A Day Trip to Florence

Highlights:

Parking - Near the Santa Maria Novella train station (link)

Lunch - Trattoria Dall'Oste (link)

Prosecco Stop - Brunelleschi Bistrot (link)

The David - Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (link)

Wine in the Wall/Wine Window - Osteria Belle Donne (link)

Rooftop Drinks - Tosca and Nino at La Rinascente (link)

It's been rainy here in our little corner of the Veneto, and we had a long weekend thanks to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on 20 January. What a phenomenal reminder of the love and hope one can pour into the world, that will inspire generations of change toward equality and freedom.

Me and my lil crew have been recuperating and laying low after being on the go for the past month or two, but I had that nagging itch to do something with the off-time. My darling friend Dez suggested two options for a simple girls day trip - Milan or Florence. Sighh. How can one choose?

Milan is my favorite city in Italy. (Hard stop.) Hands down, I've been to Milan more than anywhere else while we've been living here. I celebrated my 40th birthday there with this same amazing friend and had the most lovely time. We also celebrated one of her birthdays there, and my daughter and I went to a Melanie Martinez concert at the Milan Mediolanum Forum arena one evening too. It's an easy drive, mostly highway, especially for a day trip. I will absolutely post some Milan content in the future, and undoubtedly plan to do a future day or weekend there again soon.

But this post is about another beauty, another love of mine, about 2.5 hours south of where I live: Florence, or Firenze, its actual name.

Florence's Stunning Beauties

Florence is famous for many reasons - it's where Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci lived and created some of the greatest masterpieces in the world. Funny enough, the two men lived at the same time, da Vinci being about 20 years older than Michelangelo. They were both popular artists in their time but fierce rivals, often only seen together in professional settings. While they respected each other's works, there was no love there...and this may be what motivated the other to push their own boundaries to create great works. Who knows.

What we do know is that we are gifted with masterpieces like the David and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo, and the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper by da Vinci. As a lover of the arts and the great thinkers of our time, I am humbled in the presence of these masterpieces. I've been so so blessed to see these and many other of their works, and this weekend I ticked the box on another amazing masterpiece (that I may or may not have seen before, I truly can't remember!).

But first, an amazing lunch and then Prosecco in the main square!

Dez reserved us lunch at Trattoria Dall'Oste, located close to the center of the city and quite famous in its own right. It was a Sunday so many of the usually-restricted downtown streets were open for driving and parking. We parked near the train station and walked about seven minutes to the restaurant. Everything we did this day was no more than a 10 minute walk between each spot.

Trattoria Dall'Oste

Trattoria Dall'Oste is undoubtedly first and foremost a steakhouse. Many people have heard of the "Fiorentina" - a specific cut of beef prepared in a specific way attributed to the city of Florence. Dall'Oste is up there with the greats when it comes to the Fiorentina, as well as many other cuts and preparations of steaks. This day, I had a smaller cut of "bistecca" (steak) that was offered for the lunch menu, that was paired with roasted potatoes. But first, I had one of the most delicious "soups" I have ever had in my life.

To call it a soup feels ungrateful...inappropriate even. It is called a soup here, but let me tell you, it's so much more. If you closed your eyes, and imagined yourself in a cabin-style lodge, cuddled in your softest, most comfortable get-up, a crackling fireplace your soundtrack. You reach for the culmination of comfort, the grand finale, the reason you came here. It is the most delicately delicious, hearty but light, healthy but rich bowl of soul-warming goodness. All your favorite veggies stewed in tomatoes, olive oil and savory seasonings, mingling tenderly with day-old bread soaked in its juices. If you can imagine a dish that would climax this moment from great to amazing, you'd be reaching for this soup.

The Queen of "Soups"

Ribollita Toscana is her name. Like most of the best meals in the world, it has the most humble of roots. It was created by Tuscan merchants repurposing leftovers and stale bread and as the Italians do, turned them into a masterpiece of flavors. The magic of this dish is not that it's fancy Italian fare, nor that it is the most gorgeous thing in the room. The magic is realized when the soup touches your taste buds, and you're transported to another time, a simpler time, where food and comfort first dared to dance. Ribollita means "reboiled" or "reheated" and YOU SHOULD - it's also divine the next day after marinating together even longer. This answers your question, of course - I got one for my meal that day, and one to take home. It's THAT good.

There are quite a few recipes online of course, and I haven't dared to attempt recreating Dall'Oste's perfection...yet. For now, I'll just have to keep going back to Florence to get my fix, and that's perfectly fine with me.

For my main, I ordered a medium-well ribeye that was featured for the lunch special and it only further cemented the reason this restaurant is so popular and famous. Delish!

Lunch Bistecca Special and Truffle Fried Egg

Next, Dez and I headed to the main square, or Piazza di Duomo to enjoy the sites, and have coffee and Prosecco before we went to see Michelangelo's David. There are quite a few little cafes and bistrots strategically located around Florence's main tourist attractions, and we sat at Brunelleschi Bistrot since it had the available seating with a front-row view of the Column of Saint Zanobi (Colonna di San Zanobi), the Baptistry of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni) and the lovely Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore).

