Last morning in Florence

After four incredible days in Florence we had one last morning to take in a few sights before heading off to Siena.  First on the agenda was to head up to San Miniato al Monte and Piazzale Michelangelo.  If you thought the views from the Boboli gardens were nice, the views from San Miniato is really where all the postcard shots come from.

Our main goal for today though was to get a panino (sandwich) from Pino at Salumeria Verdi.  As we walked down from Piazzale Michelangelo all I could think about was the exciting lunch ahead of me.  I ate lunch at Pino's at least three times a week when I studied in Florence and somehow he actually remembered me :). I got my usual: pesto, tomato, mozzarella and turkey on focaccia bread, toasted.  We also shared some fresh baked pasta.  It may sound simple but I promise it was spectacular.

Boboli, Marisa arrives and the storm

Ever since 2001 Ley has always wanted to visit the Boboli Gardens in Florence.  When you read the guidebooks you can't really get a sense of the scale of the complex.  Located behind the former Medici home, Palazzo Pitti, the gardens are a terraced green space very close to the historical center.  

Palazzo Pitti (1/4 of it), started by Brunelleschi

  The first view of the historical center from the base of the Gardens.

If you keep climbing, which Ofelia did like a champ despite her braced ankle, you reach the Porcelain museum and it's manicured garden.

Ley taking in one of the views.

The postcard shot

The observatory 

First selfie

Glamour shots continued

A grotto on the grounds

After taking some good naps, we greeted Marisa on her arrival and made our way to Friends Bar to catch the Mexico v. Netherlands game.  While we were not happy with the result, it has been a great part of our trip to cheer for home teams.

We ended our night with a delicious dinner at trattoria 4 leoni including some tasty Bistecca Fiorentina and pear ravioli.   Unfortunately in our path home we had to walk through this storm.  Needless to say we were soaked but luckily didn't get hit by the crazy lightning.

Fiesole, the duomo and World Cup

We took a beautiful bus ride above Florence to the town of Fiesole.  After an hour and two bus changes we arrived to a central piazza and made our way to the Etruscan and Roman archaeological sites.  Below you can see the roman amphitheater, the gorgeous grounds with many olive trees and the Roman baths.

Ofelia taking a moment to take it all in.

The nearby museum houses artifacts from all of the civilizations that have lived in this area since 600 BC.

After our delicious outdoor lunch we took the bus back down the hill and explored the San Lorenzo market.  Our new purchases included some hats for Tessa and Ley and a few gifts for our loved ones.  Our afternoon concluded with a walk by the Duomo, a relaxing bar visit to see the Brazil v. Chile game, a slightly harrowing cab ride and a scrumptious meal (outside of course) at the Osteria Santo Spirito.

Twelve years later...

I first visited Florence in September 2001 as a student in the Stanford in Florence program.  At that time, the program was housed in half of the third floor of a Palazzo near the Ponte Vecchio.  Now, the Stanford program is in a much larger space in the Palazzo of the Capponi family, which they built in 1408.  Members of the family has continuously occupied this space since then, the only Florentine family to do so.  The assistant director of the program for the past 15 years, Fosca, graciously meet us and gave us the VIP tour.  I didn't know what to expect but all I can say is I would love being a student again. You must imagine a 15th Century building renovated with historical preservation in mind and modernized to meet Stanford's technological needs.

Some cool things we learned on our tour:

- The courtyard of the whole palazzo is attributed to Brunelleschi between 1408 and 1411.

- The film Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins was filmed in the apartment Stanford now occupies, this included his role a curator of the Caponni family library.

- The grand piano in one of the three ballrooms, played by Hopkins in the movie, came from Milan and was played by Franz Liszt.

A real knight in shining armor

 

The Caponni family crest:

Doesn't everyone have silk walls and 15th century Murano glass chandeliers?

The stunning views from the terrace

The courtyard attributed to Brunelleschi 

A no Italian day is complete without Spritz

And gelato!

Uffizi visit

Last time we were all in Florence together it was Christmas time and the city felt like our own.  This time around we are contending with many more tourists but were pleasantly surprised by the spaced out crowds in the Uffizi.

Some of my favorite pieces from the gallery are shown below.  Quite a few of the pieces have been part of the Medici family collection since the 1400s.  Notice the great colors of the background walls, really helping many of the works stand out.

The gallery's cafeteria is a rooftop terrace with a view of Brunelleschi's dome and Palazzo Vecchio.  Ley would like you to know that it was a mostly sunny day :)

Continuing the glamour shots of Ley and Ofelia, our time in Florence wouldn't be complete without a Ponte Vecchio shot.