Florence, Italy

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We've had a couple of busy, tiring days of traveling recently. We had to get from Barcelona, Spain to Forence, Italy, and we did it by train. Each day we tried to cram in both train travel and seeing a site on the way, but by the end we were pretty exhausted. We made it to Nice on the French Riviera late one afternoon and hopped a city bus to visit the Matisse Museum, which wasn't much of anything, then back to our hotel where we collapsed. Not a fun time. Finally, after several days of breaking up our trip, we landed in Florence, Italy.

We didn't have far to walk to our 'hotel,' a Catholic convent on the Piazza San Carmine, across the Arno. I was hoping this would work out well for us, because after the hard days we've been having, we needed a rest. We walked up to an imposing facade with a pair of huge, wooden doors posted with a handwritten sign. We had no idea what the sign read. There was a buzzer off to the side, so we rang it. A small face peered out a tiny window in the wall, smiled at us, and the door lock clicked. We were in.

We entered a beautiful foyer with tiled floor. Overhead, about three floors up, was a skylight letting the sun shine down on old furniture scattered around the foyer. At the reception desk, we stood behind a man who had decided to extend his family's stay from just one night to a total of six. Yep, things were looking good.

The sisters checked us in and we climbed the stairs to our room. Everything about this place is wonderful. I love the wide stone stairs, the crazy cubbyholes of rooms, the beautiful garden our room looks over, and most of all, the view. A room with a view, in Florence.

There are a few drawbacks. The curfew is 11:30 p.m. This is not a problem for us old folks. You must leave your room key at the desk every time you leave. I think of it as excellent security. We're on the south bank of the Arno River, not a trendy place. But there's an excellent gelato place nearby. You can bet we've tried it. It tasted like cream. We're walking so much that we've been having gelato twice most days, and not gaining weight.

Another drawback is no air conditioning. It's warm, even hot, in the sun, but by the evening things cool off and we're able to sleep well. And finally, the beds are all twins. Ours are shoved next to each other, though, so it seems like we're together. All in all, an excellent choice in Florence. I would recommend it very highly.

This morning we ate breakfast, included in the price, next to a pair of women from New York City who are in Italy for Florence, mostly, but also to see the opera Aida in Verona. Last night we met sisters who also are staying at the convent, and they are from France. We had a wonderful talk over dinner. We're meeting tons of great people and are not lonely. This is a beautiful, wonderful place. So glad we're here.

A later post will cover some of the things we're seeing in Florence.

Rebecca

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Photos

Casa San Gesu Carmine
The view from our window in Florence