quick sandwich from a place called Sandwichic. Holy guacamole was it good. We walked up to the deli-like place and it was packed, so we were perusing the menu so that Brian could go in and order while I waited outside (it was pretty small inside). As we were talking about what we wanted, this old Italian woman stopped to admire Asher because, as I said before, they love their babies, and she was trying to talk to us in Italian, which obviously we couldn’t follow, but we spoke together for a few minutes in different languages, getting by. The most memorable part of the conversation is when she kept pointing to Asher and asking latte? Latte? At first, I of course was thinking about coffee, and was super confused, but then I caught on that she was asking me if he was breastfed. Needless to say, it was an entertaining conversation! Anywho, Brian got two sandwiches, which were pretty big, with local Italian meats including prosciutto and salami. They were really good and sufficed to keep us full until our snacks on the wine tour itself.
The wine tour was a big tour, but took Asher with no fee. When we first started looking for wine tours, many wouldn’t allow people under 16, and then the first one we did find charged 50 euros for him since he took a seat, which while logical, seemed ridiculous. So, when we found this one and it had decent reviews, we jumped on it. The first stop was the medieval town of Greve in the Florentine side of the Chianti region in Tuscany. It was a cool, old town with a neat big square that is named after the river which runs through it. Until recently, it wasn’t a high tourist area since it’s off the main roads; however, it is among the top visited places in the Chianti region now as it is the biggest town between Florence and Siena. Here, I took advantage of the opportunity to feed Asher since we hadn’t started drinking any wine yet, and I was hoping he’d fall asleep, but no such luck.
Our second stop was a family run winery called Tenuta Riseccoli. They only make 10,000 bottles per year, which there were some wineries in the region that make 8,000 bottles a week. The winery itself was on a stunning property overlooking the vineyards and beautiful fields of the Chianti region. We tried four wines here including their traditional white, a Chianti Classico, a Chianti Classico Riserva, and Super-Tuscan. Now, let me take a moment to explain how this wine region works. The Chianti region of Tuscany is obviously most well known for their Chianti wines, specifically Chianti Classicos. In order to be deemed a Chianti Classico, the vineyards must follow 200-some rules, including vines must face sun south East or west, the wine must be made from at least 80% Sangiovese grapes, the wines must ferment at least six months (1 year for Riserva), etc.. If the vineyard follows all of these rules and their wines meet the demands of this type of wine, they are then labeled a Chianti Classico and given a sticker with a black rooster on it. This is the sign of a good wine.
Back to the vineyard, their wines were okay. I enjoyed the traditional Chianti Classico but it was on the drier side, so it wasn’t Brian’s favorite. The Super-Tuscan was good but not 40€ good. Also while there, we also tried their olive oil and vinegar with some breads, cheese, and meats. Both were pretty good too, but nothing to write home about. The host also explained how the year 2016 was one of the best years they have ever had for wines in the region. So, armed with the knowledge, we purchased a bottle of Chianti Classico from 2016, even though the one we tasted was from a different year.
Our 3rd stop was Castellina, a medieval town from 1300’s and it was really charming. The town very much so still functions like it did during medieval times and you can walk through the towered walls. There is an old castle downtown which currently serves as the town hall. As you walked inside the fortress walls, they had windows (which one can assume was originally for lookouts to protect) but now show the beautiful picturesque views of the Siena side of Chianti. Asher FINALLY napped here, only to be awoken after thirty minutes by a screaming child. But, it’s all good because sometimes a power nap is all that boy needs. Or any of us really need.
