Is there any city that has amazing doors like Firenze?  Indeed all of Tuscany has big, beautiful wood doors.

We left Vinezia for 5 days in Firenze on Trenitalia’s Frecciargento high speed train.  It is a very smooth ride, and as the train got up to ramming speed, I remarked to my wife how disappointing that it wasn’t going faster.  I looked up at the monitor.  Speed: 240km/h (about 150 mph)!  And since it is a high-speed train, tunnels through the hills as we get into Tuscany, keep the trajectory a straight one.  Our ears popped.

We arrived in Firenze and took a cab to our hotel, Hotel Regency.  A beautiful hotel with a park across the street keeps things quiet, and being a former residence of an ambassador, it has a regal, yet comfortable feel.  We loved it!  We had a well-appointed, big room with a comfortable bed to recharge at the end of the day, and a bottle of Chianti Classico waiting for us.  Each morning we fueled up on the hotel’s sumptuous breakfast in the nice dining area full of light from the large windows.  Well stocked tables with lots of options: pastries, cheeses, fruits, cereals, juices and hot items.

We happened to be there for a stage of the Giro d’Italia bike race and went to the finish area to watch. Arriving in the morning to get a good spot, we then walked around the vender area, ate and enjoyed the nice views of Firenze from the Piazzale Michelangelo: a beautiful, hilltop park.  The race was underway miles away when it started to rain…and continued to rain.

Everyone huddled under anything they could find.  We were able to watch the race from under the FSA booth on a large monitor that showed the live race. The rain didn’t stop until minutes before the racers climbed up the hill to the finish.

We toured the Pitti Palace, the Duomo, and enjoyed walking the streets of Firenze.  We took a leisurely, short walk across the Arno river to the Pitti Palace first and enjoyed the art and the decor.  The Pitti Palace, the former residence of the Medici family is big with expansive grounds behind it reminding us of an Italian Versailles.  Walking through the palace confirmed our opinion as we went from one ornate room to another.

The Duomo consists of three main structures that includes the main cathedral, which we toured first, and then climbed up the bell tower which provided great views of Florence

For several nights, dinner consisted of amazing pizza at il Pizzaiuolo, which was a short walk from the hotel.  Sitting at a table near their wood burning oven, we watched pizzas being made by hand and then quickly cooked in the hot oven.  A great place that we recommend to everyone who goes to Firenze.

Next day was a day trip by car with Marco, our guide for the day with his company, Tuscany Tours.  He picked us up at the hotel, and drove first to San Gimignano, a charming, medieval town on a hill with beautiful stone buildings and many towers.  Unfortunately over time, some have been lost, but we did climb up one of the largest remaining towers, where after the rains the views were endless and we even could see all the way to the Apinines with snow on them. The climb up is reasonable enough except for the last part which requires going up a ladder – unfortunately not really something for those that have a hard time walking.  Marco had dropped us off allowing us to walk the town on our own and picked us up for the next part of our day trip.  We loved San Gimignano with its shops and restaurants all within the car free streets.

Next, we headed to Monterinaldi winery for lunch and a tour.  The short drive was over the rolling hills, spring green from the recent rains, that are so typical of Tuscany.   Sara, our tour guide at Monternaldi, walked with us explaining their wines, their history, and then took us to our private room for wine tasting and food.  We could not ask for a better day, and Marco’s expert care made it all the more special.  Thank you Marco!

The two main museums we visited in Florence were the Uffizi and the Accademia.  Uffizi contains art from the Renaissance along with Baroque pieces, and Roman copies of Greek Classical statues.  For us, the highlights were by Botticelli with the best being Primavera (Spring).  It is a breathtaking painting.  Accademia has more Botticellis, and Michelangelo’s David.  Carved from a single massive piece of marble called the Giant, it is that…a giant.  Pictures are not allowed so look intently upon it and file it away in your memory.

One of our lunches was at All’Antico Vinaio, a tiny place that you walk up to the counter and order.  There always seems to be a line there!  They serve sandwiches on foccachia and you tell them what meat you want and any additional item.  Prices are so good you’ll want to buy two, but these are big sandwiches and one was plenty.

With a glass of wine and a big sandwich, we were fortified for the rest of the day.

One night we had dinner at Touch.  What’s interesting about Touch, is that you are given an iPad that you can scroll through to see the food and then order.  How many restaurants do you get to see all the food before ordering?  Great idea.  The food was fantastic and Max, one of the owners, came out and talked with us for a while.  A jovial guy, he invited us back to make us dinner the next night but we already had plans, but insisted that we come for dessert at the least.  We said yes, and returned thinking we were going to get a cup of gelato or a cookie.  He made us fresh cannolis!  Mmmmm.  A nice touch indeed.

Between the people, the history, the topography, and the amazing food, it is easy to see why everyone loves Tuscany.