Travel Blog - Italy Pt 2: Florence, San Gimignano, Siena, Pisa
Ciao Toscana!
After our time in Northern Italy, Mario and I made our way south to Florence! We spent 4 days in the Tuscan region, and this was probably our favorite part of the whole trip… even though we both felt a little under the weather at this point of the vacay. Florence — the hub of the Renaissance — stole our hearts, and we know that one day we’ll come back to see her again. See below for a detailed itinerary of each day we spent in Tuscany along with pics from each day of our experience and a summary of where we ate and what we explored at the end!
Day 1: Arrive in Florence
After arriving at Firenze Santa Maria Novella Station, Mario and I walked across town to our Airbnb… and OMG what a trek that was. We learned to definitely going to pack lighter for any future trips to Europe after dragging our luggage through the insanely busy cobblestone roads. Not to mention, our stay was up three flights of very long and very steep stairs… but I digress lol
It was mid to late afternoon once we settled into our place for the next few days, and right downstairs of our Airbnb was the famous All’Antico Vinaio. Mario and I got a couple paninis and started off our adventure by roaming the streets and corridors of Florence. The sandwiches are worth the hype!
Fun Fact: Florence and most of Tuscany doesn’t use any salt in their bread! Some theories I heard were that Pisa (hundreds of years ago) banned salt shipments to Florence during one of their (many) disputes, and another theory was due to the Papal Salt Tax, which led Florence and other states to ditch salt in their bread all together
After admiring all the shops as we walked by, we of course had to take a moment to admire the Duomo di Firenze: Santa Maria del Fiore. This cathedral was absolutely breathtaking (one of our favorites of the trip), intricate, and full of life! Later on, in one of our tours, we learned that this was the church of Mother Mary and that her statue sitting at the center of the facade is symbolic of her watching over the city of Florence
As we continued our walk around the city, we stopped at Caffè Dell'Accademia for some gelato - I got a scoop of their tiramisu and this flavor called zabaione with ribbons of chocolate… so good!
We walked through Piazza della Signoria, where we saw wonderful statues and monuments like the Fountain of Neptune, the Abduction of a Sabine Woman, Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Hercules and Nessus, and a Replica of the Statue of David
Iconic buildings in the piazza were Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi
The first day was finished off with a couple limoncellos and salt chips at a local café/bar - Caffè Condotta
Day 2: Museum Tours & More Parts Florence
This was a JAM-packed day!
Bright and early, we picked up a couple cappuccinos and croissants (sorry, don’t remember the name of the café we went to!) and walked to the start of our day tour - Galleria dell’Accademia
We got to see the OG Sculpture of David carved by the one and only Michelangelo - the pinnacle icon of the Renaissance era
We learned a bit of art history on our tour, like the transition between medieval and renaissance styles of art and how to spot the differences
Then we headed over to the Uffizi Gallery where we got to tour more Renaissance art pieces like the iconic Birth of Venus by Botticelli, Doni Tondo by Michelangelo, Medusa by Caravaggio, & the portraits of Angelo and Maddalena Doni by Raphael
We ended our tour at the Sistine Chapel, mentally capturing the incredible frescos (we weren’t allowed to take any photos)- and the iconic Creation of Adam — you know… the famous hand of God reaching out to Adam — yet again by Michelangelo
After our tour, we grabbed a bite to eat at Auditore Ristorante Braceria. We shared bruschetta with tomato and for entrees Mario got the gorgonzola gnocchi and I got the ravioli al ragù. The food and wine was amazing, but this is the point in our trip that I started feeling under the weather… which sadly continued for the remainder of our time in Tuscany. But I pushed through and made it out stronger on the other side lol
We continued onward after lunch by exploring more parts of the city. We hit up another beautiful basilica at the Piazza Santa Croce & got some sweets at the farmers market in the plaza
Walking a little farther to the back of the basilica, we made our way to one of the coolest spots for us in Florence — the Scuola Del Cuoio or School of Leather.
