On the Road with the Ashbys

Tag: Florence

  • Back in the States

    Back in the States

    We friggin took a boat to the airport. How cool is that?! I feel like that’s a pretty fitting way to wrap up an amazing trip to Italy. We all made it back to our respective homes despite some delays due to weather in and around Atlanta.

    That unique mode of transportation is a great segue to some final thoughts from my first time traveling outside of North America. In no particular order:

    • In nearly two weeks in Italy, we were in a car a grand total of two times: to get to our flat from the Milan airport and a taxi ride in Florence to catch the sunset. The public transportation system in Europe is something we should emulate here. In addition to walking just shy of 1 million steps between the five of us, we also utilized high speed trains, regional trains, subways, city buses, ferrys, water taxis, water buses and a gondola for good measure.
    • Buy an Epicka travel adapter and don’t ask questions. They work like a charm and even plug into the plane seats.
    • Don’t over-schedule yourself – we backed way off our original itinerary and still probably did too much. Next time will be a little less scripted.
    • Drivers in Milan have to be seen to be believed. It’s utter chaos and somehow we only saw one minor accident.
    • Three cities, 12 full days in Italy, and not once did any of us ever feel unsafe. Obviously, we took precautions to prevent pickpockets in some of the more crowded areas, but our physical safety was never something we had to worry about. (Well, with the exception of those Milanese drivers I suppose.)
    • At a bare minimum try to speak a little of the language, it goes a long way. Clearly, a lot of folks in other countries have varying degrees of English proficiency, but by leading with their native language you demonstrate you’re at least willing to try. You are in their country after all.
    • If you travel when it’s warm – figure out a hydration plan. You have to ask (and pay for) for water with meals and it almost never comes with ice. On top of 90+ degree temperatures, it was surprisingly humid – even to some of the natives. (Fortunately for us, it was supposed to be even hotter this coming week.) One thing you can take advantage of are the public water fountains found across many of the cities. It’s not the coldest water in the world, but it tasted great and was frequently just what the doctor ordered.
    • Embrace the aperitivo. Plan to eat dinner a little later and find a table in a square. Order a spritz or two and soak in the atmosphere. We were pleasantly surprised to discover this pre-dinner ritual has snacks built into the cost: most places have chips at a minimum, others have flatbread or other small bites.
    • Don’t be afraid to wander. With your smartphone it’s pretty much impossible to get lost. You never know what hidden gem you’ll stumble across.
    • We literally stayed in a flat in what amounted to an alley in Florence and the street was way cleaner – and probably safer – than most big streets in America. Shopkeepers treated the sidewalks like an extension of their stores, sweeping and hosing them down every day. Trash in the streets was almost non-existent in every city we went to. Amazing how taking a little pride in where you live can go a long ways.
    • Travel as light as you possibly can. We had a no checked bags mandate and none of us regretted it for a second. We packed for 5-6 days and did small loads of laundry along the way. Just be prepared to hang up your clothes as dryers generally aren’t a thing. Although our Milan flat had an oven/dishwasher combo that was a sight to behold.
    • Lastly, and I cannot stress this enough, the people were some of the warmest and most welcoming I’ve ever met. Smiling, helpful and willing to put up with our constant mangling of their language, they consistently made us feel at ease despite being more than 4,000 miles from home.

    While it took me more than 50 years to travel abroad for the first time, I can promise you it won’t be my last. I’m so grateful that Kara and I were able to experience it with our two girls and son-in-law.

    I leave you with this from Mark Twain:

    Arrivederci!

  • Day 8 – Baptistery, Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio & Pasta

    Day 8 – Baptistery, Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio & Pasta

    This morning we reunited with our fearless tour guide, Siro, to tackle Florence’s most notable buildings after touring the major museums three days ago. Needless to say, the Baptistry, Duomo (and accompanying museum) and Palazzo Vecchio did not disappoint.

    Baptistery of St. John

    The Baptistery was originally built in the 5th century, although the marble veneer is “only” 1,000 years old. You can still see the tile from 2nd century Roman houses underneath the current floor.

    Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

    It is utterly impossible to do the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore justice through photos – it has to be seen in person to comprehend the sheer size and and the engineering genius it took to complete the structure.

    Construction on the 500 foot long, 375 foot tall duomo started at the end of the 13th century, but came to a standstill in the early 1400s when no one could figure out how to build a dome to fully enclose the structure. So on August 19, 1418, a competition was announced for a design to complete the seemingly impossible task. Luckily for Florence – and the rest of the world – Filippo Brunelleschi submitted the winning plan.

