Italy part 3: Venice

We arrived on Friday to Venice. From the train station we realized the apartment we were staying in was a 35 minute walk away. I decided that since Venice is so beautiful we should walk rather than take a ferry...with all of our luggage. Big. Mistake. About 26 cobblestone bridges (all stairs) and over an hour later we finally arrived. BUT it was a beautiful walk and a great sunny day.

We walked to the Rialto Bridge before dinner. 

Had dinner at a pizza restaurant, Antico Forno.

Then just wandered around the Venice streets getting lost- literally. It is so difficult to navigate around Venice and if you dont have a working smart phone I'm not sure how it is possible. But it is always a romantic stroll and so much to see!

Saturday we started our day off with a goldola ride. For everyone who says you cannot negotiate prices, you definitely can so just ask the next gondolier you see. This is definitely a bucket list item and I am so glad Matt and I were able to experience this romantic ride together. Apologies in advance, I went a little crazy with the gondola photos.

Check out our gondoliers form!

We had a wonderful lunch at Alfredos Fresh Pasta To Go. We found a great spot on the steps by the canal to enjoy lunch and watch the goldolas go by. 

Then we went to Saint Marks's Square-the place you always see when they show Venice on movies and TV. The pigeons are no joke there are TONS of them.

Toured the Beautiful Saint Mark's Cathedral

The outsidr of the Cathedral was under construction when we were there :(

Almost everywhere in Venice is the prefect opportunity for a photo op.

We had bought a bottle of wine at Verrazzano Winery in Florence which we enjoyed on a beautiful bridge off the beaten path before dinner.

We had dinner reservations at Impronta Cafe for dinner. It was on the other side of Venice so we had a long walk at sunset with the most beautiful views. The dinner was amazing- one of the best ones we had the whole trip.

Pictures just don't do it justice. 

Caprese salad with prosciutto 

Tiramisu

Sunday was our last day and we spent it having lunch and wandering around this beautiful and unique city.

Venice is famous for its beautiful masks .

Out trip to Italy was amazing and unforgettable. Experiences like this make me SO grateful for this opportunity to live abroad. We probably would never have done this or been able to spend so much time in this wonderful country. I LOVE everything about Italy.

Italy part 2: Florence

On Monday we took the train from Cinque Terre to Florence which had a connection in Pisa so we made a quick stop to take some cheesy tourist pics at the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

We rented a private apartment in Florence which we knew was close to the Duomo but we had no idea how close. It had the most amazing views. Matt worked remotely a lot on this trip so it made for pretty fantastic office views!

I had been to Florence before for a work trip where we stayed at the Westin Excelsior which has a great rooftop bar. Matt and I went there for a drink before dinner, it has some of the best views in Florence!

After our drinks we had a dinner reservation at what is probably my favorite restaurant in the world, Il Profeta. I had eaten here twice on my work trips to Florence and as soon as I knew we were going I made a reservation here hoping Matt would love it as much as I do. I have ordered the same dish everytime, the John Travolta special (I can't remember the Italian dis name but they call it that because when John Travolta ordered it they said he literally licked the plate clean-which seems weird until you try it then you realize it is totally understandable :). It does not look like much, just pasta and sauce but they use their own pink seafood sauce that is an  ultimate family recipe and it is SO delicious! Matt got the lobster seafood spagetti which was also amazing!

 

Tuesday we started off our day at the Duomo.

We stumbled into the most amazing restaurant for lunch. We loved it so much we went twice during our 4 days there. We knew it would be good when the menus were handwritten.

The next stop was Piazza Della Signoria where we walked to the top of the Palazzo Vecchio for the great views.

We wandered around Florence checking out the Piazzas, shops and street performers.

Sidewalk chalk artist

Piazza Santa Maria Novella

That night we had dinner with our friends Becca and Kyle and their family. A friend   of theirs from NY knew a restaurant owner in Florence. They hooked us up with a delicious 6 course dinner with wine pairings- yum!

Wednesday we rented a car and did our own Tour of Tuscany. Our first stop was Sienna. Sienna is a beautiful Tuscan city that is famous for Palio, a horse race held there twice a year. The horse race takes place in the middle of the city square, Piazza del Campo. The jockeys race bareback and circle around the Piazza 3 times. The race usually lasts no more than 90 seconds and it is common for the jockeys to be thrown from their horses leaving the horses finishing the race solo. Patrons pack into the Piazza and the windows and balconies of buildings surrounding to watch this crazy and dangerous race.

Our next stop was Castello di Verrazzano Winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. When I had my work trip to Florence we rented the Castle and Winery for a dinner event for our group and I absolutely fell in love with it. When I told my contact there we were coming back for a wine tasting he surprised us and arranged a 4 course lunch with wine pairing and the owner showed us around the property. It was so incredibile, I love the wine there and the food is all farm to table from literally a few hundred feet away on the property. 

Lunch with a view

Parmesan cheese with a their famous balsamic chaser  

Verrazzano View

Then we took a long drive through Tuscany to our final stop, San Gimignano. I love driving around Tuscany taking in the amazing views. I had Matt stop for pictures about every 5 minutes, I couldn't resist.

San Gimignano was our last stop. It is a walled medieval town famous for its medieval architecture. We had a few scoops of "the best gelato in the world" and some wine. We practically had the whole city to ourselves and loved exploring his beautiful and unique area. 

We got back to Florence pretty late but had an amazing day exploring Tuscany! 

On Thursday we went to the Biboli Gardens and Pitti Palace. 

We had a drink at VIP's Bar to take advantage of the view (and the live music).

The we went to the nearby Piazzale Michelangelo, known for the best panoramic views in Florence.

We had dinner at a great pizza restaurant, Caffe Italiano.

Our last stop was checking out the Ponte Vecchio at night and getting a a couple of spritz Italian cocktails. We left early Friday morning for Venice, which I will save for my next post. 

Ciao Firenze!