The history behind the school is so fascinating — from the Medici family commissioning the initial construction, to post WWII when it got converted into the school it is today — I highly recommend if you come to Florence to admire the beautiful leather goods and the surrounding chapels. We left with a fair share of keepsakes for us and our family!
You can read more about their incredible origin story HERE
Finally, took a little break from leather shopping (we went back there a couple more times during our stay in Florence) at Budellino to grab a couple glasses of wine, then grabbed a feast of a meal at Osteria Filetto d’Oro
Day 3: Tuscan Wine Country & Medieval Towns
Another amazing day in Tuscany! Mario and I made our way out of Florence and into the Tuscan wine country
Our day started in the medieval town of San Gimignano where we got to explore the beautiful scenery of the town overlooking the picturesque rolling hills and vineyards surrounding it
We learned that the town was sort of “frozen in time” after the Black Plague as it struggled to modernize and recover alongside the rest of Italy, but for us and fellow travelers it hosts several watch towers, a quaint church, and a beautiful garden courtyard of wisteria trees
There was also the Gelateria Dondoli, an award winning gelateria that lived up to the hype
After our time in San Gimignano, we stopped for lunch at a Chianti winery Fattoria Poggio Alloro. Lunch comprised of bruschetta with dressed tomatoes, penne al ragù, a cheese & salami plate, and (of course) the wine!
We got to try 4 different wines of the region: a vernaccia, chianti (my fav), a blended red wine, and an iced wine for dessert
Next on our tour was the town of Siena - another beautiful town with medieval undertones… it kind of reminded me of Game of Thrones with the town’s animal crests to signify each district of Siena
For me, highlights of Siena included the Piazza del Campo (the “heart of the city”), the Duomo di Siena (very reminiscent of the one in Florence!), and the She Wolf Statue (like the one in Rome… but Siena’s own version and origin story)
Last stop of our day tour was a quick visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We got to climb up tower and after we finally made it to the top of those grueling steps (vertical walking being a very common theme of our time in Florence haha) we got to take in the insane view of the Battistero di San Giovanni (or Baptistry of St. John) below us. Fun fact: the baptistry in Pisa is the largest baptistry in the world
After our tour, we returned back to Florence and wound down with some dinner at Caffè Italiano. The burrata dishes were seriously fire!
Day 4: Last Day of Florence
Our last day in Tuscany started on our search for breakfast along the Arno River, and mid meal-hunt we walked through the shops along the famous Ponte Vecchio
By the time we found a place to eat, it was lunch time, so we ditched the breakfast idea and went to Il Santino for some bruschetta with prosciutto, drizzled with honey and garnished with honey & rosemary and a square of lasagna to share with a local Vernaccia (white wine)
After lunch, we crossed back over the river on Ponte Santa Trinita, adjacent to Ponte Vecchio, for some more time to admire the beautiful view along the Arno
We really wanted to go inside the duomo, but unfortunately we needed tickets to get in, which had been sold out for a month… but the next best thing we could do was climb Campanile di Giotto (or Giotto’s Bell Tower) next to the cathedral
The views of the duomo and the city of Florence were simply STUNNING, and it rounded out our trip to this amazing city
Our last tourist attraction of Florence was the Battistero di San Giovani— or Baptistry of St. John (same name as the one in Pisa lol)— across from the duomo. We learned that the baptistry was built way before the cathedral, and that it used to be a pegan temple for the god of Mars. It is in the shape of an octagon, symbolic of new beginning after baptism
Dinner was spent at Ristorante Il Paiolo — Mario got a pasta carbonara, and I got a gnocchi alla sorrentina
To Sum It Up
Places We Explored
FLORENCE
SAN GIMIGNANO, SIENA, PISA
Parco della Roca - San Gimignano
Piazza del Campo - Siena
Duomo di Siena - Siena
Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John) - Pisa
Places We Ate At:
FLORENCE
SAN GIMIGNANO, SIENA, PISA
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