Italia Day #5
Half of our trip is already through! The time flew by, but all of the blisters and sleepless nights have been well worth it so far. At 7:15 am, we took some of our final steps throughout Rome when walking to the Termini Train Station where we boarded our high-speed train: Frecciargento 9408. One train car and 14 large bags was a hassle in itself since there were not many specified locations for large bags. After eventually situating ourselves and being welcomed by the electronic sign stating "Venuti a bordo del treno Frecciargento", I took a much-needed snoozer. (Although, my ears were endlessly popping due to the fast speed and several underground tunnels)!
The high speed train sped-on through the countrysides of Italy and took us directly into Florence within two hours. At this point, Pietro, our good-looking SAI guide and other two gentlemen picked us up and taxied us to Hotel Arizona, right next to a synagogue guarded by seven Italian Army men. (well, hello there!) While checking into our hotel, we enjoyed a cup of cappuccino and a croissant. However, at this point, we were also told that there was a water pipe broken, which affected some of our rooms. Therefore, most of the tiny dorm-styled rooms had four roommates and about three outlets. Thankfully, we all knew each other and have been well-acquainted with the college dorm lifestyle.
Three floors, a 40-pound bag and about a 3-pound hotel key later, I plopped my luggage on bed #4 and got ready for the day ahead. Florence, Italy is a destination I have been waiting to explore for awhile now. I thought I loved Rome, but once one sees Florence, they fall in love all over again, and even harder the second time. Florence, considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, is elegant, magnificent, beautiful and any other adjective like such to describe it. I felt as if I was immediately welcomed into this homey location - I still cannot believe it is a tourist destination! It is much smaller than Rome, giving that homey atmosphere and also does not give into the tourists as much as Rome. For example, it keeps its cultural history and true Italian-speaking restaurants throughout the entire city.
We ventured through the local markets of fresh fruits and vegetables, window-shopped the stores nearby and dispersed to have a one-hour lunch break around The Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross). A big group of us went to a cute pizzeria only a couple hundred feet away, where we ate THE fastest meals of our lives. We looked like extreme American vultures and it probably was not a pretty sight! I wish I could have enjoyed that meal more though because from what I was able to taste, it was delicious! We ate and paid our bill in about five minutes (literally!) and ran to where the group was meeting for our walking tour of Florence. As you can see from the pictures below, it was not the sunniest of days. It actually ended up being freezing, cold, rainy and extremely windy. Of course I decided to wear a tank top that day too! What a switch after having five days of sun and heat in Rome! Although it was hard to focus on the tour, our guide Florinda, was so enthusiastic when teaching us the history of buildings held within Florence from the past thousands of years.
Nonetheless, we were excited to tour the new city of beautiful scenes and architecture!
That night the 14 of us met and had a "welcoming dinner' at a restaurant right around the corner from the Duomo. Speaking of, I never got tired of turning the corner and seeing the Duomo just pop out of nowhere. It was absolutely incredible to see this massive piece of history above the rest of the buildings. Our dinner was located at Coquinarius, where our tastebuds explored a variety of flavors. The antipasto plate served displayed a mix of foods, along with a some fig and goat cheese on bread, which was so simple, and so incredible. Finally, the main meal delivered consisted of little pasta dumplings with pear and parmesean in the center and some spaghetti with a meat bolognese sauce. It was flavorful, delicate, mouthwatering and simply yummy. I am definitely missing that plate of food these days. It was one of my favorite meals! Of course, I had to finish it off with a piece of flourless chocolate cake - another favorite of mine!
However, our night did not end there! We toured Florence's nightlife by beginning at a pub - Off the Hook Beer & Food. At this point, I was honestly a littled "wined" out, therefore I grabbed a pint of a light, crisp Italian beer, which was delectable! It began to get overcrowded in the bar and our group had originally taken over the entire bar, therefore we moved forward and eventually found our favorite bar of the entire trip - OIBO. This bar was honestly so much fun and let us let loose, especially since it had strobe lighting and music that we all danced and sang to! The bartender was also very cute, which was a huge plus, gave us free shots and he even knew how to flair bartend!! Thank goodness the day after was our free day because Tequila Sunrises became our signature drink for the trip and it all began at OIBO.