Prosecco Views

Something interesting is that the Brunelleschi Bistrot is named after the architect and designer of the Santa Maria Cathedral's famously innovative dome, Filippo Brunelleschi. He won a contest to construct it, finishing in 1436, and da Vinci himself sketched and studied Brunelleschi's designs in his famous notebooks . It's a fascinating story, you should look it up. I love to learn things like this!

Also, yes, these front-row-view spots will be a little more expensive and some say less authentic, but we enjoy these spots just as much as the more elusive, exclusive, and curated experiences to be found elsewhere.

The wait staff were kind and attentive, and we even had a visit from the owner, who welcomed us and shared some of his story. He also asked us to come back, for "music at the table," as we were just killing time until our reserved timeslot at the Accademia. The experience was enjoyable and although we didn't make it back that day, I know we certainly will on future visits.

We mostly people watched, and had a lovely talk, the kind that is inspired by this beautiful city. Florence feels like a friend with a big, open, beautiful heart, one that accepts you and welcomes you as are. It is no wonder that the greatest Italian artists, thinkers and creators have lived here. And I am intensely aware of the blessing to be able to experience all of this. I probably think, "thank you thank you thank you," a hundred times a day.

We didn't venture into any of the beautiful structures in the square this day, but they are worth visiting if you're into history, architecture and art. Some of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, inside and out, have been churches in Europe.

Two streets down and some meandering later, we arrived at the Accademia museum. While you think you've seen The David before (in person, in a picture, online), he simply cannot fail to take your breath away as you gaze upon his form. It is so much larger and more intricate than I'd imagined...you almost expect to see him take a breath, pull the cloth off his shoulder and step down off his pedestal. For a time, we stood shoulder to shoulder silently...two girls from the most humble of beginnings, seeing this masterpiece, surrounded by people of all ages, cultures, and experieces doing the exact same thing. Talk about a grounding experience, about appreciating a moment in time, THE moment in time that we get to exist in the same space as something so amazing. Sheww.

The David

Tickets were around $25 (23 euro) to enter, and while I keep referring to just The David, there are many many more wonders within the Accademia's walls to behold. Paintings and sculptures are plentiful throughout the small museum, and you can probably walk through and see everything in an hour. The first room you enter has a stunning marble sculpture in the center of the room you won't be able to miss. Another room has shelves of busts on every wall and marble figures frozen in motion in the floor space. Stunning pieces, really. The room immediately to the left of the main entrance is where The David experience starts. You'll go through the entrace, then a door to the left, and then turn to the right, where he is waiting at the end of the domed corridor, in all his glory.

The Statue of David was created over 520 years ago (!) and is widely believed to be one of the most famous sculptures in the world. It's a fascinating story and I've already diverged a tad more than I meant to here. If you want to read more, there are tons and tons of places to get that info...but I think this sums it up best: https://www.michelangelo.org/david.jsp

I would absolutely recommend to get your tickets beforehand to the Accademia Museum, where The David awaits. When we went on a Sunday, there wasn't a line but it's also considered to be "off-season." We had a reserved timeslot for late afternoon and had no issues entering and experiencing the marvel at our own pace.

More Masterpieces

After we got our fix of sculptures, paintings, and David's glory, we headed to another reason to love Florence - wine windows! There are a few in the city, and we chose the one nearby, Belle Donne's "Wine in the Window." A quick knock and the little wooden door in the window opens for you to place your order. You can get your drink in either a glass or plastic cup, depending on if you'll stick around the window to return your glass. There are a few drink choices presented on a small menu hanging nearby, and we chose plastic cups and our choice of beverage (red wine for me, white wine for Dez). This particular spot is absolutely charming aesthetic-wise, definitely "'Gram-worthy."

Arrive, Knock, Wine

We walked for a bit, stopping at the cutest shop that sells lovely artwork made by a local artist that Dez loves. Then, we headed to one of the best kept rooftop secrets in the city. Many people who have traveled to Italy know about shopping at La Rinascente. It's a high-end department store chain in Italy, containing the likes of Dior, Louboutin and Balenciaga (oh, my!). Think multiple levels of luxury at your fingertips, catering to any and every whim...perfume, clothes, home goods, shoes, bags, jewelry, makeup, etc.

At the very top of Florence's La Rinascente is Tosca and Nino's "Taste of Tuscany" rooftop experience. Some of the staff seemed uninterested in customers or service, but we had a lovely experience with our server. We ordered a small plate of bread, cheeses, and pickled veggies with Prosecco and coffee. The temperature dropped a bit after the sun went down, but the venue had outdoor heaters so we barely noticed. It was very perfectly the most Italian way to end a most beautiful day in fantastic Florence.