The fourth and final stop before heading back to Florence was another small family run winery called Poggio Amorelli. This winery is a bit bigger than the previous one in that it distributes 25,000-50,000 bottles of wine each year. The tour guide for this winery was incredibly personable and humorous, and as Brian so eloquently stated, “this guy could sell a turd.” The first wine we tried was a prosseco, which normally is not for me at all, but it was actually pretty good. It wasn’t too sweet, which most of them are, and it would be a nice glass to cheers an occasion to. We were then given some bread with their own olive oil as well. This olive oil was really good, but our tour guide for the overall day told us that this time of year is the worst time of year to buy olive oil because it is a year old—the new oils are made in November. The second tasting was a Rosé wine, which was a bit too sweet for my tastebuds. Here, we were given their own truffle oil to try. If you had never smelled truffles before, you were in for a surprise. As people who like truffles, it was really tasty, but super strong. There would be few things you could cook in it, such as fries, because let’s be honest, who doesn’t like truffle fries?
The third tasting was their traditional Chianti Classico, which they abided by the 200+ rules and made a banging a** wine. It was tasty. They paired this with their own balsamic vinegar, which was really tasty too. Then, our final wine was their Chianti Classico Riserva, bottled in 2016. Remember what the previous vineyard had sad about the year 2016? Yea. This was definitely the best wine we had on the tour—really, on the entire trip. They also paired this with an aged balsamic which was DELICIOUS and like 50 euros for 2 ounces (that’s an exaggeration, but you get my point). They closed out with offering us an Italian Whiskey (random, right?) made from the grape skins. I was not personally a fan, so Brian finished mine too. We purchased one of their traditional Chianti Classicos and one of their Riservas before getting back on the bus to head back to Florence. And guess who didn’t nap for the entire hour back?! That’s right. Brian. Just kidding, Asher. That boy barely slept all day and he was a serious trooper.
Since Asher hadn’t napped, we decided to find a dinner place close to the hotel (it was actually next door) that had pretty good reviews because Asher FINALLY fell asleep while walking back from the train station. The restaurant was called Trattoria and we ordered a spaghetti pesto dish, a gnocchi and tomato sauce, and a traditional beef stew. Now, let me settle one tiny detail so you don’t think we are just fatties who ate pasta every time (even though we totally are because if you don’t when in Italy, unless you have a gluten intolerance, then I’m not sure what’s wrong with you). Italians eat pasta as their first dishes, then have their main dishes. It’s truly genius and I’m not sure why we don’t all adopt this (well I know why, but you know what I mean). Plus, pasta is an easy finger food for Asher, so it was a win-win for us. Anywho, the meals were delicious, per usual.
On Sunday, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel before heading out to our tour of the Accademia, a.k.a. Michelangelo’s The David. We purchased a guided tour ahead of time because everything you read says to at least purchase “skip-the-line tickets” but admittedly, Brian and I know nothing about art. It’s not that we don’t appreciate and value art in our society, it’s just not our interest. Make sense? So we really needed someone to explain it to us, and it was worth the time and money. Even with our pre-purchased, tour guide tickets, there was a separate line where we had to wait roughly 15 minutes to get in. The line for people who didn’t purchase the tickets ahead of time was ridiculous!
Anyway, here is your history alert. The next paragraph is entirely about the David and its history, in case you’re interested, but if you’re not, feel free to skip!
I expected the David to be large, but he was massive and impressive. The David was built in 3 years, finished in the year 1504 by Michelangelo himself, and no one else. He was commissioned to sculpt the David to sit on the buttress, along with other statues from the Old Testament, of the Duomo building itself, which may explain why the head and hands are disproportionate to the rest of his body—they were meant to be viewed from far away. However, once the 26-year-old artist finished his masterpiece of marble, it was clear that the David was too beautiful (and likely too massive) to sit atop the Duomo and originally was moved to the Palazzo Vecchio where there are many other famous statues, but then it was moved to its current museum for safe-keeping. Michelangelo chose to depict David prior to his battle with Goliath as opposed to after his victory like the many artists before him, and he also chose to make the slingshot barely visible making it clear that David won the battle thanks to his wits and not his weapon. David become a symbol of freedom for their Republican ideals in Florence, especially since the council who had asked Michelangelo to construct him had just defeated the Medici family dynasty (only to be taken back in 1537, but small detail). During World War II, they did everything they could to protect the David from damage. According to our tour guide, there was some sort of agreement between nations to protect the cultural and historical pieces of historical significance, and Americans, Brits, etc. all played fairly, but one country did not. Care to guess? That’s right. Stupid Nazi’s. Luckily, Florence was pretty much untouched by air raids and bombings with the exception of the bridges, which the Nazi’s took out (more on that later). Nazi’s ruin everything. Except for the David, thank heavens.
