WEEK 8

Alex and I arrived back in Florence and after unpacking, headed straight to Pino's for a late lunch.

Luckily for us, that evening the sun came out, which was perfect as we were going up to Piazale Michelangelo to watch the sunset with a few beers.  Along the way we ran into a few turtles in a little pond by the side of the road.

I thought it was very ironic that after spending so much time reading about artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello etc, of all the creatures in the world, we would randomly come across turtles on the side of the road!

We still had about 1.5 hours before the sun went down, so we took the time to have a few beers, take a few photos, and admire the scenery.

That night we organised to meet Anna's friends at our favourite restaurant, Borgo Antico and as always we had a great meal, Alex was very happy.

primi - pappardelle con cinghiale ragù (wild boar)

secondi - king prawns in brandy sauce

a proper meal is not complete without gelati afterwards 

The next day Anna was off to school and Alex and I were up reasonably early and out the door for a day of sightseeing and shopping.  I feel like a local here now and really enjoyed showing Alex around the sights, maybe I should get a job as a tour guide!

We went to Palazzo Davanzati, a 4-storey tower house built in the 14th century for the Davizzi family and later purchased by the Davanzati family in 1578.  We also went to a shop called Il Bisonte which is a well known store around the world for its leather goods.  The founder and designer, Wanny Di Filippo is a really eccentric character and happened to be in the shop at the time, so Alex couldn't help but buy a new wallet!

After a bit more shopping and walking around, we met Anna at Mercato Centrale for lunch.  As I was the first time I went there, Alex was amazed at all the different food and especially at how the butchers keep the heads on all their produce.

pasta ragu at Nerbone, well known restaurant amongst Florentine locals

That afternoon we visited the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore (St. Mary of the Flower), or the Duomo as many people refer to it.  Almost 3 months and I hadn't yet been inside, so I was equally as excited as Alex was to see this monumental building.  With its breathtaking pink, white and green marble facade and its huge Dome, it certainly has the wow factor whenever you see it.

Begun in 1296 by Sienese architect Anrolfo di Cambio, it took almost 150 years to complete.  Funnily enough, although it was huge, the interior was not all that impressive.

However, once you reach the southern end of the cathedral, you realise what all the fuss is about.  The Dome was built between 1420 and 1436 to a design by Filippo Brunelleschi.  At 91m high and 45.5m wide, covered in frescoes by Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccari, it is an amazing visual and one that is sure to give you a sore neck!

That night we took Alex to Colle Bereto, our current top spot for aperitivo.  10 euro cocktail and all the food you can possibly eat is a great deal and a great way for Alex to finish his time in Italy before boarding an overnight train to Austria.

Wednesday I was back in the gym and Anna was back at school.  We did SFA for the rest of the day, home cooked meal that night and then met a few of the girls for a movie at the nearby Astor Theatre.  The movie was called "To Rome with Love" and although it seemed like a good movie, I couldn't tell because the whole damn thing was in Italian and didn't have English subtitles.  Luckily, Penelope Cruz was in it and spent the majority of the movie in a tiny mini-skirt, so that kept me entertained.

The next day the sun was out in brute force, so after the gym, I was straight out the door for the closest piece of grass, the Boboli Gardens.

the gardens are situated over the arno river, behind the Pitti Palace

Anna met me after school and by 2pm I was drowning in a pool of my own sweat and was dying for some water.

We headed back across the Ponte Vecchio, stopping along the way so Anna could point out what rings she liked haha.

That evening we, along with Anna's school friends, headed back upto Piazale Michelangelo, as we had heard that there was a beer festival.

Although the "festival" was not quite what we were expecting in terms of size and atmosphere, there were still some local beers to try.

It was a beautiful night and a great opportunity for some photos as we headed back into town for dinner.

Dinner was at "Aqua al 2", we sat elbow-to-elbow at a tightly packed table to try the "assagi" (tastings) courses. Acqua al 2 also has a restaurant in California, and is well known in Florence for of its "assagio di primi" which gives you a sampling of five different pastas.  It was great!
It wasn't quite enough for me though, so I also tucked into a roast lamb and rosemary focaccia, which really filled me up!

ladies man