Firenze

 One year ago we arrived in Florence by train, and then took a bus to the countryside where our bed and breakfast was located.  The bus dropped us off at the end of a very long driveway.  Upon researching, I was warned about this driveway.  However, I booked it anyways.  With the luggage and the weather, by the time we trudged up it, we could barely breathe.  It was a memory I will never forget.  Trying to speak to the B&B keeper who only spoke little English, and sweating bullets as we did it is much funnier now.  By the way, Adam is pulling up both luggage for picture purposes only.  Soon after, I grabbed my own.  Ha.

 Remember what I said about how you couldn't fit anything into a picture in Rome... well the same goes in Florence.  Everything in Italy is just so massive and grand, pictures really don't do it justice.  Here I am trying to squeeze the entire Duomo in one picture.  Just not possible.

 While in the Duomo we bought children's books to help explain all the artwork and sculpture we were seeing in a simple way.  Simple people, simple ways.

Here's us on Ponte Vecchio Bridge which goes over the Arno River.  Looks Italian, right?

 One of my favorite things in Florence was visiting Mercato Centrale.  It was so cool, walking thru a huge market that brings in everything fresh each day.  They had slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling and the freshest, most vibrant colored vegetables I had ever seen.  We ended up eating there, who wouldn't?  We just skipped out on the intestines and stomachs that they also sold.  While enchanted by the Italian ways, and eating delicious food, we almost missed our Chianti tour.  When leaving Mercato Centrale, we got a bit turned around, and by a miracle made our bus with seconds to spare.   

 Being in the rolling hills of Tuscany was amazing.  If we ever go back... I'd like to stay strictly in Tuscany for a good amount of time.  Here we are in the Chianti region.

 However, the BEST experience, and I think I am speaking on both my and Adam's behalf was eating at this restaurant, IL LATINI.  We were recommended this restaurant by a friend.  So we seeked it out... and found it.  We got there about 5:30 pm to find out it did not open till 7:30 pm, as we looked at the menu and glanced inside, there were some true blooded Italians standing next to us.  They looked at us, smiled and gave many thumbs up, telling us in a universal way.... EAT HERE, IT'S GOOD.  We were just about to walk away so we could come back in 2 hours when a girl who was hanging around across the street said to us... "if you want to eat here, I wouldn't walk away.  I did the same thing last night and come 7:30 we couldn't get in.  I have already been waiting a half a hour just in case."  We believed every word, went to unsuccessfully find gelato and then, came right back and stood with her.  Our new friend from Australia.  She told us, she was told that this would be the best Tuscan meal of her life.  A while later... another couple came to the door and stood basically with their hands on the handle.... 

Oh hellllllllllll no... they aren't gonna get in before us... I pulled Adam and our new friend over and told them kindly that we were here first, and they said, "no you weren't."  I said, fine... "let this girl in first, you second, then us"... And we agreed and all was well.  We learned that this restaurant is small and seats first come, first serve.  You can not make a reservation... before you know it... it looks like the below picture....chaos.  One thing we learned in Italy... Italians do not form lines.  This restaurant opens at exactly 7:30 pm and while you wait, the chefs just sit on the inside and eat food and smoke cigarettes, while the customers just look in and salivate.  It was hysterical.

 So once we got inside we ended up sitting with the couple I was originally arguing with.  Turns out they were work colleagues, one from Spain, one who was Irish, but living in England.  They had been there before, explained everything, and did all the translating for us.   Before you knew it..  prosciutto was served, followed by a fresh mozzarella salad, some bread with liver on it, a plate of cantaloupe, and a cold pasta dish.  After that we had our choice of 4 hot pastas... Adam chose ravioli, I chose penne.  And shortly after that, we had our choice of 6 meats, Adam chose beef, I chose veal, both served with potatoes.  White wine was served after all of this.  And red wine was served thru out.  We never received a menu and the food just kept coming.  And naturally, we just kept eating.  After the meal, the owner a short, stocky, overweight, old guy, basically your stereotypical Italian came up to us... "YOU LIKE?"  and I said "SI," and then he got all gangster like and said..."THEN WHY YOU NOT FINISH!?"  I was like, I'm sorry sir, I just am so full, he smiled, and handed us our bill.  EEK!  After paying, he handed me a bottle of wine from his restaurant, I had him sign it, and away we went.  My only regret is that we didn't take any pictures of this whole thing.  I will only remember it by my journal and this blog post.  Living in the moment, I forgot to document it with a photo.  How Italian of me, living in the moment??  

Our two nights in Firenze came to a quick end... and we were off to the Italian Riviera...