Half of our trip is already through! The time flew by, but all of the blisters and sleepless nights have been well worth it so far. At 7:15 am, we took some of our final steps throughout Rome when walking to the Termini Train Station where we boarded our high-speed train: Frecciargento 9408. One train car and 14 large bags was a hassle in itself since there were not many specified locations for large bags. After eventually situating ourselves and being welcomed by the electronic sign stating "Venuti a bordo del treno Frecciargento", I took a much-needed snoozer. (Although, my ears were endlessly popping due to the fast speed and several underground tunnels)!
The high speed train sped-on through the countrysides of Italy and took us directly into Florence within two hours. At this point, Pietro, our good-looking SAI guide and other two gentlemen picked us up and taxied us to Hotel Arizona, right next to a synagogue guarded by seven Italian Army men. (well, hello there!) While checking into our hotel, we enjoyed a cup of cappuccino and a croissant. However, at this point, we were also told that there was a water pipe broken, which affected some of our rooms. Therefore, most of the tiny dorm-styled rooms had four roommates and about three outlets. Thankfully, we all knew each other and have been well-acquainted with the college dorm lifestyle.
Three floors, a 40-pound bag and about a 3-pound hotel key later, I plopped my luggage on bed #4 and got ready for the day ahead. Florence, Italy is a destination I have been waiting to explore for awhile now. I thought I loved Rome, but once one sees Florence, they fall in love all over again, and even harder the second time. Florence, considered the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, is elegant, magnificent, beautiful and any other adjective like such to describe it. I felt as if I was immediately welcomed into this homey location - I still cannot believe it is a tourist destination! It is much smaller than Rome, giving that homey atmosphere and also does not give into the tourists as much as Rome. For example, it keeps its cultural history and true Italian-speaking restaurants throughout the entire city.
We ventured through the local markets of fresh fruits and vegetables, window-shopped the stores nearby and dispersed to have a one-hour lunch break around The Basilica of Santa Croce (Holy Cross). A big group of us went to a cute pizzeria only a couple hundred feet away, where we ate THE fastest meals of our lives. We looked like extreme American vultures and it probably was not a pretty sight! I wish I could have enjoyed that meal more though because from what I was able to taste, it was delicious! We ate and paid our bill in about five minutes (literally!) and ran to where the group was meeting for our walking tour of Florence. As you can see from the pictures below, it was not the sunniest of days. It actually ended up being freezing, cold, rainy and extremely windy. Of course I decided to wear a tank top that day too! What a switch after having five days of sun and heat in Rome! Although it was hard to focus on the tour, our guide Florinda, was so enthusiastic when teaching us the history of buildings held within Florence from the past thousands of years.
Nonetheless, we were excited to tour the new city of beautiful scenes and architecture!
That night the 14 of us met and had a "welcoming dinner' at a restaurant right around the corner from the Duomo. Speaking of, I never got tired of turning the corner and seeing the Duomo just pop out of nowhere. It was absolutely incredible to see this massive piece of history above the rest of the buildings. Our dinner was located at Coquinarius, where our tastebuds explored a variety of flavors. The antipasto plate served displayed a mix of foods, along with a some fig and goat cheese on bread, which was so simple, and so incredible. Finally, the main meal delivered consisted of little pasta dumplings with pear and parmesean in the center and some spaghetti with a meat bolognese sauce. It was flavorful, delicate, mouthwatering and simply yummy. I am definitely missing that plate of food these days. It was one of my favorite meals! Of course, I had to finish it off with a piece of flourless chocolate cake - another favorite of mine!
However, our night did not end there! We toured Florence's nightlife by beginning at a pub - Off the Hook Beer & Food. At this point, I was honestly a littled "wined" out, therefore I grabbed a pint of a light, crisp Italian beer, which was delectable! It began to get overcrowded in the bar and our group had originally taken over the entire bar, therefore we moved forward and eventually found our favorite bar of the entire trip - OIBO. This bar was honestly so much fun and let us let loose, especially since it had strobe lighting and music that we all danced and sang to! The bartender was also very cute, which was a huge plus, gave us free shots and he even knew how to flair bartend!! Thank goodness the day after was our free day because Tequila Sunrises became our signature drink for the trip and it all began at OIBO.