I DREAM about the spread below.
This is the pastry buffet they had at our hotel.
I couldn't NOT take a picture of this perfection.
ALL HOTEL BUFFET BREAKFASTS SHOULD HAVE A PASTRY SECTION LIKE THIS.
Sigh.
I want pastries. Sulk.
Our train didn't leave until about noon, so we hung out in one of our hotel rooms and chillaxed.
We watched more Italian Food Network.
It was all good until the food they were cooking got really gross.
Things like veal tongue, brains, tripe and testicles.
You read that right.
We changed to a channel that just showed bloopers, ala America's Funniest Home Videos.
It was time to say goodbye to Rome.
We got to the station early and had to wait for the board to announce what track our train would be on.
We parked ourselves outside a bookstore.
Of course, Katie had to go in and look around.
As we were waiting, a dude started yelling (and probably swearing - not sure as he was speaking Italian) and making a giant scene.
So much of a scene that the train station carabinieri came to deal with him and calm him down.
Everything seemed to be fine, until the dude started explaining his story to a nearby traveler and then he got riled up all over again.
We were hoping that he didn't wander over to engage us.
He didn't.
Our train arrived and we headed toward the platform.
Because I was still on crutches, Mikey had to take my super heavy backpack luggage.
I had a rollie carry-on bag and was once again on picture duty.
It was a two-hour high-speed train ride to Florence.
We selected first class seats so we could have beverages and snacks.
Plus, I got a discount when I signed up on the train website.
I had some mini hazelnut pastries.
Mikey had some crackers.
Katie had chocolate macarons and a Coke.
She was happy and caffeinated.
For some reason, she decided to try to learn Gaelic via Duolingo during the train ride.
There were lots of giant villas nestled in the countryside.
Santa Maria Novella, Florence's main train station, was way smaller than Rome's.
There's no metro in Florence.
The station is named for a basilica that stands across from it.
Florence, as it's known in the UK and the US, is known to Italians as Firenze, pronounced fee-REN-zay.
Say it with me now.
Gooooood.
It's lyrical, isn't' it.
Although Florence is known by many names (look it up, it's crazy), I really prefer Firenze.
It seems to fit a city that is considered to be the heart of the Renaissance.
After spending two plus hours on an air-conditioned train, it was a bit brutal to be thrust into the late day heat and then have to navigate to our hotel.
Blech.
We successfully found our hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the size of our room.
Everyone had their own bed and there was plenty of space to spread out.
The bathroom was also giant.
It had a soaking whirlpool tub, double sinks, a walk-in shower, a bidet and a toilet.
And it had lots of towels.
Huzbend made a reservation for dinner, and we hid in the air conditioning until it was time to head out.
What did we watch?
Italian Food Network, of course.
We also discovered this AMAZING commercial for Che Amor di Caffe coffee.
The commercial is hosted by Tiziano Crudeli, an Italian sports journalist and commentator.
We decided to look him up after seeing this commercial a bunch of times.
His delivery of the 1-800 number to call is beyond words.
See for yourself.
We tried a restaurant that specializes in risotto and rice-based dishes.
Katie enjoyed some rice bread and I'm indulging in some Fanta.
Mikey is contemplating eating risotto.
He was not excited by the menu offerings.
First up was squid ink arancini.
Arancini are rice balls that are stuffed with something (meat or cheese) and then fried.
These were not a hit.
They tasted weird. Mostly like squid ink.
I did not eat any.
Everyone ordered a variety of risotto for their meal.
I think Mikey got something with duck ragu?
Not sure what Huzbend had.
Katie had a sage risotto with truffle dust on it.
I liked mine.
Noone else liked theirs.
Well, at least we tried something new.
I'm not sure if I mentioned this in another post.
Italians eat late.
Dinner isn't served until 7pm with most eating closer to 8pm.
Dinner is usually a relaxed affair.
We didn't get done eating until about 9pm and decided to wander our way back to the hotel.
Below is one of my favorite pictures.
At first, your eye is drawn to Katie and her tie-dye shirt.
Then the street.
Then, you look up and notice the giant dome in the background.
This is the cupola of the Santa Marie del Fiore cathedral, also known as the Duomo di Firenze.
You'll see more of it in our next blog post.
Here it is in all its giganticness.
"Whoa."
The Duomo complex consists of the cathedral and dome, the baptistry building, a bell tower, an ancient archaeological site underneath the current cathedral and a museum.
Here is the front of the cathedral and the bell tower.
The complex is done in a gothic style.
It's made up of green, pink and white marble.
The baptistry building is across from the front of the cathedral.
These are replicas of the famous "Gates of Paradise" front doors of the baptistry.
The real ones are in the museum, and you'll see them in the next blog post.
These bronze paneled doors are considered the kick-off the Renaissance.
Our hotel was located about 3 minutes from the piazza that was home to all of these sites.
Talk about awesome.
