Florentine Reunion

Ahhh Firenze. The history, the romance, the Chianti...

I spent the weekend in beautiful Florence with three of my favorite people, Peter, Allison and Arun. We have a great time every time we meet up no matter where we are (Vegas, Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, Charlottesville) but a reunion weekend with Florence as our backdrop was extra special.

On Friday night we met up in the hotel suite/apartment Allison had reserved in a perfect location just up the Arno from the Ponte Vecchio - a plush three room suite complete with HUGE terrace ideal for enjoying a pre-dinner glass of wine (or four) or convening for a sunny breakfast outside. Bellissimo. For dinner on Friday we found a small trattoria down the street serving traditional Tuscan dishes and then began our grand tour of the Florentine bar scene. We tried Noir and Fusion Bar before ending up at Slowly which was happening but not too crowded, played fun music, and provided bottomless baskets of potato chips at the bar, of which Arun took full advantage.

Saturday morning Peter made coffee and procured a baguette, pecorino cheese, prosciutto and smoked salmon for breakfast which fortified us for a day of sightseeing. First stop, naturally, was the Duomo. I'd seen photos of the big orange dome standing out prominently in the Florence skyline but didn't expect the intricately carved white and pink facade. It's beautiful and so different from the dark, Gothic cathedrals I'm used to seeing.

Next to the Duomo, the Baptistry, believed to be the oldest building in the city, was really cool as well with its sets of massive bronze doors and beautiful mosaic-covered domed ceiling. The ceiling depicts the last judgment, the rewards given to the just, and the punishments doled out to the damned (including being roasted on spits and eaten by demons). There is no longer an actual baptismal font in the Baptistry but you can see the outline on the floor of where it was when all Catholic Florentines were brought there to be baptized.

Next we strolled up to the San Marco Convent which has been turned into a museum. You can peek into the small dormitory rooms the Dominican monks lived in - each decorated with a devotional painting by Fra Angelico, one of the convent's most famous inhabitants. His famous frescoes including the Assumption and the Last Supper decorate other parts of the building.

After lunch and a quick stop at a gelateria we fit in one more museum - the Galleria dell'Accademia, home to Michelangelo's David, among other paintings and sculptures. The David is certainly an impressive and imposing presence in the main hall of the Accademia - one of those works of art that is so familiar and so often replicated but is still worth seeing in person.

Saturday night we had a dinner reservation at La Giostra - a classy restaurant whose chef claims to be a descendant of the Hapsburg dynasty and who is referred to as the Prince. The restaurant was cozy and intimate with twinkling white lights on the ceiling and candles to set the mood. The menu was extensive (and in Italian) but our waiter helped us choose a bottle of wine and an assortment of dishes. Dinner played out in four amazing courses. The antipasti platter, porcini mushroom risotto and osso buco were a few of the highlights.

After dinner we checked out a neighborhood on the south side of the Arno called San Niccolo. There were throngs of people spilling out of the bars but we found a quieter one with a free table and stayed until closing time.

Sunday morning - another alfresco breakfast on our terrace - this time we feasted on Venetian cookies, biscotti, croissants and paninis with prosciutto, cheese and artichokes, accompanied by Prosecco poured over fresh crushed strawberries. Over the top.

It was a beautiful sunny warm day so we walked along the Arno and up to the Piazzale Michelangelo. There's yet another statue of the David up there (he's everywhere) but what people really climb up for are great views of the city. We had just enough time for photos and a quick drink at a cafe up on the edge of the hill before we had to head to the train station. Peter took off towards Turin and Allison, Arun and I caught our train to Rome where we had an hour to decompress and reminisce about the best parts of the weekend before I had to fly back to London.

Al, Arun and Peter - thanks for an amazing weekend!! I miss you guys already and can't wait to plan the next reunion. xx

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