    His idea was to actually place not one, but two domes atop the cathedral’s 24-foot thick stone walls. The interior dome would have 16 interior ribs for support, while the exterior would have eight additional ribs which are visible from the outside. The architectural marvel was built in a mere 28 years. (For way more information than I’m capable of providing, read Ross King’s Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture.)

    The Crypt of Santa Reparata

    Underneath the Duomo lies the Crypt of Santa Reparata, the site of a couple previous churches on the site dating back to the 5th century. You can also see Brunelleschi’s tomb, the altar from the previous church, centuries-old Roman mosaic tile that are still intact and for all you fundraisers out there – a list of prominent donors who helped construct the previous church.

    Museo dell’Opera del Duomo

    About 10 years ago, the stunning Museo dell’Opera del Duomo was opened to basically showcase all the items that had previously been stored in the “attic” of the Duomo and Baptistery. Here are just a few of the highlights.

    Palazzo Vecchio

    Palazzo Vecchio was first built in 1300s and added onto over the next couple of centuries. Let’s just say the Medicis weren’t hurting for money. It now serves as the town hall for Florence.

    • Hall of the 500
    • Balcony view
    • Hall of the 500 ceiling detail – 43 oil on wood panels
    • View of the Basilica of Santa Croce from a balcony
    • Map room, including a stunningly accurate 16th century globe

    Pasta Making!

    We booked a pasta making class to cap off our last full day in Florence. Amazingly, we were paired with a Philadelphia couple celebrating their 25th anniversary (Kara and I just celebrated number 26 in Milan) and their two daughters – one of whom is starting college in the fall to become a teacher. You can’t make this stuff up.

    The food and wine were great – the former despite our best efforts – but the company was even better. Salute!

    As our chef said, you just need an egg, flour and love.
    Stuffed pasta
    Dig in!

    Sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo

    There truly is no better view than to catch the sunset from the Piazzale Michelangelo high atop the hills above Florence. A great way to cap our last night in this beautiful city.

  • Day 7 – Our “Free” Day

    Day 7 – Our “Free” Day

    When I was thinking this morning about today’s recap, I was worried it might be a short post because we didn’t have anything officially slated for the itinerary. But it turns out in Florence, when you don’t have anything to do, you end up walking more than 20,000 steps (putting each of us at well over 100,000 for our first seven days in Italy) and filling the day up from 9 am to 11 pm.

    I’m still not going to write a whole lot as we’re all pretty exhausted. I’ll just let the pictures (and video) do the talking.

    Morning Kayak on the Arno

    Kayking the Arno with David
    A different view of the Ponte Vecchio
    A bridge the Medici family built to avoid the commoners
    One of the many palaces along the river

    Palazzo Pitti

    Because Eleonora di Toledo wanted a garden, the Medicis moved from Palazzo Veccio to Palazzo Pitti in the mid 1500s.

    Palazzo Pitti – home of the Medici
    The opulence of the palace
    View of the Boboli Gardens from the palace
    The “Modern” Art Gallery…from the 18th & 19th centuries

    End of the day libations & food

    Hotel rooftop bar Hugo with a view
    One of Florence’s famous wine windows
    The obligatory selfie
    Dinner at Osteria Pastella
    Tagliatelle flambé al tartufo fresco in crosta di Grana Padano. The famous cheese wheel at Osteria Pastella.
    As good as it looks!

    Good night from Florence!

  • Day 4 – Parma & Florence

    Day 4 – Parma & Florence

    Hopped on a high-speed train for Parma this morning cruising along at 250 kph. Here’s how that converts to miles: the United States needs to rethink the way it looks at transit. Instead of spending almost two hours battling Italians who drive like they’re angry at the road, we transversed the 80 miles in 50 minutes of peaceful bliss.

    Parma was a nice change from the bustle of Milan. We visited Caseificio Ugolotti for a tour and tasting of their delicious parmesan reggiano. After that we headed into the city center for lunch – where David narrowly avoided eating horse (!!!) – and a quick visit to the Duomo di Parma, which completely caught us off guard with its amazing interior.

    • Making the cheese
    • Caseificio Ugolotti
    • Eating the cheese
    • Palazzo del Giardino
    • Duomo di Parma
    • Duomo ceiling
    • WWII Monument

    And then off to Firenze! But only just barely, as our regional train to Bologna was running late and we managed to make it to our high-speed train to Florence about 90 seconds before it left the station.

    We’re really fortunate that our lodging is just a block off the Arno River and pretty much anything you want to do or see in the city is within a 10-minute walk. The vibe here is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before.We had a wonderful dinner last night at Buca Mario (highly recommend), where Kara and I were fortunate enough to share our 26th anniversary with the kids, some limoncello and of course, gelato. Can’t wait to start exploring tomorrow!