After our tour of the David, we headed back to the hotel to grab the stroller, etc. Asher luckily slept most of the tour, which was good because he needed it. At the hotel we had a mini-hiccup. I had fed Asher and next thing we know, he vomited all over our bed, his clothes, and my clothes. Luckily we were at the hotel, but you know, it was unpleasant to say the least. We were able to clean him up, me up, and request new sheets, etc. before heading out. We weren’t entirely sure what was going on with him, but he was a bit off. Not sure if it was something he ate, or perhaps something I ate? But, he was a bit fussy for the afternoon, which is very unlike him. I should put this in perspective though—my son’s fussiness is still really chill, but we knew he was off and we felt a little bad about it.
For lunch, we wanted to try a traditional Florentine steak. Now, when you order a steak in the UK, they don’t always ask you how you want it cooked, and often offer you sauces. Not exactly how we like our steaks…but the Florentine steak—it’s a massive porterhouse steak cooked with seasoning and is supposed to be served rare. Now, I’m a girl who likes her red meat medium, so rare is tough for me. If I wasn’t still breastfeeding Asher, I probably would have gone for it, but they do offer it medium-rare, which is what we got because I still have to look out for my boy—who already wasn’t feeling too hot. But was that steak DELICIOUS. It was really well seasoned and yummy. We went to a restaurant called Fettunta and they were packed, but we only waited about 15 minutes for a table. They couldn’t give us a seat for Asher, which only was a problem because he was a bit fussy, so Brian and I ended up taking turns eating and cutting meats, while holding Asher. We also ordered the cheese and olives salad as our side and they were also really good. I love me some olives. We ordered a side of veggies, which wasn’t needed at all, hoping Asher would eat some, but he wanted nothing to do with them, so we did our best to finish it all. Of course, we both had our glasses of Chianti Classico to go with the steak and overall it was a phenomenal meal.
After lunch, we meandered around Florence. First we walked the streets to check out the Palazzo Vecchio with many original statues (only three of them in the plaza are not original, including a replica of the David). The plaza itself is pretty massive and the sculptures are all impressive. We then perused some of the markets. Florence is known for its art, history, wine, and leather. The markets are full of leather vendors, so as you walk through all you smell is leather. I needed a cross body purse and Brian wanted a new wallet, so we decided to buy one there. You can haggle, which my husband loves and makes me seriously uncomfortable, but we got a good price and walked away happy.
We then decided to walk across the Ponte Vecchio bridge, which is the only bridge that the Nazi’s didn’t wipe out during the war, as mentioned earlier. All of the other bridges across the Arno river in Florence are more modern, and quite frankly, lame, but this one is really neat. This bridge was the original bridge over the Arno river in the 1200’s and then was rebuilt after a flood in the late 1300’s. There are shops on both sides of the bridge, mainly for jewelry, and it was packed with people walking, shopping, eating, etc. When you were walking towards it, you didn’t really know you were on a bridge because of its appearance when crossing, because it simply looks like a street with shops, but it is really charming to view from the sides of the Arno river.
We crossed over the Arno river via the Ponte Vecchio and stopped in a quaint courtyard to feed Asher before heading towards the Piazza Michelangelo. On our way, we stopped for some more gelato. I got a scoop of coffee and a scoop of chocolate. Brian got a scoop of crema and a scoop of apple. Brian really liked the crema, but not so much the apple. I really enjoyed both. We decided we had to let Asher try gelato at least once since we were in its birthplace. I gave him a small taste of the chocolate. At first, I think he was confused because it was so sweet and cold, but he did obviously like it. So while my kid won’t eat peanut butter and bananas, he at least likes ice cream and pizza, so we are ok. Back to the Piazza Michelangelo, it was once a quiet plaza, but is now one of the most visited spots in Florence for its beautiful views of the city. My sister told us to check it out at sunset, so we went over to see if we could find a spot to sit down and enjoy some wine while watching the sunset. Since it was 75 and sunny the entire time we were in Italy, it was logical that this plaza was PACKED, so we ended up going to a cafe located there to have a glass of wine and a snack while we waited. The views were pretty magnificent, but it was a bit hazy. The sun set off to the side, but did leave pretty views.
For dinner, we had made reservations at I bastion Di San Niccolò trattoria since we were eating after 7:00 p.m. because of the sunset. We ordered a buffalo mozzarella and basil pizza, pasta bolognese and spaghetti carbonara. Let me reiterate how much we love pizza and pasta. We also ordered the house red wine and finished dinner with a tiramisu. Admittedly, it has been nice to order food out knowing Asher can eat it because it makes packing to go out a little less hectic. He did enjoy the pasta bolognese and the pizza. After dinner, we started the twenty minute walk back to the hotel. We stopped to grab some beer to watch the Eagles game with (let’s not discuss how that went) while Asher slept.
On Monday, we woke up and ate breakfast at the hotel before going to see the Duomo. Entrance into the cathedral is free, and the line does move pretty quickly. We didn’t book tickets to climb the Duomo in advance, so we did miss out on that.
Side note: Brian was just telling me about an article he read about how hard it is to spontaneously travel nowadays because of all the necessary tickets that people are ordering well in advance (such as the Duomo and David) and it’s kind of true. It’s an important lesson to learn—if you want to see something when you travel, do your research and book in advance!l
Anyway, the Duomo opened at 10:00 and the line was already wrapped around the building when we arrived at 9:30. We stood in line for about 35 minutes after it opened before getting in, so it wasn’t too bad. As we were waiting, we saw that you can’t wear tank-tops into the Duomo, which of course I was wearing one. But have no fear, Asher’s blanket became my shawl. It also said no shorts, twice on the sign, which was weird. Brian was in shorts, but so were quite a few other men in front of us. The shorts on the sign appeared to be shorter—like female shorts—but it was unclear if they would be allowed in. None of them were stopped, so it worked out well. You had to go through security to get in, and Asher had fallen asleep in the carrier at this point (just like he had at the David) so I was nervous they’d make me take the carrier off and take him out, but they were truly great. Both at the Duomo and the David, they pulled me aside, didn’t make me move Asher at all, and let me through. Lifesavers those Italians are.
Inside the Duomo, it at first looks like a traditional cathedral with the big ceilings and stained glass windows, but there were two really cool aspects of this cathedral. The first obviously being the big dome, or the Duomo. The ceiling was painted stunningly and you could really stare at it for a long time. The other cool part of the cathedral was the clock on the back wall which was a clock based on sunlight, not traditional time. It’s the only clock in the world which still functions this way. The hand on the clock moves counter-clockwise and tracks the sunlight—one can assume it was originally used for liturgical reasons like when to pray, etc. It’s neat looking and really doesn’t make sense when you first look at it!
After our visit to the Duomo, we had time to grab a quick lunch before heading back to the hotel to check out. What do you think we had? You’re so smart! We ordered pizza and a gnocchi dish to finish out our Italian eating adventures! We then went back to our hotel, checked out, walked to the train station, and headed back towards Pisa for our flight home. Our flight was delayed here as well, but we were in the lounge which made it a bit more comfortable. Asher fought napping—yet again—but did really well on the 2 hour plane ride back to Leeds. Needless to say, Italy was awesome and we will definitely be going back to check out other parts of the country, but our first taste was delightful!
Our next adventure isn’t too far away now where we will turn Royal for a weekend and rent a castle with some friends to celebrate Friendsgiving in Cornwall! Until then, your highness is out!
Globetrotting Garbutts in Great Britain 